God's Kind of Man
If there is a character in the Bible known for dealing with suffering and adversity, it';s Job. The Bible describes him like this: “He was blameless — a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil” (Job 1:1).
Not only was Job a blameless man of integrity who feared God, he was also an incredibly wealthy family man. He had seven sons and three daughters and owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He was, as the Bible calls him, the richest man in the area where he lived.
That doesn';t sound like a man who knows a lot about suffering and adversity. But that is just the beginning of the story — in fact, it';s just three verses into the whole book of Job!
The prophetic book of Ezekiel talks about the prehistoric fall from grace of Lucifer, who was one of many of the angels God created (see Ezekiel 28:1–17). This text indicates that Lucifer was expelled from heaven because of his pride and his desire to be like God himself.
Job had it all going for him, and it appeared that nothing could touch him. But out of nowhere came some tests and trials the likes of which Job had never seen. He lost his children, his wealth, even his health. And worst of all, he couldn';t for the life of him understand why these things were happening.
Before this story ends, however, Job will again be blessed. And perhaps the best blessing of all will be the wisdom and strength of mind he earns by enduring some of the worst suffering you';ll ever read about.
