Pain of Every Kind
Job 1:12 is downright chilling. It marks the release of Satan to ultimately do whatever he wanted with Job (short of killing him). Where else could this go but untold suffering? In fact, the evil spirit inflicted on the poor man nearly every category of pain known to our race. Job drank the bitter dregs of men who caused him complete material loss and then he endured several so-called “acts of God” that killed loved ones. The final blow came with the devastating loss of his health, which the Bible calls “loathsome sores.” And as an additional piece of garnish to Job’s crowded plate, he found out what it was like to be kicked when you are down, a lesson which his wife and his friends were very willing to provide.
Opinions Galore
Under such circumstances the temptation is severe to begin thinking of God as the adversary (actually, Satan literally means “adversary”), to get angry with Him, to consign our faith to the junk heap as useless superstition. Our view of the pain itself often makes everything worse. Job saw himself as a cosmic victim, mistakenly going through the whole ordeal. Job’s wife despised his sufferings it as freakish, hopeless bad luck (2:9). Job’s friends believed that he was being punished for some hidden sin. Even the devil was operating under a partially wrong impression–that this was all about a contest or chess match of sorts.
At the End of the Day
Satan disappears at the end of chapter 2, after throwing everything in his arsenal at Job. His team has lost and so he quietly leaves the narrative without concession speech or excuse. Job still stands. But this was not the end of the situation because God was not in it to begin with for victory, vindication, or bragging rights. He was in it for Job. Everyone else is done with Job. Even he himself concedes complete, unredeemable ruin. Where all are finished, however, God has just started.
Pain Works
The first result of pain in all its forms is immediate focus and attention. Job was effectively stopped in his tracks. His daily multitude of concerns…stopped. His interests…stopped. His dreams…stopped. For Job the world has ceased turning. All lesser priorities have vanished. Nothing seems to exist anymore except him, his pain, and the silhouette of the One who is behind it all, looming larger by the minute. The suffering has stopped Job, but it most certainly has not ended him.
Something to Remember
So what about us? Where does this leave a group of twenty-first century readers? With a sobering reminder. We must always keep in our considerations the God who values our fellowship with Him on a far greater scale than our transient comfort and happiness. There is probably no thought in the world more unsettling and yet more encouraging.
