I Have Nothing Left

Job 2

There are times when people feel that they have nothing left. This is often brought on by depression. Their feeling comes from a place of hopelessness. That is not what we are talking about today. Job may have been depressed, but if he was, it was not a contrived despair based on emotions. He literally had nothing left because of Satan's attempt to make him turn his back on God.

In Job chapter 2, the dialogue in Heaven picks back up. We see this in verses 1-6 of chapter 2. Many times, when this chapter is read, it is a hard pill to swallow. How could a loving God allow one of his children to be tormented like this? It goes against our western way of thinking (even our conservative western way of thinking). Of course, as we will see, it went against Job's friends' eastern way of thinking as well. However, Job possessed something that his friends, and us today, often struggle with; he had a grasp on the sovereignty of God.

I don't want to diminish Job's suffering. All of it was painful. The loss of his wealth, the death of servants, the death of all his children, and in chapter two, the loss of his health were all extremely painful. Job's acceptance of God's sovereignty did not alleviate the pain. It simply gave him perspective.

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Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. 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.

Job 2:9-10

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Job realized that he had almost nothing left. In these two verses we see that he still has a wife, but she is no comfort at this time. There are two ways we can read her comment to him. First, we can view it as she is upset with God (what Satan was hoping to accomplish in Job), and therefore wants him to abandon his faith. This is plausible and could be the reason for Job's rebuke. I feel certain this is just a summary of the conversation and not the whole dialogue.

The second way to view it, and the one I lean towards, is that she is so distraught with all emotional suffering, and now she cannot bear to see her husband physically suffer. She therefore wants him to curse God and die to alleviate his suffering. Her comment is actually rooted in a desire for mercy for Job. Job's rebuke fits with this view as well because, though well intentioned, it is still a foolish thing to curse God. Job's response shows that he believes God is sovereign and therefore justified to do with his creation that which he wills.

The chapter ends with Job's three friends coming to visit him. They have heard that he has suffered great loss and come to comfort him. Just as a preview, this chapter is the only comfort they give. Their physical presence, and silence, were the best comfort they could give. As we will see, they did not understand this. However, for one week, they sat with Job and mourned in silence.

There are two lessons we can take away from this chapter. The first has to do with our view of God. The second has to do with out interactions with others. The first is that God is sovereign over his creation. The second is that when people are suffering, they need our presence more than our words.

God is sovereign over his creation. If he is not, then he is no God. When we grasp this, it totally changes how we view our circumstances. I must say, I have failed at this many times. I have asked God "Why?" many times and thought him unfair or unjust. My faith has been shaken when I felt that he did not treat me right. That is not for me to decide. God is just and can use us how he sees fit. Isaiah said it this way:

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But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

Isaiah 64:8

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The second lesson we learn is that presence is more important than words. Suffering is a part of life. Suffering is a result of sin. That is not to say that suffering is the result of the suffering individual's sin. However, if not for the fall, and the curse of sin, there would be no suffering. This will become an important theme as we move through Job.

When people are suffering, they just need to know that someone is there. The presence of people who love them and care about them is often remembered far beyond the memory of words that are spoken. Presence proves that you are actually there for the person suffering. However, careless words can often undo the comfort that silent presence provides. This is not to say that we cannot speak, but our words should be weighed and well thought out. They should also be few.

Father, help me to have a greater view and acceptance of your sovereignty. I pray that my faith would not falter when I feel that things are not going my way. May I trust you in the good times and the bad. May I trust that you are indeed working all things together for good to those how love you and are the called according to your purpose.