The story of Job of the Long-suffering. Holy Righteous Job Long-suffering

Holy righteous Job long-suffering is a God-worshiped man, revered by Christians, who lived on earth about 2000-1500 years before the beginning of a new era. Otherwise, he is called Job poor, for the trials that God sent him. Almost the only source that tells about him is the Old Testament of the Bible. The history of Job is the main theme of our article.

Who is Job?

He lived in Northern Arabia. It is assumed that Job the Long-suffering is a nephew of Abraham, that is, he is the son of his brother Nahor. He was a truthful and benevolent person. But believers glorify him as a deeply believing and God-fearing righteous man. Job did not create evil deeds and did not have envy and condemnation in his thoughts.

He was the happy father of 7 sons and 3 daughters. Had many friends, servants and countless riches for those times. The flocks of Job multiplied, the fields yielded a good harvest, and he himself was respected and honored by his fellow tribesmen.

Start of tests

The story of poor Job was hard and painful. In the Bible it is said that one day near the God's throne angels gathered to give to the Most High the human prayers and ask them to send blessings to the human race. Among them was Satan, who appeared to blacken sinners and had hopes that God would allow him to punish them.

The Lord asked him about where he was and what he saw. To this, Satan replied that he went around the whole earth and saw many sinners. Then the Lord asked whether the enemy of the human hand of the servant of God Job, who was the only person on earth known for his justice, was blameless and fearing God. Satan answered in the affirmative, but questioned the sincerity of the righteous.

The Lord has allowed to test Job. Satan took it with special zeal and destroyed all the herds of the righteous, burned his fields, deprived of wealth and servants. But this test was not over, his children were also killed. The story of Job tells us that the righteous with humility accepted the suffering, reconciled with them, but continued to praise the Lord.

The Suffering of Job

And again Satan appeared before the throne of the Most High. This time he said that the righteous do not renounce God, because his sufferings are not strong enough and touched only the property, without hurting the flesh. The Lord allowed Satan to send Job to Job, but forbade him to deprive the reason and to encroach upon his freedom of will.

The body of the righteous was covered with leprosy, and he was forced to leave people, so as not to infect them. All the friends turned away from the sufferer, even his wife stopped sympathizing with him. One day she came to Job and shamed him, saying that by his stupidity he had lost everything and is now experiencing incredible torments. The woman reproached the sufferer for the fact that he still loves God and reveres him. If the Lord is so cruel and ungracious, then you must renounce him and die with a blasphemy on your lips, such was her opinion.

The thoughts of Job's wife are easy to understand. In her opinion, if God sent good, we should praise him, but if he was tortured, then he should be condemned. The story of Job of the Long-suffering tells us that the sufferer shamed his wife and did not want to listen to her any more. For from God it is necessary to receive with the same humility both good and suffering. Thus, even this time the righteous man did not reject the Lord and did not sin before him.

Friends of the sufferer

Rumors of the suffering of the righteous reached his three friends who lived far away. They decided to go to Job and comfort. Seeing him, they were horrified, so terrible the disease changed the body of the sufferer. Friends sat on the ground and remained silent for seven days, because they could not find words to express their compassion. Job began to speak first. He expressed his sorrow that he was born into the world and was subjected to terrible suffering.

Then Job's friends began to talk to him, expressing their thoughts and beliefs. They sincerely believed that the Lord sent good to the righteous, and evil to sinners. Therefore, it was believed that the sufferer has hidden sins, which he does not want to tell about. And the friends offered to repent to Job before God. To this the sufferer replied that his speech further poisoned his suffering, for the Lord's will is incomprehensible and only he knows why he alone sends good, and for others, heavy trials. And we sinful people are not allowed to know the thoughts of the Most High.

Talking with God

The righteous turned to the Lord in his sincere prayer and asked him to be a witness in his sinlessness. God appeared to the sufferer in a violent whirlwind and reproached him for reasoning about the highest fishery. The story of Poor Job tells us that the Lord explained to the righteous man that he only knows why events are taking place, and people will never be able to realize God's providence. Therefore, one can not judge the Supreme Lord and demand from him any report.

After this, God through the righteous turned to Job's friends and commanded them to make a sacrifice with the hands of the sufferer, for only so he is ready to forgive them for condemning the righteous and wrong thoughts about the will of the Lord. The friends brought seven rams and the same calves to the righteous. Job prayed for them and offered sacrifices. Seeing that the righteous, in spite of his grave sufferings, sincerely asks for his friends, God forgave them.

Reward

For the strength of the faith, the Lord rewarded the sufferer with great blessings: healed his feeble body and gave riches twice as much as before. Relatives and former friends who turned away from Job, after hearing about the miracle of healing, came to rejoice with the righteous and brought him rich gifts. But this did not end the blessings of God, he sent Job a new offspring: seven sons and three daughters.

The End of the Righteous Life

The story of Job of the Long-suffering tells that he was awarded the Lord for that, even in sorrows, he did not forget God and loved him more than himself and his possessions. Even great suffering did not cause the righteous to renounce God and condemn his harvest. After trials, Job spent 140 more years on earth, and in all he lived 248. The righteous saw his offspring to the fourth tribe and died a deep old man.

The history of Job teaches Christians that the Lord sends to the righteous not only a reward for their deeds, but also misfortunes, so that they become established in the faith, shame Satan and glorify God. In addition, the life path of the righteous reveals to us the truth that earthly happiness can not always correspond to the virtue of man. Also, the story of Job teaches compassion for the sick and unhappy people.