Job 1:6-12
Job's Hedge
6 One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”
8 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”
9 “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. 10 “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
12 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”
Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
Job 2:1-13
The Evil One Takes Job's Health
1 On another day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him.2 And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”
3 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”
4 “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. 5 But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
6 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”
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.
11 When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. 12 When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. 13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.
Job 42:1-17
Job Has Felt God
1 Then Job replied to the Lord:
2 “I know that you can do all things;
no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.
4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.’
5 My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
6 Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.”
Epilogue
7 After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. 8 So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.
10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. 11 All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver[a] and a gold ring.
12 The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. 13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. 15 Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.
16 After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so Job died, an old man and full of years.
The evil one thought that God had put a hedge around Job, so that he could not get to him...“Does Job fear God for nothing?” satan ask God...“Have You not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has?...You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land...But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse You to Your Face.”...
Job believed in God and God was with Job until this day...And then God allowed the evil one to enter Job's life...And it was tragedy after tragedy for Job...The first hedge was removed around Job, and God's protection in an earthly sense was gone...he evil one entered his life...But God was still there watching Job, because the LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”...God was still with Job, but bad things were starting to happen to him...The evil one had said "But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse You to Your Face."...And Job endured this, and still he loved God...He did not curse God...Job still shunned evil...And God was still there in heaven watching him...
Then the evil one after his first attempt to get to Job and separate him from God did not work, is seen again...Then the LORD said to satan, “Have you considered my servant Job?...There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil...And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited Me against him to ruin him without any reason.”...“Skin for skin!” satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life...But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse You to Your Face.”...The LORD said to satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”...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...Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes and suffered...
And as God watched, Job suffer He was near Him...But the evil one had made Job suffer greatly and still Job did not curse God...Job maintained his integrity, and endured...But he had questions for God and they were many...And he suffered...And God was near him watching...Of the many questions Job had for God, they might boil down to one question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?"...But with the loss of his family and friends and his wealth, and now his health -Job endured...And still he did not curse God...And God was watching all of these things happen to Job...
And after much dialogue with his three friends, God comes and sees Job...And God does not answer any of Job's questions of his suffering and why his suffering had happened, but we learn that God is Provident and Sovereign...Job feels the Presence of God and he feels God's Glory...And all the questions and words Job had had for God are now gone...God's Presence is enough...God's Presence is Everything...And Job says “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’...My ears had heard of You but now my eyes have seen You...Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”...
After the LORD had said these things to Job, he also said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about Me, as My servant Job has...So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to My servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves...My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly...You have not spoken the truth about Me, as my servant Job has.”...So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job’s prayer...
God restores Job's health, and family, and wealth...It seems Job had gotten his second hedge, for believing in God and being a faithful servant...