Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?

Job 2:7-10 (TNIV)

7 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.

8 Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.

9 His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”

10 He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”
In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

My thoughts -

That's some serious faith right there. How can Job possibly accept this? All of his wealth has vanished. His children have been killed. Now his health has been taken from him. Job is suffering more than ought to be possible to endure. I hate to agree with the wife, whom Job calls foolish here, but why not just curse God and die? What could he possibly have left to live for?

And his response?

"Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"

I'm dumbfounded. We live in a culture in which our athletes have no trouble at least offering a token praise to God for their success but how many in the losing locker room believe that God wants them to fail? How we are blessed and cursed in this life is a mystery to me. If we credit God for the good do we blame God for the bad? I think Job does well to just accept it.

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