What about Job’s wife?
“And the Lord
said to Satan, Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life. So Satan went forth from the presence of the
Lord and smote Job with loathsome and painful sores from the sole of his foot
to the crown of his head. And he took a
piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself, and he sat down among the
ashes. Then his wife said to him, Do you
still hold fast your blameless uprightness? Renounce God and die!” Job 2:6-9
Over the years, I’ve heard sermons on
Job and Job’s comforters. But I have
never heard a sermon on Job’s wife. She
is often given a fleeting mention, almost like a figure in a fiction—someone to
move the plot along but isn’t significant in herself. Her name is not provided.
It is only recently that I’ve
given thought to Job’s wife and her words.
Indeed, Job is a difficult story to read. It starts with a consultation between God and
Satan. I don’t know about you, but I
find it abhorrent and chilling to think that God would not only allow one of
His children to taste of suffering, but would actually bring him or her to
Satan’s attention. Yet, according to scripture, it happens. As soon as Satan is
given permission to test Job, the terror and tragedy begins.
·
Bam—all
the oxen (1,000) were stolen by the Sabeans and all the servants killed, save
the one who escaped to bring the news.
·
Bam—All
the donkeys, (500 female) were also stolen by the Sabeans, save the one who escaped to bring the news.
·
Bam—A
great lightening storm struck, and burned up all the sheep,(7,000) and the shepherds, save the one who escaped to
bring the news.
·
Bam—The
Chaldeans came and stole all the camels (3,000), and all the servants murdered,
save the one who escaped to bring the news.
·
Bam—worst
of all, a tornado sweeps across the desert, striking the four corners of his
eldest son’s house. In the destruction
of the house Job’s seven sons and three daughters are killed, save the one who escaped to bring the news.
Yet
Job does not sin with his mouth.
Actually he says, “Naked came I into this world from my mother’s womb,
and naked shall I depart. The Lord gave
and the Lord has taken away; blessed (praised and magnified in worship) be the
name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned
not nor charged God Foolishly." [Job 1:21-22]
Now,
not too long afterward Satan is allowed to touch Job’s body. The sores on his flesh are described as
loathsome and painful, from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
It
is at this point we hear from Job’s wife.
As a woman married to “the greatest of all the men of the East” (Job
1:3), Mrs. Job would have been a woman of authority and great
responsibility. As I ponder her
position, I think she must have been gifted with a strong ability to nurture,
instruct and organise and administrate.
And as Mrs. Job, all of Job’s losses were her losses. In one day she is stripped of:
·
Her credibility—Public opinion may
have been that if Job has done something wrong to deserve judgement, then
surely she would have been an accomplice.
Therefore she deserved to be punished “by the gods” as well.
·
Her security—with no livestock,
no flocks, no source of financial resources, how to provide and be provided for
was a bleak mystery.
·
Her children—All ten of them
gone in an instant. To have lost one child
would have been gut-wrenching, but all ten is unfathomable. A major source of joy has been ripped away.
·
Her faith—She has worshipped
with Job and the children each time they offered sacrifices, partaking in the
purifying rituals to honour God. If she
followed all the rules, how can these disasters, one on top of the other, be
happening? Why have they happened?
·
Her purpose—Everyone and
everything that she is accustom to working with, managing and maintaining is no
more. What is she to do with her
time? How does she pick up the pieces
and start again? Especially now that her
husband is ill?
In
a back-handed way Job provides a perspective of his wife, while giving her a
reminder of who she is.
“Then his wife said to him, ‘Do you still hold fast
your blameless uprightness? Renounce God and die’! But he said to her, ‘You speak as one of the
impious and foolish women would speak.
What? Shall we accept [only] good
at the hand of God and shall we not accept [also] misfortune and what is of a
bad nature?’ In spite of all this, Job
did not sin with his lips.” (Job 2:9-10)
Mrs.
Job is expressing the human condition—I hurt, and I want you to know it. With such a heavy load of grief, despondency
is not far away. I am sure she would
have forced herself out of bed in the morning to attend to Job with his
terrible physical condition. It is at
this point that I recognise Mrs. Job from the perspective of a care-giver.
Being
a caregiver is taxing physically, emotionally and spiritually. When dealing with a loved one who has a
condition with which strength, stamina and patience are required, exhaustion is
a constant battle.
I
remember an occasion when I was jetlagged, and desperately wanting to sleep; yet
I couldn’t. Mom was restless, monotone
groans escaping from her being. She lie
on the bed while I rubbed and rubbed her legs, trying to quieten and comfort
her. And I prayed.
In the darkness of
the room, passing the wee hours, I felt isolated. I felt the most alone and lonely I have ever
felt. The inability to bring Mom peace,
rest and comfort frustrated and flummoxed me.
I wanted to take her discomfort from her, but couldn’t. I did not want to feel helpless, fruitless
and heartbroken. Yet, there was no escape.
In
a very real and honest moment, I wanted Mom to know the beauty of death, to be
released from this world and be joined with her Saviour, Jesus Christ. I wanted her to be free to join those who had
gone on before—Dad, my grandparents, friends.
Yet, her purpose was unfulfilled and she remained with us.
As
the caregiver I felt stuck in the malaise of grief; not grieving death but
grieving the loss of the healthy, vigorous, even joyous person Mom was
previously. Simultaneously I was waiting
to grieve a different sorrow, waiting for the “other shoe to drop” when “Mom-yet
not Mom” would indeed finally be gone. I knew I would cry even more tears. I knew I
would miss her—and I still do. Even so, I
was ready to be “Finished.” I know I was not alone. I know other care givers who have moments
when they would rather their family member would find the peace of release from
this world.
There
is guilt that attended these thoughts, and wishes. As a Christian I wrestled with wanting to
love in a Christ-like way, to serve with joy, perseverance and grace while at
the same time desiring to walk out the door and not have to face the situation
again. I also felt guilty, because my
time of caring for Mom was relatively short compared to my sister’s time. She was legally and practically Mom’s
care-giver. She bore that responsibility
on her own for almost ten years. I went
to help when I could. I often wondered
how she coped so well for so long. God
certainly gave her grace. I feel I owe
her a debt I cannot repay.
Circumstances
overwhelmed Mrs. Job, her jibe at her husband provoked by profound heartbreak
and frustration. I recognise myself in
Mrs. Job.
It is interesting
that God brings to task Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the
Naamathite because they spoke wrongly about God. Yet, God did not criticise or condemn Mrs.
Job for her angry words. Mrs. Job was
restored with Job—giving birth to ten more children with Job. She shared the Lord’s blessing in his latter
days, when everything was doubled back to him.
Those are my thoughts
about Job’s wife. She is a soul we can
identify with—or at least I do.
Serving Jesus, Author
of our faith,
“Lady Helene”
