We have a lot of ground to cover today so I’m not going to
give a review of what we discussed http://dailyflicker.blogspot.com/2014/08/job-its-nothing-personal_26.html yesterday.
If you would like to catch up feel free to read my blog at or
click this link: Let’s pick up at Job Chapter Two
We are not sure of the length of time, but a period of days
weeks or months had passed from Job’s initial loss as discussed in chapter
one. While I believe the word just as it
is: The
eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the
good. Proverbs 15:3, I also believe
that the angels of the Lord help with that watching based upon the fact that
they report to God consistently as stated in Job: 2:1-2.
Using my sanctified imagination I envision the events as
follows: The angels were prompt as
usual. Several of them had already given
their reports but just as Gabriel began his report, Michael gave the signal
that the accuser had arrived. God interrupted
Gabriel and turned his attention to the accuser and asks where he had been. Now at first glance one might think that God
is showing favoritism to the accuser but that is not the case at all. He absolutely wants to hear from him, not
because he is unaware, but because he wants the accuser to make his statements
public for the record. However, God is
also sensitive to the HIPBA codes (Heaven Is Protecting Believers Always). So the exception is made to get him in and
out quickly.
The accuser gives the same or a very similar response to
what has become his routine, he says he has been prowling the earth looking for
Victors, I mean victims. God mentions
Job again and says: “there’s no one quite
like him, is there—honest and true to his word, totally devoted to God and
hating evil? He still has a firm grip on his integrity! [even though] You tried to trick me into destroying him,
but it didn’t work.” Satan was embarrassed as he heard the other angels
laughing and high-fiving each other especially Michael who was bent over
laughing and slapping his knee. Satan turned to Michael and mean mugged him. Michael quickly lost his laugh, stood up and
said: “Wassup?’ God intervened and
reminded them there would be plenty of time for them to handle their business
on their own terms, right now, they needed to move forward with the
reports. Satan continued: “A human would do anything to save his life.
But what do you think would happen if you reached down and took away his
health? He’d curse you to your face, that’s what.” God said, “All right. Go ahead—you can
do what you like with him. But mind you, don’t kill him.” Satan left the Board room and struck Job
with sores from head to toe.
Job woke especially early the next morning with a weird pain
that seemed to cause his entire body to ache but what was also strange was the
fact that his entire body seemed to itch as much as it hurt. He reached up to scratch his neck and felt
multiple lumps. He sat up and the pain
shot through his entire body. He went to
the mirror made of highly polished beaten brass and noticed lumps all over his
face, hands and arms. He lifted his
night clothes and saw sores all over his body.
He
hurried to his wife’s bed chambers like a scarred little boy. When her maidservant told her he had arrived
she had already decided she was in no mood for Job’s friskiness this morning
and she told him so as she turned over and pulled the covers over her
head. But his silence was deafening so
she pulled the covers back down from her face to see her husband grimacing in
pain. She zeroed in on his face, looking
directly in eyes which were almost shut closed from some type of swelling. She stood quickly and moved closer to him to
examine him upfront and then she practically shrieked: “What happened to you?” He could barely talk because his lips were
also swollen in fact his face was swollen so badly that he was completely disfigured. She lifted Job’s night clothes and discovered
they things were literally all over his body.
She was absolutely overcome with anxiety. First their property, servants and children,
now this. Not that she wanted to, but
she was all cried out. She helped Job to
redress as painful as it was and then called for her faithful chambermaid, Dorcas,
who was also an herbal specialist, to examine her husband’s skin. Dorcas believed they were boils but there
were so many that she wasn’t sure. She
told her mistress that she would go and find herbs to help bring the lesions to
a head and hopefully ease the pain. When
she returned they attempted to apply the balm she made, but it was far too
painful so they decided to try again later.
In the mean time she gave him some medicated wine to take the edge off.
After
the second day they were exhausted from the lack of sleep. The pain had become unbearable and when he
tried to re-position his body to find a comfortable position in hopes that he
could sleep but ultimately cried out in pain.
Each time he did, MJ (Mrs. Job) was right by his side. She delicately applied warm compresses to the
sores hoping they would come to a “head” if they were boils. While it seemed to offer temporary relief for
a short period it wasn’t a long term solution.
She was frankly at her wits end with exhaustion, grief, pity parties and
blame, that she felt like she was gonna lose it. It was at that point that she opened her mind
just enough for the PP (Pity Party) Committee to overthrow her.
As
she got up to prepare some broth for Job she blamed their friends for
abandoning them even though they have met the needs of countless others; Job
for spoiling their children and giving them everything they wanted; her eldest
son for hosting that party and killing all of her children; the Chaldeans, whom
she had often referred to as ruthless thugs for stealing part of their
livestock; God for reigning down fire and consuming the rest of the livestock
causing them to lose everything. She
accused him of being unfair after all they did for their friends and family and
now everyone has turned their backs on them.
They didn’t even have money to send for a decent physician. Now she had worked herself up to a frenzy;
she was crying and pacing the floor as she poured the broth she made in a bowl
and prepared to take it to Job. Job had
mustered up enough strength to go outside and sit in the sun. As she headed out to where he was she decided
to tell him exactly how she felt but as she approached him she barely
recognized him because he looked like a bloody pulp. He had broken the water pot their middle
daughter made and had scraped his body with a broken piece of it! In horror she dropped the soup and fell down
before him and said: Are you still trying to maintain your
integrity? Curse God and die. Job 2:9 (NLT). He has abandoned us, he doesn’t love us, he
doesn’t care about us if he did we wouldn’t have done this to us.
Job
looked at MJ through painful eyes and as much as it hurt to talk or touch, he
reached down stroked the back of her head and said: “Baby Doll, you’re talking like one of those
foolish women from the well”. That’s not
the woman God I know and married. The
woman that sang to and prayed over our children almost as much as I did. Sweetness, we have to remember God’s promises
and his goodness. It wouldn’t be fair
for God to bless us all the time and we never suffer anything”. As soon as the words left her mouth she regretted
them but it was too late. She loved her husband and had always
supported everything he did. She knew
Job was right, she knew that God loved them but this seemed so unfair and she
didn’t understand why they were being persecuted so severely. Job had always been stronger in faith than
her but she was much more vocal about her feelings and right now she was angry
with God.
Job
knew MJ was at her breaking point otherwise she wouldn’t have lashed out the
way she did. She had been very brave
during the course of this trial and he loved her far more than he could ever
express. It hurt him to see her so broken. As painful as it was, Job continued to speak
soothing words to his wife and rub her back until he felt the release his wife
desperately needed.
I’m
out of time, we’ll have to pick up tomorrow
In
His New Excellence,
Tania
Not Tanya
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