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Show j Great Personages j of the Bible I By j REV. LEONARD A. BARRETT n. ..a Job JOB was one of the wealthiest men of his time. He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 she asses. He was the greatest great-est of ail the men of the East. He was also greatly blessed In his home life, having seven sons and three daughters. He has been described as a righteous, rich, and happy man. The story of Job's career reveals many of the Ideas believed by the people of his time. Among them was the belief that prosperity was Indicative Indica-tive of Divine approval and the reward re-ward for righteousness. The biography of Job begins with the visit of Satan to the heavenly council, where Satan is asked by the Lord, "Whence comest thou?" Satan replies, "From going to and fro in the earth." The Lord inquires of Satan If he had ever set his heart en Job and whether he had ever tempted him. to which Satan answered that if Job's property were taken from him he would curse God. The result of the debate In the heavenly council was that Satan gained permission from the Lord to test the Integrity and faithfulness faithful-ness of Job in any way he liked, only he was not to put his hand upon him. A series of misfortunes are now visited visit-ed upon Job. The Sabeans and the Chaldeans fell upon his cattle and took them away, and all his servants were slain. His sons were also slain. "Then Job arose and rent his mantle and shaved his head and fell down upon the ground and worshiped, saying, 'The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away ; blessed be the name of the Lord.' " Having failed In his venture, Satan seeks another Interview of the second heavenly council and secures the privilege of attacking Job's life. "Permit me, O Lord, to put forth my hand and touch his bone and his flesh and then he will curse Thee to Thy face," to which the Lord replied, "Behold "Be-hold he is in thy hand but save bis life." Sore boils now come upon Job. He scraped himself with a potsherd and sat down among the ashes, which in the ancient days was a symbol of suffering. suf-fering. When his sufferings were most Intense three friends came to visit him with the purpose of expressing their sympathy. Their names were Ellphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. These friends sat with him upon the ground seven days and seven nigiits. The friends did not speak a word during all that time, for they saw that his suffering was very great. Job shared the belief of his time, that prosperity was a reward for righteousness. Now that all his possessions pos-sessions were taken from him, many persons thought that Job must have committed a great sin. Only such an act could explain so great a calamity. The friends urge Job to confess the sin he committed and then God could forgive and "bless him again. The dilemma which confronted Job was the difficulty of confessing a sin he had not committed. He finally replies to his friends, "When it comes to an interpretation of God I am not Inferior In-ferior to you. Who knows not in all these things that the hand of Jehovah hath wrought this? Hold your peace and let me alone. Though He slay me, yet will I trust In Him." Thus Job triumphed over his friends, Satan returned re-turned baffled and Job arrived at a peace of soul born of vision and faith. A terrific thunderstorm takes place and a voice is heard out of the whirlwind, whirl-wind, which to Job is indicative of a divine intervention. Job is full of anticipation an-ticipation for the hour of his vindication vindica-tion had come, in the far distance a voice out of the storm is heard saying to Job, "I will demand of thee and declare thou unto Me." In other words, what finally have you to say, Job? This question Job answers In a sublime confession of faith. "I had heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth Thee." After this humble confession, there was returned to Job twice as much as he had before, and he lived 140 years and saw his children and grandchildren grand-children even to four generations. All ts well though faith and form Be sundered In tbe niprht of fear, Well fares the storm to those who hear A deeper voice across the storm. Repret Is dead, but love is more Than in the summers that are blown. For I myself with these have grown To something stronger than before. "Ami I saw that there was an ocean of darkness and death, but an Infinite ocean of light and love flowed over the ocean of darkness, and in thought j I saw the infinite love of (Jod." 1(c). 1026. Wc:t,Tn Newspaper Union.) |