Again the sons of God came to God and Satan came too. Satan again came from going to and fro on the earth. God asked Satan again if he considered Job, and how Job is still righteous and holds fast his integrity even though Satan sought to incite God against him to destroy him for no reason. Satan said, “Skin for skin!” He argued that if Job’s flesh is impacted that he will curse God to His face. God gave Satan permission to afflict Job, only not to kill him. Satan struck Job with sores all over his body. Job took broken pottery to scrape himself. Job’s wife told him to curse God and die. Job told her that she spoke as a foolish woman, “Shall we receive good from God, and not evil?” Job did not sin with his lips. Job’s friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar heard and came to Job. When they saw him they didn’t recognize him. They all wept. They sat with him on the ground for 7 days and nights, no one spoke a word to him. They saw his suffering was very great.
God will not allow His people to be separated from Him. Whether our possessions are taken away or we are afflicted with even the most serious of illnesses. We have an enemy – God’s enemy – Satan. He is seeking to destroy mankind, and his sight is particularly set on God’s people. Even when we suffer, may God protect our hearts and minds to not sin against Him. Christians suffer, and we don’t always know why, but God will not lose His people. It is good and right to weep in the face of suffering. We are not exempt from pain in this fallen world, but we have a great God in whom we can set all of our hope. My chronic pain may be with me until my death, but I can still have an untouchable joy in God in the midst of my tears. God make me able to weep over sin, suffering, and difficult things. Use my trials as occasions to wean my affections off of the world and set them upon Christ. Use my suffering to display Your glory.