My Name Is Job And This Is My Story.

do you know what it means to have everything and lose it all in one day I do I am job and this is my story I was the greatest man among all the people of the East [Music] living in the land of us I owned seven thousand sheep three thousand camels 500 yoke of oxen 500 donkeys and servants to command I was also blessed with seven sons and three daughters I feared God and shunned evil when my sons would hold feasts in their homes and would invite their sisters to eat and drink with them I

would make arrangements for them to be purified early in the morning I would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them thinking perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts on a particular day when my sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house a messenger came to me and said The Oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby and the sabians attacked and made off with them they put the servants to the sword and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you well he

was still speaking another messenger came and said the fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants and I am the only one who was escaped to tell you as he was still speaking another messenger came and said the Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them they put the servants to the sword and I am the only one who was escaped to tell you yet again another messenger came and said your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the

oldest brother's house when suddenly A Mighty Wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house it collapsed on them and they are dead and I am the only one who was escaped to tell you I was broken in this belief I tore my robe and shaved my head I fell to the ground moaning and in pain for my greatest fear had come upon me I took a piece of broken pottery and scraped myself with it as I sat among the ashes my own wife said to me are you still maintaining

your integrity she told me to curse God and die these were the words that my own wife spoke to me I retorted you are talking like a foolish woman shall we accept good from God and not trouble for in all this I did not blame god with wrongdoing I did not sin in what I said when my friends alif as bildad and zofar heard about all my troubles that had come to me they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go sympathize and comfort me all three of them were older than

me when they saw me from a distance they could hardly recognize me they began to weep aloud and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads then they sat on the ground with me for seven days and seven nights no one said a word to me because they saw how great my suffering was I opened my mouth and cursed the day of my birth I exclaimed May the day of my birth perish and the night that said a boy is conceived that day may have turned to Darkness may God above not care about

it may no light shine on it I began to question everything why is life given to those in misery and life to the bitter of soul to those who long for death that does not come her search for it more than for hidden treasure who were filled with gladness and rejoice when they reached the grave why is life given to a man whose way is hidden whom God has hedged in my daily food became sighing and groaning like water what I feared has come upon me what I'd dreaded has happened to me I had no

peace no quietness I had no rest but only turmoil my spirit was broken my days were cut short the grave awaited me the mockers surround me my eyes must dwell on their hostility I prayed give me o God the pledge you demand who else will put up security for me my eyes grew dim with grief my whole frame was but a shadow my days have passed I said my plans were shattered my three friends alif as bildad and zofar consoled me like all the friends they intended to strengthen me in my suffering they also gave

me their take on the matter they spoke on why God allows people to suffer their belief was that I was suffering because I had done something wrong as a result they repeatedly encouraged me to admit my wrong and repent so that God would bless me again the leaf has concluded that my pain must be due to some sin that I had enacted and here commends that I seek God's favor bildad and zofar agree that I must have performed evil to provoke God's justice and argue that I should attempt to manifest more innocent Behavior bildad supposes

that my own children brought their deaths upon themselves even worse zolfar replied are all these words to go unanswered is this talker to be Vindicated will your idol talk reduce others to silence will no one rebuke you when you mock you say to God my beliefs are flawless and I am pure in your side oh how I wish that God would speak that he would open his lips against you and as close to you the secrets of wisdom for True wisdom has two sides know this God has even forgotten some of your sin surely he

recognizes deceivers and when he sees evil does he not take note yet if you devote your heart to him and stretch out your hands to him if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent then free from guilt you will lift up your face you will stand firm and without fear you will surely forget your trouble recalling it only as Waters gone by [Music] they assumed that my troubles were the sure sign of God's judgment but I feared God and shunned evil at a point

I grew weary of them I told them doubtless you are the only people who matter and wisdom will die with you but I have a mind as well as you I am not inferior to you who does not know all these things I have become a laughing stock to my friends though I called on God and he answered a mere laughingstock though righteous and blameless but I desire to speak to the almighty and to argue my case with God you however smear me with lies you are worthless Physicians all of you if only you would

be all together silent for you that would be wisdom hear now my argument listen to the pleas of my ellipse will you speak wickedly on God's behalf will you speak deceitfully for him will you show him partiality will you argue the case for God would it turn out well if he examined you could you deceive him as you might deceive immortal he would surely call you to account if you secretly showed partiality would not his Splendor terrify you would not the dread of him fall on you though he slay me yet will I hope in

him I will surely defend my ways to his face indeed this will turn out for my Deliverance for no Godless person would dare come before him now that I have prepared my case I know I will be Vindicated can anyone bring charges against me if so I will be silent and die only grant me these two things God and then I will not hide from you withdraw your hand far from me and stop frightening me with your terrors then summon me and I will answer or let me speak and you reply to me how many

