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Once upon a time, there was a man who loved God very much and always
turned away from doing bad. His name was Job. Job had seven sons and three
daughters. He owned 7000 sheep, 3000 camels, 500 ox, 500 donkeys, lots of
servants and many other nice things. One day the angels stood in line,
waiting to talk to God, and satan was with them. When it was satan's turn
to talk, God asked him, Where have you been? And satan answered, I have
been walking back and forth in the earth.
God said, Have you seen Job? There is nobody like him on all the earth,
he loves God and turns away from bad. Then satan answered back, Why
shouldn't he love God? You have always protected him and blessed him with
everything, but if you took away all that he has, for sure he would say
bad things about you. God said, We will see. You can take all that Job
has, but do not touch him. So, satan left.
One day while Job's children were all eating dinner at their oldest
brother's house, a messenger ran to Job and said, The ox were plowing and
the donkeys were next to them and some bad people came and took them all
and have killed the servants in the field. I am the only one who got away
to tell you! Before he finished, another messenger ran up and said, Fire
has come from the sky and has burned up all the sheep and the servants
with them. I am the only one who got away to tell you! Before he finished,
another messenger ran up and said, some bad people just took all the
camels and the servants with them. I am the only one who got away to tell
you! Before he finished, one more messenger ran up and cried, Your sons
and daughters were eating dinner and a great wind came out of the
wilderness and hit the house and it fell on your children and the
servants, killing them all. I am the only one who got away to tell you!
Job was so sad. He tore his clothes and shaved his head and fell to the
ground and prayed, The Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord. After all that had happened, Job didn't
blame God.
Again there was a day the angels stood in line, waiting to talk to God,
and satan was with them. When it was satan's turn to talk, God asked him,
Where have you been? And satan answered, I have been walking back and
forth in the earth. God said, Have you seen Job? There is nobody like him
on all the earth, he loves God and turns away from bad. And satan said,
Yes, a man will give everything he has to save his life, but if you take
his health, for sure he would say bad things about you. And God said, he
is in your hands, but you may not kill him.
Then satan went and put sores all over Job, from the top of his head to
the bottom of his feet. Job's wife said to him, Do you still love God?
Curse God, and die. But Job said to her. Should we only receive good from
the hand of God? Job wouldn't blame God.
When three of Job's friends heard all that had happened, they came to
see Job, but when they saw how much pain he was in, none of them
spoke a word for seven days. Then Job began to talk, and he asked, Why
does God let me live in such pain? I have no peace and terrible things
keep happening.
Job's friends came to the conclusion that Job must have
done something wrong to have such bad things happening to him, but Job
never got mad at God, even though he didn't understand why such
terribleness had struck his life.
Then God spoke to Job out of a whirlwind. God reminded Job of all the
wonderful things He created and all the good things around him. He told
Job to forget about his pain and remember his faith in the goodness of
God, even though he couldn't understand everything that happens in life.
Job told God that he knew that nothing was impossible for God, and that he
was sorry if he ever doubted God's power. Job felt glad that he believed
in God, who has such greatness that no man can understand everything He
does.
God healed Job, and because he never blamed God for anything that
happened to him and would never say anything bad about Him, God gave him
seven more sons and three more daughters and twice as much of everything
that he had before. Job lived to be a very old man being faithful to God.
And satan, as always, was wrong. Sometimes things that happen are just a test of
our faith in God.
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Spirit of Truth
