And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house:
There was a day when Job's sons and daughters were together eating and drinking in their eldest brother's house, and on that day disaster fell upon them there as the beginning of Job's trials. With the Lord's permission Satan then began to strip Job of all he possessed, breaking family ties and taking his children with flocks and herds and servants in rapid succession, with one trouble following another as in a moment. Satan worked through the elements to do this destruction, using his studied power over nature as far as God allowed, for God ordinarily hedges His creatures from the destroyer and Satan can harm only those He does not especially guard. The loss of his children was not proof that Job had lived sinfully, and though deprived of possessions, afflicted in body, and rejected by relatives and friends, he maintained his integrity and loyalty. God had not forsaken him but in time lifted him up with greater favor than before, making his steadfastness a witness that faith can rest in God in the darkest hour and look beyond time to eternal riches.
Setting of Job's Calamity
There was a day when Job's sons and his daughters were gathered together eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house, and that gathering marks the day and setting in which Job's trials began when disaster struck them there. It was the scene of feasting together as a family at the eldest brother's house when calamity fell.
The verse belongs to Satan's permitted affliction of Job to reveal hostility toward God's servant, and with the Lord's permission Satan began through that calamity to manifest that hostility. He stripped Job of all he possessed, broke his family ties, took his children from him, and afflicted him in body. Children were swept away together with flocks and herds, servants and houses in rapid succession, with one trouble succeeding another as in a moment and with terrible speed.
That sweeping away came only when he was suffered to afflict Job, showing that the destruction could proceed only under divine permission. Satan's attack on the father was also an effort to destroy the children as well.
Satan's Power Through Elements
Satan works through the elements to carry out such destruction, having studied the secrets of the laboratories of nature and using all his power to control the elements as far as God allows. When he was suffered to afflict Job, he swept away flocks and herds, servants, houses, and children while they were feasting together, with one trouble succeeding another as in a moment and with terrible speed. That permitted attack shows power over the elements turned to ruin in a single day of gathering and feasting.
God ordinarily shields His creatures and hedges them in from the power of the destroyer. Satan can cause destruction only within the limits God allows, and has control only of those whom God does not especially guard. The sweeping away of Job's household came only under that permission, in rapid succession of troubles.
The sudden destruction of the children proves that calamity comes from Satan as destroyer while he appears as benefactor. It reveals what happens when God withdraws His blessings and protecting care from those who rebel against His law, bringing disease, disaster, ruin, famine, pestilence, and destruction upon man and beast.
The same work continues to garner the harvest of unprepared souls through accidents and calamities by sea and by land. It operates by great conflagrations, tornadoes, hailstorms, tempests, floods, cyclones, tidal waves and earthquakes, by ruined harvests with famine and distress following, and by tainted air and pestilence. These visitations are to become more frequent and disastrous until destruction is upon the world, while Satan favors and prospers some to further his designs, brings trouble on others, and leads men to believe God is afflicting them.
Faithfulness Tested and Vindicated
This day begins the account of Job's testing, which shows that God could quickly strip a person of everything, warning that possessions and income are not secure grounds for avoiding sacrifice. His suffering and the loss of his children when disaster struck them gathered at their eldest brother's house were not proof that he had lived sinfully. With the Lord's permission Satan began to afflict him, stripping him of all he possessed, breaking his family ties, and taking his children from him, which proves that all suffering is not the result of a perverted life, even when friends falsely charged that his sin caused his afflictions.
On the day his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine at their eldest brother's house he began to be deprived of his worldly possessions, and afterward was so afflicted in body that he was abhorred and rejected by relatives and friends. Yet though deprived of worldly possessions and afflicted in body, he remained loyal and faithful to God and maintained his integrity, faith and loyalty. His children died and his earthly possessions were taken from him, yet God had not forsaken him. In His time God lifted him up and showed him greater favor than before and rewarded His faithful servant, illustrating that a faithful person may be afflicted without seeing outward signs of God's favor while God's purposes and eventual vindication remain unseen.
This day marks the onset of the trial of one of God's appointed witnesses exposed to reproach and persecution for truth's sake. God did not prevent the plotting of wicked men against him but caused their devices to work for his good. He was brought near to be shown his weakness and God's strength, to be taught to lean on God, and to be prepared to meet emergencies, to fill positions of trust, and to accomplish the purpose for which his powers were given, an experience in the furnace of trial and affliction worth more than all its pain. His steadfastness bears witness to the faithfulness of God's promises, to God's abiding presence and sustaining grace, and to the power of faith to withstand the powers of the world, to rest in God in the darkest hour, to feel however sorely tried and tempest-tossed that the Father is at the helm, with the eye of faith looking beyond time to the worth of eternal riches.
