Job
Job is one of the brightest stars in the constellation
of Old Testament saints. He is known as a man of legendary patience
(cf. James 5:11) and as the "much-suffering" one, inasmuch
as he experienced every loss and pain that a human might possibly
suffer, and yet Job never forsook his relationship with the Lord
God.
Job lived in the land of Uz (Ausis), which lies between Arabia
and Idumea. He was one of the descendants of Esau, in the fifth
generation after Abraham. Job was a wealthy man with a large family.
Above all, though, he was a holy man, "perfect and upright,
one who feared God and eschewed evil" (Job 1:1). Job regularly
offered up sacrifices of burnt offerings to the Lord, to seek
forgiveness not only for his own sins, but for the sins of his
family as well. At a certain point in time, however, Job lost
everything at the instigation of the Devil: his children were
killed when a windstorm toppled their house, his cattle were stolen
by bandits or destroyed by fire from heaven, and a horrid and
disfiguring disease ate away at Job's body. Nevertheless, Job
raised his voice to bless the Lord who gives and takes away.
Job also lost the respect of his friends, who foolishly interpreted
his catastrophe as a sign of divine disfavor. In the face of their
unjust accusations, Job defended himself and the honor of the
God with whom he had lived as a friend for so many years. Many
of his statements of faith reflect deep prophetic insight, as
when he spoke of both the General Resurrection and the Incarnation,
saying, "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that He shall
stand in the latter days upon the earth; even after my skin is
destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God" (Job 19:25-26).
In the end, the Lord vindicated Job by word and deed. First, from
the center of a great whirlwind, the Lord silenced both Job and
his friends with a recital of His transcendent wisdom that surpasses
human understanding. Then the Lord restored the fortunes of Job
so that he was twice as wealthy as before. Job lived another one
hundred and forty years after his trial. He shines forth forever
as a brilliant example of patient and faithful endurance in the
face of every conceivable suffering.