A Job Experience # 9

"And Much Time Having Elapsed ..."

Thus, satan went forth from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with loathsome and painful sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And Job took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself, and he sat down among the ashes, an unclean place without the city.

Then, much time having elapsed, his wife said to him, "Are you still holding fast to your integrity? How long wilt thou persist saying, 'Behold I will wait yet a little longer in hope and expectation of my deliverance?' Renounce God, and die."

The majority who interpret this portion of Scripture are very hard on the wife of Job. They seem to forget that up to this point Job's wife had suffered through the same calamities that satan had brought upon Job: Along with Job, she had suffered the loss of their home and lands; and most grievous and painful of all, her mother's heart had been broken by the death of their children. And then, for what seemed like an unendurable length of time, she had watched her husband suffer pain, grief, and affliction. The Septuagint Bible seems to catch the essence of her grief and sorrow as it speaks of what must have been in her heart: "... those sons and daughters, whom I brought forth with pangs and sorrow, and for whom I toiled in vain, are vanished from the earth; and (Job) thou thyself sittest among the putrefaction of worms, all night long in the open air, while I am wandering about or working for wages, from place to place and from house to house, wishing for the setting of the sun, that I may rest from the sorrows I endure ..."

No wonder Job's wife broke under the strain of the calamities that befell them; no wonder she could not endure such suffering; on the contrary, we believe that it was only as Job depended on God's "tender mercy" (James 5:11) that Job endured until God had His End through His Way.

So then, because of the great stress that Job's wife was under, we do not believe that we can be critical or judge her. We know that she allowed herself to be used by satan to discourage Job when she entreated her husband to "renounce God, and die." We know that she spoke foolishly and unadvisedly with her lips. We know she spoke without understanding and wisdom, but still we cannot judge or be critical of her. Remember, even the Apostle Peter allowed himself to be used by satan, to speak against the Cross of Christ (Matthew 16:21-26). Remember, Christ rebuked Peter, and said unto him: "Get thee behind Me, satan ..."

Beloved, if most of us will be honest before God, we have all allowed the enemy to use us, knowingly or unknowingly, to come against or speak against our brethren, at one time or another; and we have done this even when they are undergoing deep stress and trouble. Now, if we are to be counted among the faithful, we believe that at such times as this, we must be willing by God's grace to make up the difference for those who are breaking under their stressful circumstances. Job did this for his wife - listen as he give her a word of faith and a word of wisdom upon which they can stand:

"Whereupon he looking steadfastly at her said, "Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh ... Like one of the women without understanding hast thou spoken ... What? ... If we have received good things at the hand of the Lord, shall we not bear up under afflictions?" In all these things which befell him, Job transgressed not with his lips against God." (Job 2:10).

Furthermore, we know that God showed Job's wife His compassion; for when the Lord "turned the captivity of Job," He gave Job twice as much as Job had had before. And the Lord gave him seven sons and three daughters, which means Job's wife came into the good of all that God gave Job, for Job could not have had these children by himself: Job endured, and his wife came into her portion of God's End. Beloved, when God's full End is accomplished in each and every one of His children's lives, would it not be wonderful to find that God had used us, even in a small way, to make up the difference for those who broke under the stains of the unseen warfare?!

~T. Austin-Sparks~

(continued with # 10 - "The Perfect Timing of God's Full Purpose in Christ was Being Worked Out in Job's Life")