In the land of Uz there was a blameless and upright man named Job, who feared God and avoided evil. 2 Seven sons and three daughters were born to him; 3 and he had seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred she-donkeys, and a very large household, so that he was greater than anyone in the East. 4 His sons used to take turns giving feasts, sending invitations to their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 And when each feast had run its course, Job would send for them and sanctify them, rising early and offering sacrifices for every one of them. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Job did this habitually.
6 One day, when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, the satan also came among them. 7 The Lord said to the satan, “Where have you been?” Then the satan answered the Lord and said, “Roaming the earth and patrolling it.” 8 The Lord said to the satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him, blameless and upright, fearing God and avoiding evil.” 9 The satan answered the Lord and said, “Is it for nothing that Job is God-fearing? 10 Have you not surrounded him and his family and all that he has with your protection? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his livestock are spread over the land. 11 But now put forth your hand and touch all that he has, and surely he will curse you to your face.” 12 The Lord said to the satan, “Very well, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on him.” So the satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.
The book of Job deals with the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Job lived in the land of Uz in the territory of Edom (Gen 26:38; Lam 4:21). Popular tradition holds that Edomites were descendants of Jacob’s elder son Esau (Gen 25:19-34).
Job was blameless (morally perfect), upright (righteous), feared God (showed God reverence and obedience by the way he lived), and avoided evil (always choosing the good). Job was not an old man (Job 15:10) when he was blessed with great wealth and power. After his children held feasts, he offered sacrifices on their behalf in case they had sinned. The law of retribution/retaliation (Ex. 21:24) assumes that the righteous are rewarded and the wicked are punished so Job’s friends would have assumed that he had been rewarded for his outstanding uprightness.
The Adversary roamed the earth and reported the wrongdoings of men to his master (Zech. 3:1). In God's domain in the heavenly courtroom, the adversary debated the source of Job’s righteousness with God. This adversary was not the devil as described in later Jewish and Christian religious theology. The adversary argued that God had protected Job, and Job’s piety was the result of the prosperity God had given him; therefore, it counted for nothing. The adversary accused Job of serving God out of self-interest not love; It was nothing more than a transactional relationship. The adversary claimed that Job would not maintain his perfect and blameless relationship if he lost his family and all his possessions. God accepted the challenge and allowed Job to be put to the test.
Almighty God, your Son taught us to petition you in our prayers
and ask you to lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Grant us the wisdom and strength to lead
righteous lives and expect nothing in return, for your love is reward
enough. This we pray through Christ our
Lord. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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