Many people look down on Job's wife because she told him to curse God and die. In other words, she willed Job to his death and did not have confidence that God would pull him through because she believed that He caused the pain. Did anyone get that? It appears that God sometimes causes pain only to pull us through it (if we allow Him). Many people refer to the story of Job as a lesson in patience because his suffering was undeserved. God bragged on Job. Job had everything imaginable. He was blessed with a large family, great wealth, his health, and strength. Most of all, Job loved God and God loved him. God loved him so much until he had faith that Job could go through the worst of trials and still remain patient and faithful to him. Therefore, God allowed the devil to test Job. However... where was Mrs. Job when all of this transpired? Was she considered at all? God created woman as a "help mete" to man. If Job was such a great man, surely he had a great wife. She is not described as such when she is referred to as giving up because her husband suffered such great pain.
Women all over the world are faced with "giving up" because we have so much to bear. We have the weight of our ministry, our families, our homes, our careers, and our responisbility to serve others. I don't know about you, but that sounds like an awful lot to bear. I am a woman so I know that it is an awful lot to bear. If you are a mother, it is double the burden because our children never grow up in our eyes or in our hearts. They are always our babies. When they suffer, we suffer. A mother can see what a child cannot see. A wife can feel the pain that her husband covers up. A woman is usually keen in instincts and sensitive to smell. I often question if Job's wife sensed trouble before it started? I wonder how she was affected when God allowed such great pain in the life of her husband who was blameless? I find myself asking questions, but I am cautioned to never quarrel with our Maker. Even though I become angry, disgruntled, frustrated, and simply put... tired... I cannot allow trials and tough situations pull me into the clutches of the enemy in such a way that I lose faith in God. The beauty in the story of Job is that he never lost sight of God's purpose for his life. When we lose focus and do not consider God's timing and God's plan for our purpose in life, we open the door for the enemy to play tricks with our minds.
Mrs. Job has been described as bitter, angry, and defiant, but she had another side. She suffered as much as Job did and she had to endure the affliction and loss just as Job did. Even though she was drawn into Satan's plan to shake her faith, I believe she was misunderstood. Mrs. Job was a survivor! She was bewildered amongst the storm and the rain and when she told Job to curse God and die, maybe it was inspired by the sympathy and pain she felt for her husband and thought it was better for him to die than to endure the suffering! Many women are confronted with diversity and the pain of others, but we are survivors. Mrs. Job is rarely referred to in a good light by ministers and Bible scholars, but I see her as a survivor who felt the need to give up, but she stood in the moment. Job survived, she survived, and their family was restored.
As a woman, a wife, a mother, a friend, and a servant, I would like to encourage all of you to stand strong when you are misunderstood even though you mean well. I encourage you to seek God for understanding and ask Him to restore that which has been attacked, but not destroyed. God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all we could ever ask or think. I believe Him to be a Miracle Worker when the enemy strikes! He will strike, but he cannot win. What is your Mrs. Job truth today?
© 2015
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Unspoken Truth addresses controversial topics that are not usually addressed in a traditional church setting. If you have any topics that you would like to see addressed here, please e-mail them to unspoken@dearangela.com.
Have you ever heard of The Story of Job in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible? If you are a Bible reader, you may already know the story of Job and how he suffered. The clincher to the story is that though Job was tested and tried, he kept his faith in God. There was one other essential detail in the story that is usually referred to in sermons and even songwriters have used it in their lyrics. Dialogue such as this: "Job was sick so long 'till the flesh fell from his bones. His wife, cattle, and children... everything that he had was gone. Job's wife came running to him, with the devil all in her eye... Job you've been sick so long, curse your God and die. Job looked at the woman, then he looked up at the sky, woman you sound foolish, you don't sound like my wife." Oh yes, I love the
dialogue, I love the songs, and I love the
message in the song. However, I would
like to elaborate a little deeper on Job's
wife. She was referred to as such in the
Bible, but I will call her Mrs. Job.
This is probably an analogy that would
be unheard of in the traditional Baptist
church, but that's why "religion" has
nothing to do with my spirituality. As
Donald Lawrence so eloquently put it,
"Let me be spiritual."
When the weight of the world is on your
shoulders, there might be times when
giving up seems like the only option available. Though Job was actually going through the trial, his wife suffered too. Her faith was not as strong as her husband's faith. This is understandable as the woman was created as the weaker vessel.
