by: Ruth Zuber
“Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God and die.” (Job 2:9) These are the only words recorded from Job’s wife in the Bible and she is speaking to her husband. Have you ever thought about her or considered her in any way? What happened to her and their relationship? What would cause a woman to speak such vile and vicious words to her husband? What can we learn from her?
I believe we need to step back and look at all that has recently happened in their lives. Once you have the facts, you can judge if she is as despicable as she sounds. As the book of Job opens, he is described as a great man with many herds of sheep, camels, oxen and she asses. He has a great household and is known to be a perfect and an upright man. He is a man who feared God and stayed away from evil.
As the story unfolds, God gives Satan permission to bring major disaster into Job’s life. All that Job has; his family, his worldly goods, even his own health is now in Satan’s power. However, God will not allow Satan to take his life. So without warning, disaster strikes Job.
Imagine this day. One servant after the other runs to Job to report each disaster that is unfolding in the fields. The oxen, asses and camels were stolen, the sheep were burned up and almost all the servants were killed. His 10 children were altogether in a house and it collapses and they are all dead. Needless to say, Job is shaken. But even in his grief he realizes that God is in control, and he still blesses the name of the LORD.
Now Satan is still not satisfied because his primary objective was to devastate Job to the point that he would turn away from God. So, Satan strikes Job with painful boils all over his body. He would then sit in the ashes and scrape his skin with a piece of broken pottery.
Let’s stop here. Where is Job’s wife? The Bible doesn’t say, but I imagine she is right there. Horrible things were happening, not just to Job, but also to her. Does anything ever happen to our spouse or family that we don’t suffer along with them? She would have been no different. She would have been horrified at the devastation in the field and to her servants. Anxiety would have filled her as she would have been unsure of what was happening and why. Her whole world appeared to be crumbling. Her entire livelihood and security were disappearing. Then the word comes about her children. All ten of them; gone!
Inconsolable, deeply brokenhearted, terribly frightened and utterly humiliated are just a few words that might describe her soon after the disaster struck. Unlike her husband, Job, she did not turn to God for strength. How do I know? Her own words prove the claim that she let Satan use her to inflict further harm to her husband. Satan, who is always watching for ways he can move in and use our own selfishness and self-righteousness against us, sees an opportunity to destroy them both. Thoughts are multiplying second by second in her mind. Every passing minute they are becoming more exaggerated. Let’s just imagine some of her thoughts. What is going on? Why is this happening? Am I going to be killed next? How will I survive without my children? Where is my husband? Why is he not with me? Does he even care about me? If he cared for me, he’d be here with me and not sitting in the ash heap. What will people think of us?
At some point from deep in her brokenness, anger began to emerge. She only thought of herself and how she felt. Possibly not even a thought emerged for her husband and what he was going through. Life became all about her. Bitterness and anger overcame any thought of civility. Her raging emotions grew as she mulled these thoughts over and over in her mind. Finally, the capped volcano exploded and the vicious words left her mouth like hot molten lava.
So how does this affect us today many centuries later? We are all still human and capable of the same emotions and feelings that Job’s wife encountered. Even minor infractions with our spouse or friends can become a major event if we let it. We take in what is said or what we perceive happened to us and then the thoughts begin to grow. The false scenarios our minds develop are rehearsed over and over with each one becoming more dramatic. And then, guess what? The next encounter with that person doesn’t go well. They are left wondering what just happened to them and why.
How can we protect ourselves from being sucked into this behavior? Fortunately for us the Bible gives us clear guidance about our thoughts. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6) So there it is. Cast down those imaginations, capture every thought and hold them up to the light of truth in Christ. I’m not saying this is easy. Notice the words in the verses above, “…pulling down strong holds.” But again, even before we ask how, the question is answered. “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God.” Only through God can we accomplish this huge task.
No matter what adversity you are facing today, God is with you. Ask Him to make you mighty through Him. He will give you the help you need; whether it is the strength to go on, good words to say or grace to endure.
Until next time…keep thinking good thoughts.
Ruth Ellen Zuber
Author of Job’s Wife; the Untold Story of a Woman Caught in Life’s Adversity
Communicate with Ruth Ellen on her blog at http://jobswifestory.com/