COMMENTARY.
The moral of the story. Job, practising virtue while happy and wealthy, was admired by the angels, but he was not yet feared by the devils; but when he remained free from sin even in the depths of misery and affliction, then the devils began to tremble before him. By this we learn that wrong, patiently endured for God’s sake, is the highest virtue. The friends of Job knew not that God sends afflictions even to His Saints, to make them more holy, and give them greater glory in heaven. Job also said that he would not live to see the Saviour promised to Adam, to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, but that he would see Him on the day of the general resurrection. From Job we may also learn how pleasing to God, and how powerful is the intercession of the Saints.
The sufferings of the just. The chief lesson taught by the history of holy Job is that God does not send sufferings only for the punishment and conversion of sinners, but also as visitations to the just, for the purpose, firstly, of cleansing them from their small faults and imperfections; secondly, of confirming them in the virtues of confidence, patience, humility &c.; thirdly, of enabling them to merit more, and therefore to receive a higher reward in heaven; fourthly, of making them shining examples for the imitation of their fellow-men. Lastly, for the purpose of confounding the devil, men’s chief accuser before God.
All things come from God. Job first lost all his flocks and servants, then all his children, and lastly, his health. He did not complain; all he said was: “The Lord gave; the Lord taketh away; blessed be the name of the Lord!” But was it God, who took all these things from him ? Had not our enemy, the devil, despoiled Job, and brought about all the disasters that we hear of? But Job believed and knew that nothing happens by chance, and that everything must take place by the guidance or permission of God, so that, in that sense, it was God, who had taken away all that he had. Believing firmly that God had sent him his sufferings, he resigned himself entirely to His holy will, and praised Him in the midst of his tribulations.
Patience in suffering is the work of faith. The trial of holy Job was, indeed, a severe one. Almost at one blow he was made poor, childless, and a leper! Forsaken by all, tortured with pain, taunted and tempted by his wife, who ought to have consoled him, he sat on a dung-heap, a very man of sorrows, with nothing to look forward to but a painful death. Even the arrival of his faithful friends did not lighten his burden, for they heaped on him reproaches for having brought these sufferings on himself by some secret sin. He fully realized what he suffered, and made it known to his friends by his sad complaints. He was not callous to his torments, but bore them with exemplary
