Job 1:1, “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect (H8535) and upright (H3477), and one that feared (H3373) God, and eschewed evil.”
Unbeknownst to Job, God had pretty much bragged him up to Satan. Job 1:8, “ And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?”
Satan marginalized the character of Job to God using the rationale that God had a hedge of protection around Job and that Job was rich in livestock and in family. Would Job continue to be perfect and upright with the fear of God if he suffered great loss and tragedies? God allowed Satan to have control over all that Job had but not to hurt Job himself. After losing his 10 children and all of his wealth Job remained faithful to God.
Job 1:21, “And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”
Next Satan asked to up the ante and actually inflect harm on Job. God agreed with the proviso that Satan could not take Job’s life. Job 2:7, “So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.”
Job’s wife encouraged him to curse God and die. Job 2:10, “But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.”
With thanks to Randy Frazee “The Upper Story and a Lower Story”
“The Lower Story, our story, is actually many stories of men and women interacting with God in the daily course of life. The Upper Story is God's story. The Bible contains an Upper Story and a Lower Story. The Upper Story tells the big picture, the grand narrative of God unfolding throughout history. The Lower Story contains the sometimes delightful, other times appalling particulars of human experience. Without the lens of the Upper Story, the Lower Story seems out of focus and perplexing.”
Unlike Job, we have the advantage of knowing the upper story, God’s story. Job, his wife and Job’s three disapproving friends only knew the lower story, Job’s story. To quote Mr. Frazee, “Without the lens of the Upper Story, the Lower Story seems out of focus and perplexing.” Indeed without the upper story it would seem perplexing that so many wicked things could befall a perfect and upright man who feared God.
H8535 - complete; usually (morally) pious; specifically gentle, dear: - coupled together, perfect, plain, undefiled, upright.
H3477 - straight (literally or figuratively): - convenient, equity, just, meet (-est), + pleased well right (-eous), straight, (most) upright (-ly, -ness).
H3373 - fear, fearing; morally reverent
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