A Mighty Hero

The Lord gave 

and the Lord has taken away

May the name of the Lord 

be praised!

        These words were spoken by the greatest among men of the East. Singled out by Satan personally for ruin, Job’s destruction was absolute.  In one stroke calamity befell him. The Sabaens attacked his household and carried off his oxen and donkeys putting his servants to the sword. In the same day, the fire of God fell from the sky and burned up his expansive flocks of sheep and his servants. While the Chaldeans, a race related to Babylon, formed three raiding parties to put his servants to the sword and carry off his camels. 

          Furthermore, as soon as these events were reported to him, a grief stricken servant rushed to tell him that a mighty wind struck the four corners of the house that his sons and daughters were feasting at and that it collapsed, killing them all. Yet, Satan was not done. Petitioning directly to God, Satan boasted that if he could strike Job’s flesh, surely Job would curse God to his face. Thus, it transpired that after all that had happened, Job was inflicted with painful sores that oozed and weeped from head to toe. Sitting among the ashes of his house scraping himself with a pottery shard, his own wife mocked him for holding true to his Lord. When his three wealthy friends saw Job laying there among the destruction they tore their robes and began to weep aloud. They sat in the ashes with Job for seven days and seven nights. Yet, in all this, the Lord did not forget Job and remembered his faithfulness and integrity. Thus, The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys.  And he also had seven sons and three daughters. The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch.  

            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. After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation.  And so he died, old and full of years. Remember this friend! Those that serve the Lord are not forgotten. The great Defender, for those that obey Him, turns tragedy into triumph! Serve the Lord!

....And that was just the super condensed summary of Job's story.  I left out a lot of awesome parts.  Personally one of my favorite stories in all the Bible, Job's strength is more than herculean.  Read more, to discover why God found fault with Job. A truly uplifting story of a mighty hero.  More later this weekend, Matt