Again there was a day when the sons of God [the angels] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (the adversary and the accuser) came also among them to present himself before the Lord. Jo 2:2

Job’s first afflictions at Satan’s hand were smitten in the selfsame day. It is written that as the first messenger spoke of its calamity, the second messenger came; and while he was yet speaking the third messenger came; and while he was yet speaking, the fourth messenger came. The Bible does not tell how much time lapsed after Job had lost all his possessions, before the second conversation took place in the second chapter of Job.

It is written that God will not give burdens above what we can bear. However, He also instructs us to cast our cares upon Him. If you truly do this, there is nothing too hard for you, because you do not bear your own burdens, but do immediately cast them upon Him who cares for you. When Job suffered the losses of Chapter 1, he afterward did not fall into a depression, but instead WORSHIPPED God. What a great faith that Job could fight back the negative emotions and find a place of total submission to God despite his trials.

Satan must have been flabbergasted by Job’s response. As was said before, he saw Job’s faithfulness as a challenge. Being his stubborn self, he would not relinquish the fight or accept that he had been overcome in round 1.

Satan was sure of himself that a man afflicted in his body would not only give all that he had to be well [Job 2:4]; but that man he thought would also curse and renounce God to His face. This time, Satan ups the anty, saying that Job will do worse than curse God [Job 2:5]. Surprisingly, Satan has lost no confidence in the weakness of flesh, although he failed royally in round 1 as Job strayed not from the faith.

Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and immediately fulfilled his job of which He had spoken. How many times have you known what God wanted you to do, and procrastinated? Oh that we would be tenacious and not slacked in fulfilling God’s will.

When Satan smote Job with sores that covered his body from head to toe [Job 2:6], Job accepted what he could not change and did what he could do. He tended to his wounds; and Job did not charge God foolishly.

ROUND 3

After two failed rounds, Satan must have been nervous that Job would prevail at last, thus he called for reinforcements. He was a lying spirit in the mouth of prophets and he is called the tempter – because no man is tempted of God. So, we know that words spoken to entice Job to sin were planted by that serpent; and He first spoke to Job’s closest companion.

We do not know exactly how Job’s wife responded to round 1. However, in verse 9 of Chapter 2, we get a glimpse of her frustration. And it is clear that she must not have been at least in part a woman of faith, because Job calls her out on poor speech as if it was unexpected. She must have thought that if Job died, the seeming curse on their family would cease. She must have been nervous that the evil was getting closer to her person. She uttered the exact goal of Satan. No doubt the enemy planted the phrase in her mind, that she should entice Job to curse God and die.

Job’s reaction to his wife’s outburst shows that it was not an accepted response in their family culture. And the one sentence we receive from Job’s wife may not have been the entire conversation. This is perhaps only the pinnacle of her thought process at that time. Still, Job did not reason sinfully with his wife, but maintained that God is sovereign; and again Job did not sin with his lips [Job 2:1o]. Job’s heart was perfect, else his mouth would have betrayed God – because the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart [].

ROUND 4

Job’s body was so sorely vexed that three of his friends who came to visit and condole him could barely recognize him.

¹² And when they looked from afar off and saw him [disfigured] beyond recognition, they lifted up their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe, and they cast dust over their heads toward the heavens. ³ So they sat down with [Job] on the ground for seven days and seven nights, and none spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief and pain were very great. Job 2:12-13

You might have thought that Job’s trial was over – seeing that for first time there is exemplified compassion toward him. However, Job was still under attack. Even his friends who must have known his faithfulness toward God, also questioned Job’s integrity after that his comfort seemed to abate and his calamity worsened.

Sometimes, your pain can make even your friends uncomfortable. They may not know how to respond to your grief. They might not know what to say or how to approach you when you are in a test. Job’s friends sat with him for seven days and night without speaking a word to him, though they wept with compassion. For one week, they comforted Job in silence.

What happens when your trial lasts longer than your friends can bear?

After these seven days more, Job cursed his day of being brought into this world. He felt the pangs of depression. Satan must have said, “Ah-ha! – Job is now weak.” From this stage, Satan entices Job’s friends to again tempt Job. Suddenly, the men who had sat silent for seven days, were accusing Job of iniquity – hidden sin that they supposed must have been the premise to Job’s life disruption. You can almost hear Job’s friends mocking, “I thought you believed in God. If you really had faith, this would not be happening to you.” In later chapters you can read that Job’s friends also accused him of not being able to get a prayer through – since their eyes God was not listening to Job [Job 5:1].