Page 28 - Job
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took away your livelihood and your paycheck?
Not only did he lose his possessions, but look at verse 18 and 19. He lost
his children. In one tragic accident, he lost all ten children. Now I have six
children and I cannot imagine losing one. What would I do if the news
ever came to me that all six were dead at the same time. I have no way to
imagine or deal with that. And frankly I don’t care to. Job had no idea
whether or not his children suffered in the collapse of that building.
Sometime we take comfort from the fact that death is swift and
immediate. Someone says, “Oh, he was killed, but he did not know what
hit him. He had no idea”. Or else they say something like: “At least he
did not linger. At least he died right away. Death was swift and
peaceful”. Well, I think Job must have suffered mentally because he had
no idea how long they suffered before they died.
Not only did he lose his possessions and his means of support, not only
did he lose his loved ones, his children, but he also lost his health.
Look at chapter 2, verse 7 and 8,
“Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and smote Job
with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And
he took a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting among the
ashes.”
Men are generally sissies when it comes to pain. It seems like women can
take a lot more of it than men can. If I have one boil on my body, that is
enough to supply me with a topic of conversation for about a week, and it
can supply my family with a full time job for about two weeks. I do not
know what kind of boils these were, but verse eight implies that it was an
intolerable itching. Now, itching can drive you crazy. I do not know if you
have ever had poison ivy or some kind or a rash. I have itched before, but
I have never scrapped myself with a broken piece of pottery. What a
restless irritation it must have been to seek relief in that kind of a way.
Now chapter 7, verse 5, tells that the boils were oozing. All these graphic
details. I assume it was a repulsive sight. Chapter 2:12. Evidently, these
were three of his closest friends, and the Bible says when his three friends
came to see him they did not even recognize him. And when they saw him
they just wept, because he was so sick. Now, adding to this fact, the fact
that he had boils from head to foot,
chapter 7, verses 4 and 5,
“When I lie down I say, when shall I arise? But the night continues,
and I am continually tossing until dawn. My flesh is clothed with
worms and a crust of dirt, my skin hardens and runs”
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