Job chapter 1
Job lived in the land of Uz. He was prosperous and successful. He walked with God and shunned evil. Then one day, his possessions and offspring were taken.
INTRODUCTION
VERSE 1. There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God, and turned away from evil.
the land of Uz. Scholars have not yet identified any actual country which corresponds to Uz. Some identify as the kingdom of Edom.
God. The Hebrew word is אֱלֹהִ֑ים (“Elohim”).
VERSE 2. There were born to him seven sons and three daughters.
VERSE 3. His possessions also were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the children of the east.
VERSE 4. His sons went and held a feast in the house of each one on his birthday; and they sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.
VERSE 5. It was so, when the days of their feasting had run their course, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced God in their hearts.” Job did so continually.
JOB’S POSSESSIONS AND OFFSPRING ARE TAKEN
VERSE 6. Now on the day when God’s sons came to present themselves before the LORD, Satan also came among them.
God’s sons. Which “sons of God” are these? Who are they? Are they the Nephilim?
The Nephilim are mysterious hybrids of angels and humans. They are giants. And mighty heroes. Read more »
the LORD. When rendered in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, “LORD” or”“GOD” is the translation of God’s Proper Name.
VERSE 7. The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, “From going back and forth in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.”
VERSE 8. The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant, Job? For there is no one like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil.”
VERSE 9. Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing?
VERSE 10. Haven’t you made a hedge around him, and around his house, and around all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
Haven’t you made a hedge around him. The LORD God surrounds his people with invisible shielding and protection.
Some Christians call that a “hedge” of protection.
We can live our lives without fear, confident that God will have our back.
VERSE 11. But stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will renounce you to your face.”
VERSE 12. The LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power. Only on himself don’t stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
Behold. This is from the Hebrew word הִנֵּה. It means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.
all that he has is in your power. TheLORD God authorized Job to lose everything: oxen, donkeys, servants, sheep, camels, and sons and daughters.
It will be a long time before Job glimpses the truth of this matter:
Job 19:6. know now that God has subverted me, and has surrounded me with his net.
VERSE 13. It fell on a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,
VERSE 14. that there came a messenger to Job, and said, “The oxen were plowing, and the donkeys feeding beside them,
VERSE 15. and the Sabeans attacked, and took them away. Yes, they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
VERSE 16. While he was still speaking, there also came another, and said, “The fire of God has fallen from the sky, and has burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
In the Bible, fire sometimes came down from heaven. It was a sign. Or it destroyed the wicked. Or it consumed a sacrifice. Or it was a counterfeit miracle. Read more »
VERSE 17. While he was still speaking, there came also another, and said, “The Kasdim made three bands, and swept down on the camels, and have taken them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
VERSE 18. While he was still speaking, there came also another, and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,
VERSE 19. and behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young men, and they are dead. I alone have escaped to tell you.”
VERSE 20. Then Job arose, and tore his robe, and shaved his head, and fell down on the ground, and worshiped.
VERSE 21. He said, “Naked I came out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the LORD’s name.”
This verse is fantastic! Would you consider memorizing it? More great verses to memorize from the Book of Job and from the entire Bible.
The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Most Christians are as materialistic as anybody else. But the Bible calls us to be content with food and clothing. Read more »
VERSE 22. In all this, Job didn’t sin, nor charge God with wrongdoing.
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JOB
CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42
RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize, Job’s Dark Night
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.