Job has lost everything. Job has lost his possessions and wealth. Job has lost his way of life. Job has lost his ten children. Job has lost his health. Satan has taken Job to the edge of his life, yet Job still breathes. Job’s wife has told Job that if God is not going to protect him from suffering and hardship, then there is no reason to serve God. The logical thing to do would be to give up your faithfulness, curse God, and die. Job responds that such thinking is foolishness. In spite of all of his pain, Job has proclaimed critical faithful words. We will accept the good that comes from God and we will also accept the adversity (Job 2:10). We come into this world with nothing and we leave with nothing. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. No matter which happens, blessed is the name of the Lord (Job 1:21). In all this, Job did not sin or charge God with wrong (Job 1:22; 2:10). But now what? The book does not end. There are 40 more chapters of content regarding the life of Job. Further, the trial does not end. It is easy to leave Job right here, saying the right words, but not follow through with the rest of the account. But Job’s suffering did not stop at the end of chapter 2. Job’s faithful words have not changed the outcome of anguish in his life. We are not specifically told how much time has passed by when the friends of Job arrive. It is easy to think that when we read Job 2:11 that the three friends got in their cars, drove down the street, and came to Job’s house. But we are told that these friends live in completely different parts of the world. Job 7:3 indicates to us that Job has been going through this suffering for months. It has not been hours. It has not been days. It has not been weeks. This has been going on and on for months. Nights of anguish and sleeplessness (cf. Job 7:4). Every night trying to go to sleep, believing you are about to die, only to wake up again in continuing pain (cf. Job 7:7-8)…
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