“Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: “‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.”’ In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.” —Job 1:20-22
SCRIPTURE DESCRIBES Job as a man who was greatly blessed by the Lord. He is called the greatest man of the East because of his abundant wealth. He had ten children, a household of servants, and was a man who was blessed with great faith in God. He is called in verse 1, “a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil.” Yet one day the richest man of the East was reduced to poverty. One moment Job had 1,000 cattle, 500 female donkeys, 7,000 sheep, and 3,000 camels and in the next minute they were all killed or stolen. Job had 7 sons, 3 daughters, and many servants, but the next moment he was childless and had only four servants, all of whom were bearing bad news about the destruction of Job’s possessions.
WHAT IF THIS happened to you? How would you respond? What if a tornado, a fire, or a flood reduced you to poverty today? What if you received news that your only son and his family were killed in a car crash and you were left childless this very day? How would you respond to such devastation? Our text tells us that Job’s immediate response to his severe trial was grief. We read in verse 20, “Then Job arose…” Notice the word “arose.” Job was devastated at all this news. It was such a blow that it knocked him to his knees. “Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head…” Job was grieving, and it is not wrong to grieve when God sends trials into our lives. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven … a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance…”
SCRIPTURE MAKES IT clear that there is a time for weeping. When a loved one dies or when affliction comes upon us it is appropriate to grieve. Job grieved and wept, and so may we. But in our sorrow and grief we may never charge God foolishly. Nor may we weep as those who have no hope (1 Thess. 4:13). But grieving was not Job’s only response to his trial. We also read in verse 20 that “he fell to the ground and worshiped.” Notice Job’s attitude in his worship; he fell face down on the ground demonstrating his humility and utter dependence upon God. Job then cries out in verse 21, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.” Job understood who he was before God, and his knowledge of the Majesty and Sovereignty of God enabled him to patiently endure his grievous trial. And this same confession must be upon the lips of every believer who is called by God to go through the deep waters. We must learn the lesson of Job so we also might be heard praising God even amidst our afflictions. Have you learned this lesson?
Friday Devotional: August 29, 2025
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry
