A Man Who Lost Everything

“There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” Job 1:1 We find here one of the rare men that God calls perfect and upright. A man that feared God, meaning he had a deep respect for the Lord and avoided sin. Job was a very wealthy man, in fact was recognized as the wealthiest man in the east. Even when Job lost everything he owned and in his deepest hurt, he remained faithful to the Lord.

What is faithfulness? Faithfulness is a character trait that is exhibited by a person who can be trusted and relied upon, someone who is committed to another. Often times in wedding vows, the couple commits to be faithful to one another, no matter what. I want us to notice and take heed of the faithfulness of Job.

We see in vs. 9 that Satan requested to destroy everything that Job possessed. After Job lost everything, he had a very peculiar response. He responds in the utmost faithful manner, “...the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” Job 1:21b-22

Not only did Job lose everything, but was also inflicted with a painful disease. It was at this time that Job’s wife told him to curse God and die. However, Job rebukes his wife and calls her foolish, and remains faithful to the Lord.

Friend, the Lord is looking for faithful servants today. We owe Jesus our lives, for He has been faithful to us. “There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:7

Joel Buckingham