2:1 又有一天,上帝的眾子來侍立在耶和華面前,撒但也來在其中。
2:2 耶和華問撒但說:「你從哪裡來?」撒但回答說:「我從地上走來走去,往返而來。」
2:3 耶和華問撒但說:「你曾用心察看我的僕人約伯沒有?地上再沒有人像他完全正直,敬畏上帝,遠離惡事。你雖激動我攻擊他,無故地毀滅他,他仍然持守他的純正。」
2:4 撒但回答耶和華說:「人以皮代皮,情願捨去一切所有的,保全性命。
2:5 你且伸手傷他的骨頭和他的肉,他必當面棄掉你。」
2:6 耶和華對撒但說:「他在你手中,只要存留他的性命。」
2:7 於是撒但從耶和華面前退去,擊打約伯,使他從腳掌到頭頂長毒瘡。
2:8 約伯就坐在爐灰中,拿瓦片刮身體。
2:9 他的妻子對他說:「你仍然持守你的純正嗎?你棄掉上帝,死了吧!」
2:10 約伯卻對她說:「你說話像愚頑的婦人一樣。噯!難道我們從上帝手裡得福,不也受禍嗎?」在這一切的事上約伯並不以口犯罪。
2:11 約伯的三個朋友─提幔人以利法、書亞人比勒達、拿瑪人瑣法─聽說有這一切的災禍臨到他身上,各人就從本處約會同來,為他悲傷,安慰他。
2:12 他們遠遠地舉目觀看,認不出他來,就放聲大哭。各人撕裂外袍,把塵土向天揚起來,落在自己的頭上。
2:13 他們就同他七天七夜坐在地上,一個人也不向他說句話,因為他極其痛苦。
On another day the angels[a] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”
3 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”
4 “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. 5 But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
6 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”
7 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. 8 Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.
9 His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”
10 He replied, “You are talking like a foolish[b] woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”
In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
11 When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. 12 When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. 13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.
*************
雖然約伯已經失去財產和兒女,仍然敬畏上帝。可是魔鬼卻沒有善罷甘休,仍然對著上帝繼續挑戰,向上帝說:「人以皮代皮,情願捨去一切所有的,保全性命。你且伸手傷他的骨頭和他的肉,他必當面棄掉你。」
可是上帝也沒有在怕,祂仍然堅定對魔鬼說:「他在你手中,只要存留他的性命。」
在這裡讓我們看見魔鬼雖然囂張,但是仍然在上帝的掌控之中,上帝沒有允許的魔鬼是無法做甚麼的!就如這裡,我們看見上帝不允許魔鬼傷害約伯,魔鬼就沒有辦法傷害約伯!
而後來魔鬼進一步要求的時候,上帝表面似乎接受魔鬼的挑戰,但是祂仍然保守約伯的生命,雖然允許魔鬼傷害約伯的身體,但是不能取約伯的命!也因為這樣約伯就全身長皮膚病,正如經文所說:「於是撒但從耶和華面前退去,擊打約伯,使他從腳掌到頭頂長毒瘡。約伯就坐在爐灰中,拿瓦片刮身體。」
當然約伯遭遇到這樣的事,他的妻子竟然對他說:「你仍然持守你的純正嗎?你棄掉上帝,死了吧!」
約伯就責備她說:「你說話像愚頑的婦人一樣。噯!難道我們從上帝手裡得福,不也受禍嗎?」
我們看見約伯在這一切的事上並沒有以口犯罪,反而更加肯定自己對上帝的信心,所以上帝在這事上又勝過魔鬼一籌!
而約伯遭難的事,讓我們想起主耶穌所說的話:「那殺身體、不能殺靈魂的,不要怕他們;惟有能把身體和靈魂都滅在地獄裡的,正要怕他。」(馬太福音10:28)
我們要把這話謹記在心,在面對逼迫的時候,相信上帝在基督裡的應許,尤其是身體受到傷害之時,要想到將來的榮耀!因為我們與基督同受苦,在基督的死有分,就與基督的復活有分了!(羅馬書6:5;哥林多後書4:17)
親愛的弟兄姊妹,約伯的事件也讓我們看見,我們要有隨時為主受苦的心志,正如使徒彼得所說:「務要謹守,警醒。因為你們的仇敵魔鬼,如同吼叫的獅子,遍地遊行,尋找可吞吃的人。你們要用堅固的信心抵擋他,因為知道你們在世上的眾弟兄也是經歷這樣的苦難。那賜諸般恩典的上帝曾在基督裡召你們,得享他永遠的榮耀,等你們暫受苦難之後,必要親自成全你們,堅固你們,賜力量給你們。願權能歸給他,直到永永遠遠。阿們!」(彼得前書5:8-11)