[9] 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
When you first hear “Job’s wife” what runs through your
mind. My first thought, “she was not supportive but wanted him to just curse
God and die.” Think for a minute with me, Job was not the only one who lost
everything, so did his wife. The livestock that was killed was part of her
livelihood too. The children that died were her children also. Her heart must
have been breaking. I cannot image losing a child never mind ten, all at once.
Not only did she lose everything with her husband, but it appeared that she was
now losing him.
He was covered from head to toe with boils. Boils are extremely
painful. He did not have one or two but so many that he was literally covered. He
probably could not walk very well, because they were on the soles of his feet.
His hands, most likely, were covered so he could not carry or hold anything
without being in excruciating pain. He could not sit, he could not stand, and
he could not lie down without pain wrenching his whole body. Thoughts from
theologians believe it was anything from small pox, or leprosy to elephantiasis. The Hebrew meaning of boil
is to burn; inflammation, that is, an ulcer: - boil,
botch.
It appears
that her faith was not as strong as Job’s, “do you still retain your
integrity?” was the question asked. She was suffering too. She did not know how
to reach out and comfort her husband. Maybe communication was not good between
them. We need to remember this was a time when women kept silent. Eugenia Price
says, “She saw her husband strictly from her own viewpoint, not at all from
his.” We learn in Job 19 that his breath was offensive to her. It probably was
because of the dreaded infection he had.
Only four verses mention Job’s wife. We do not know much,
most is conjecture. We do know God gave Job double at the end than what he had
in the beginning (Job 42:12). God gave
his wife a second chance with the birth of more children. Again there is much
said about the end of Job’s life. Some believe it was a second wife, some
believe it was his first wife. I side with it being the same wife. After
looking through scripture I could not see the “second wife” theory.
Lessons I learned from Job’s wife:
Judgemental –
do not be quick to judge, we need to walk in someone else’s shoes
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge
righteous judgment. ~ John
7:24
Offend –
don’t be offensive, think before you speak, think before you act
My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my
heart shall be of understanding. ~ Psalm 49:3
Bitter –
Bitterness festers inner “sores”
Let all bitterness… be put away from you… ~ Ephesians 4:31
Stern – Watch
the tone of your voice
… a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; Ecclesiastes
3:7
Weary – when
one is emotionally drained it brings everyone down
But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. ~ II
Thessalonians 3:13
Inadequate
– realize we are inadequate but Jesus is
there to help us
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. ~ I
Peter 5:7
Fatigue –
when going through hard times find time to rest your tired body (physically and
emotionally)
Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: ...~ Psalm
37:7
Encourage–
pray and ask God to help you be an encourager not a discourager
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16
Donna