wrongs and sins have I committed I was all too ready to face God I would ask him to show me my offense and my sin God why do you hide your face and consider me your enemy you fastened my feet in shackles you keep close watch on all my paths by putting marks on the soles of my feet the suffering shows too much for me and I am now bitter anxious and scared how I deplore the Injustice that God lets evil people thrive will he and many other honest people suffer I want to face God

in protest but could not physically find God I told my friends as surely as God Lives who has denied me Justice the almighty who has made my life bitter as long as I have life within me the Breath of God in my nostrils my lips will not say anything Wicked and my tongue will not utter lies I will never admit you are in the right till I die I will not deny my integrity I will maintain my innocence and never let go of it my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live eventually

the Lord steps in it is very tough to defend yourself when you are in such misery what was my greatest pain it was physical I was covered in sores from head to toe tired and exhausted and in excruciating pain my pain was social because of my physical appearance and the fact that the local community was aware of my recent tragedy I became a social outcast people walked on the other side of the street rather than Converse to me since I sat on the ash sheep at The Village's end even the teenagers laughed at me my

pain was also mental I faced the mental pain of not knowing why these distressing things were happening to me especially as there seemed to be nothing in my past to point to my pain was also spiritual my spiritual anguish was far worse than any other as I felt cut off from God this was the true most excruciating egg suffering is much more agonizing if we believe God is far away and unconcerned however when I was finally able to talk with God things didn't go as planned during my speeches 36 times I asked God to speak

with him I have now received my wish the Lord then spoke to me he said who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge brace yourself like a man I will question you and you shall answer me where were you when I laid the Earth's Foundation tell me if you understand who marked off its dimensions surely you know who stretched a measuring line across it on what words footing set or who laid its Cornerstone while the morning Stars sang together and all the Angels shouted for joy who shut up the sea behind doors

when it burst forth from the womb when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick Darkness when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place when I said this far you may come and no farther here is where your proud waves halt have you ever given orders to the morning or shown the dawned his place said it might take the Earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it the Earth takes shape like clay under a seal its features stand out like those of a garment

will the one who contends with the almighty correct him let him who accuses God answer him I answered the Lord I am unworthy oh can I reply to you I put my hand over my mouth I spoke once but I have no answer twice but I will say no more the Lord replied would you discredit my Justice would you condemn me to justify yourself do you have an arm like gods and can your voice Thunder like his then Adorn yourself with glory and Splendor and clothe yourself in honor and Majesty unleash the fury of your

Wrath look at all who are proud and bring them low look at all who are proud and humbled him crush the wicked where they stand bury them all in the dust together shroud their faces in the grave then I myself will admit to you that your own right hand can save you look at behemoth which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox what strength it has in its loins what power in the muscles of its belly its tail sways like a cedar the sinews of its thighs are close-knit its

bones are tubes of bronze its limbs like rods of iron it ranks first among the works of God yet its maker can approach it with a sword the hills bring at their produce and all the wild animals play nearby under the Lotus plants it lies hidden among the reeds in the marsh the Lotus is concealed in their shadow the poplars by the stream surrounded a raging River does not alarm it it is secure though the Jordan should surge against its mouth can anyone capture it by the eyes or trap it and Pierce its nose I

dropped to the floor and said I know that you can do all things no purpose of yours can be thwarted you asked who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge surely I spoke of things I did not understand things too wonderful for me to know you said listen now and I will speak I will question you and you shall answer me my ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and Ashes the Lord instructed my friends the sacrifice a burnt offering and for

me to pray for them because he was angry with them because they had not spoken the truth about him both times when God speaks to me it occurs in the midst of a storm I was reminded by God that he is the creator of everything God runs through his awesome activity of creating and sustaining the world asking me whether I could match this work the Lord finishes by asking whether I was in a position to judge telling me that it is impertinent for me to believe that he should explain himself to him I was made

to feel very small as God's servant I was Vindicated my three friends on the other hand are severely chastised by God the Lord says they have not spoken accurately about me the remarkable thing about God's two rounds with me is that he still doesn't answer my inquiries I had prayed for my friends and the Lord restored my fortunes and gave me twice as much as I had before all my brothers and sisters and everyone who had known me before came and ate with me in my house they comforted and consoled me and each one gave

me a piece of silver and a gold ring the Lord blessed the latter part of my life more than the former part I had 14 000 sheep six thousand camels a thousand yolk of oxen and a thousand donkeys I also had seven