On this second encounter with God, satan is intent on bringing
the man that God endorsed down to the lowest level. After the
first meeting between God and satan, recorded in Job 1, the enemy
took Job's wealth, his children, and the support of his wife.
All in one day! Now he wanted his health. A man will do anything
to retain health, satan told God. So the LORD relents. And as
noted in the verse above, gives Job into the hand of the enemy
unto, but not beyond, the taking of his life.
Consider the severe mercy of God. Having lost all, as Job
had, would cause most of us to despair of life. We would desire
death. Death would seem like a relief. If we read further in
the book of Job we find that he curses the day that he was born,
and even laments that he was born alive. But God's command to
satan is that he can take everything but Job's life. The only
way that Job had out of the trial that was his was to go right
through it. No other options were before him. What a severe thing!
God took away that which might seem as a final relief, and thereby
forced Job to experience the depth of the trial.
But see God's mercy. For the final end of Job was double that
of His beginning. All of the wealth that he had lost was restored
to him double. And the LORD gave him a family, equal in number
to that which he had before. Job would never had known these
blessings had satan taken his life. And we would not be able
to read the account of this man who was brought to nothing but
who refused to "curse God and die.."
In the book of Revelation the awful final judgment of this
earth is recorded. During this horrible time, scorpion-like creatures
will be given an awful, hurtful sting. And, it is recorded that
many will desire death, but will not find it. Here we see God's
wrath against sin poured out. Those upon whom this wrath will
fall will be unable to find death. They will be required to face
the full fury of God's wrath. Through his trial, Job learned
of the mercy of God, and learned that trusting Him is never folly.
Through their trial, those upon whom God's wrath will fall will
learn of the folly of ignoring Him. And their end will be the
lake of fire, where their torment will be eternal.
God is great and righteous and true. See His mercy. His Son,
the Lord Jesus Christ, took the full unrelenting wrath of God
in our place! May we learn to trust Him more!
