Job was a very rich man

* Luís Alberto Alves

Usually we look at ourselves and we never find fault. They only exist in other people. We come to feed the illusion that we have reached perfection. Is not true. We have countless flaws. Some of us resisted withdrawing from the heart. An example of this is sorrow. As much as we forgive someone, still within us remains a little bit of anger from that person who made us upset.

Job did not have to go through this ordeal. Because God himself has revealed his good qualities to the devil. It is when the evil one replied that Job was so because the Lord gave him everything. God allows Satan to take away all the goods of Job, except life. The Lord knew that the faith of the servant Job would stand.

Pay attention to this remark: Job was one of the richest men of his day, perhaps as fortunate as Bill Gates these days. He had ten children (seven boys and seven girls), various estates, including farms and innumerable heads of animals (at that time one's wealth was measured by the large number of animals one possessed).

One day Job lost everything. The children died at once. The creations died quickly. For the sake of completeness, he became a leper (symbol of a curse for the Jews and the society of that time). Of the family only remained the incredulous wife, who at the height of the despair asked that husband to abandon God and to die.

This is when Job responds with a famous phrase: "You are crazy! God has given us good and can also give us evil (it is from this observation that Isaiah repeats this verse in other words in chapter 45, verse 7, of his book). Naked I come out of my mother's womb, naked I leave this world. "

Everyone left Job, even the servants, who, after announcing the tragedies that day, no longer appear in any verse of the 42 chapters that make up this book. When we look at the last few lines, we realize how much God has doubled what Job had lost. He is the father of seven sons and three daughters, doubles his wealth and can have the pleasure of being a great-grandfather. If you are going through trials, do not be discouraged. The future reserved by the Lord will make you forget those moments of turbulence. Just remain faithful to Jesus Christ.

* Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor