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P. 23
When those who are considered to be good go
through trials, tribulations, and major illnesses, we want
to know why. We surmise, if suffering is punishment,
then why should the good and righteous be affected by
epidemics and pandemics?
The Book of Job is a classic example of why and how
bad things can sometimes happen to good people. When
we’re first introduced to Job, we see a good man who has
been blessed with prosperity. It seems that Job has it all. He
has an abundance of wealth, he has wisdom, and he has a
great family.
“He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire
area (the east).” Job 1:3 (NLT)
To his own bewilderment, Job lost his seven (7) sons,
his three (3) daughters, his home… and all of his great
wealth— in Just one day! That’s a hard blow for the best of us.
While I love the example that Job represents in this story,
I’m not sure if I know of any believers who can handle this
much disappointment and tremendous grief in a single day.
Job’s initial reaction to this disaster was one that we
would not normally expect. Here’s how the Bible puts it in
the first chapter of the book of Job:
“Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his
head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshiped,
Job shaved his head and said, “Naked came I out of
my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither:
the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed
be the name of the Lord.”
Job 1:20-21 (KJV)
Not long after Job found himself so afflicted that his three
(3) friends who came to see about him didn’t recognize him.
It was seven (7) days before they even spoke to him.