There was a day when Job's sons and daughters were together eating and drinking in their eldest brother's house, and on that day disaster fell upon them there as the beginning of Job's trials. With the Lord's permission Satan then began to strip Job of all he possessed, breaking family ties and taking his children with flocks and herds and servants in rapid succession, with one trouble following another as in a moment. Satan worked through the elements to do this destruction, using his studied power over nature as far as God allowed, for God ordinarily hedges His creatures from the destroyer and Satan can harm only those He does not especially guard. The loss of his children was not proof that Job had lived sinfully, and though deprived of possessions, afflicted in body, and rejected by relatives and friends, he maintained his integrity and loyalty. God had not forsaken him but in time lifted him up with greater favor than before, making his steadfastness a witness that faith can rest in God in the darkest hour and look beyond time to eternal riches.
Setting of Job's Calamity
There was a day when Job's sons and his daughters were gathered together eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house, and that gathering marks the day and setting in which Job's trials began when disaster struck them there. It was the scene of feasting together as a family at the eldest brother's house when calamity fell.
The verse belongs to Satan's permitted affliction of Job to reveal hostility toward God's servant, and with the Lord's permission Satan began through that calamity to manifest that hostility. He stripped Job of all he possessed, broke his family ties, took his children from him, and afflicted him in body. Children were swept away together with flocks and herds, servants and houses in rapid succession, with one trouble succeeding another as in a moment and with terrible speed.
That sweeping away came only when he was suffered to afflict Job, showing that the destruction could proceed only under divine permission. Satan's attack on the father was also an effort to destroy the children as well.
Satan's Power Through Elements
Satan works through the elements to carry out such destruction, having studied the secrets of the laboratories of nature and using all his power to control the elements as far as God allows. When he was suffered to afflict Job, he swept away flocks and herds, servants, houses, and children while they were feasting together, with one trouble succeeding another as in a moment and with terrible speed. That permitted attack shows power over the elements turned to ruin in a single day of gathering and feasting.
God ordinarily shields His creatures and hedges them in from the power of the destroyer. Satan can cause destruction only within the limits God allows, and has control only of those whom God does not especially guard. The sweeping away of Job's household came only under that permission, in rapid succession of troubles.
The sudden destruction of the children proves that calamity comes from Satan as destroyer while he appears as benefactor. It reveals what happens when God withdraws His blessings and protecting care from those who rebel against His law, bringing disease, disaster, ruin, famine, pestilence, and destruction upon man and beast.
The same work continues to garner the harvest of unprepared souls through accidents and calamities by sea and by land. It operates by great conflagrations, tornadoes, hailstorms, tempests, floods, cyclones, tidal waves and earthquakes, by ruined harvests with famine and distress following, and by tainted air and pestilence. These visitations are to become more frequent and disastrous until destruction is upon the world, while Satan favors and prospers some to further his designs, brings trouble on others, and leads men to believe God is afflicting them.
Faithfulness Tested and Vindicated
This day begins the account of Job's testing, which shows that God could quickly strip a person of everything, warning that possessions and income are not secure grounds for avoiding sacrifice. His suffering and the loss of his children when disaster struck them gathered at their eldest brother's house were not proof that he had lived sinfully. With the Lord's permission Satan began to afflict him, stripping him of all he possessed, breaking his family ties, and taking his children from him, which proves that all suffering is not the result of a perverted life, even when friends falsely charged that his sin caused his afflictions.
On the day his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine at their eldest brother's house he began to be deprived of his worldly possessions, and afterward was so afflicted in body that he was abhorred and rejected by relatives and friends. Yet though deprived of worldly possessions and afflicted in body, he remained loyal and faithful to God and maintained his integrity, faith and loyalty. His children died and his earthly possessions were taken from him, yet God had not forsaken him. In His time God lifted him up and showed him greater favor than before and rewarded His faithful servant, illustrating that a faithful person may be afflicted without seeing outward signs of God's favor while God's purposes and eventual vindication remain unseen.
This day marks the onset of the trial of one of God's appointed witnesses exposed to reproach and persecution for truth's sake. God did not prevent the plotting of wicked men against him but caused their devices to work for his good. He was brought near to be shown his weakness and God's strength, to be taught to lean on God, and to be prepared to meet emergencies, to fill positions of trust, and to accomplish the purpose for which his powers were given, an experience in the furnace of trial and affliction worth more than all its pain. His steadfastness bears witness to the faithfulness of God's promises, to God's abiding presence and sustaining grace, and to the power of faith to withstand the powers of the world, to rest in God in the darkest hour, to feel however sorely tried and tempest-tossed that the Father is at the helm, with the eye of faith looking beyond time to the worth of eternal riches.