The holy righteous Job the Long-suffering is a revered Christian person who lived on the earth about 2000-1500 years before the beginning of a new era. Otherwise, he is called Job poor, for the trials that God sent him. Almost the only source telling about him is the Old Testament of the Bible. The story of Job is the main theme of our article.
Who is Job?
He lived in Northern Arabia. It is assumed that Job the Long-suffering is the nephew of Abraham, that is, is the son of his brother Nahor. He was a truthful and friendly person. But believers glorify him as a deeply believing and God-fearing righteous man. Job did not do evil deeds and did not have envy and condemnation in his thoughts.
He was the happy father of 7 sons and 3 daughters. He had many friends, servants and untold riches at that time. Herds of Job multiplied, the fields gave a good harvest, and he himself was respected and honored by his fellow tribesmen.
Test start
The story of poor Job was difficult and painful. The Bible says that one day, angels gathered near God's throne to give prayers to the Almighty God and ask them to send blessings to the human race. Among them was Satan, who appeared to denigrate sinners and hoped that God would allow him to punish them.
The Lord asked him about where he was and what he saw. To this, Satan replied that he went around the whole earth and saw many sinners. Then the Lord asked whether the enemy of the human race saw the servant of God Job, who was the only one on earth who was famous for his justice, was blameless and God-fearing. Satan answered in the affirmative, but questioned the sincerity of the righteous.
The Lord permitted Job to be tested. Satan reacted to this with special zeal and destroyed all the flocks of the righteous, burned his fields, deprived of wealth and servants. But the tests did not end there, his children died. The story of Job tells us that the righteous man humbly accepted the suffering, humbled it, but continued to further praise the Lord.
The sufferings of Job
And again Satan appeared before the throne of the Most High. This time, he said that the righteous did not renounce God, because his sufferings were not strong enough and touched only property, without touching the flesh. The Lord allowed Satan to send illness to Job, but forbade to deprive the mind and encroach on his free will.
The body of the righteous was covered with leprosy, and he was forced to leave people, so as not to infect them. All friends turned away from the sufferer, even his wife ceased to sympathize with him. Once she came to Job and was ashamed of him, saying that by his stupidity he had lost everything and is now experiencing incredible torment. The woman reproached the sufferer in the fact that he still loves God and honors him. If the Lord is so cruel and merciful, then you need to renounce him and die with blasphemy on his lips, that was her opinion.
The thoughts of Job's wife are not difficult to understand. In her opinion, if God sent the blessing, it is necessary to praise him, and if subjected to torment, then condemn. The story of Job the Long-suffering tells that the sufferer ashamed his wife and did not want to listen to her further. For from God one must accept both good and suffering equally with humility. Thus, the righteous one this time did not reject the Lord and did not sin before him.
Friends of the Sufferer
Rumors of the suffering of the righteous reached three friends of him who lived far away. They decided to go to Job and comfort. Seeing him, they were horrified, so terribly the disease changed the body of the sufferer. Friends sat down on the ground and remained silent for seven days, because they could not find words to express their compassion. Job spoke first. He expressed sorrow that he was born into the world and was subjected to terrible suffering.
Then Job's friends began to speak with him, expressing their thoughts and beliefs. They sincerely believed that the Lord sends good to the righteous, and evil to sinners. Therefore, it was believed that the sufferer had hidden sins that he did not want to talk about. And friends suggested repenting to Job before God. To this, the sufferer replied that their speeches poisoned his suffering even more, for the will of the Lord is incomprehensible and only one knows why he sends blessings to one and difficult trials to others. And we sinful people are not given to know the thoughts of the Most High.
Conversation with God
The righteous turned to the Lord in his sincere prayer and asked him to be a witness in his sinlessness. God appeared to the sufferer in a whirlwind and reproached him for reasoning about the highest providence. The story of Poor Job tells us that the Lord explained to the righteous man that only he knows why certain events occur and people will never be able to realize God's providence. Therefore, one cannot judge the Almighty and demand from him any report.
After this, God through the righteous turned to the friends of Job and ordered them to make a sacrifice with the hands of the sufferer, for only in this way is he ready to forgive them for condemning the righteous and for wrong thoughts about the will of the Lord. Friends brought seven rams and as many calves to the righteous. Job prayed for them and made a sacrifice. Seeing that the righteous, despite his grave sufferings, sincerely asks for his friends, God forgave them.
Reward
For the strength of faith, the Lord rewarded the sufferer with great blessings: healed his weak body and gave twice as many riches as before. Relatives and former friends who turned away from Job after hearing of the miracle of healing came to rejoice with the righteous and brought him rich gifts. But the blessings of God did not end there; he sent Job new offspring: seven sons and three daughters.
The end of the life of the righteous
The story of Job the Long-suffering tells that he was awarded the Lord for the fact that even in sorrows he did not forget God and loved him more than himself and his property. Even the great suffering did not force the righteous to deny God and condemn his providence. After the trials, Job spent 140 more years on earth, and all he lived 248. The righteous saw his offspring to the fourth tribe and died a deep old man.
The story of Job teaches Christians that the Lord sends the righteous not only remuneration for their works, but also misfortunes, so that they can establish themselves in the faith, shame Satan and glorify God. In addition, the life path of the righteous reveals to us the truth that earthly happiness cannot always correspond to human virtues. Job's story also teaches compassion for sick and unhappy people.