“Does he serve you for nothing?” Such is the accusation of Satan against God’s servant Job. Implied in the question is the unsavory idea that God is unworthy of human devotion–that the only reason such devotion is offered is because of what human beings get out of the deal. Keep in mind, then, that the book of Job is as much about the nature and sovereignty of God as it is about the suffering and endurance of the patriarch.

Job is a mysterious book in many respects. We really don’t know that much about Job. We know that he lived in the land of Uz, a place about which we know very little, if anything at all. We don’t know who wrote the book. We can only speculate about its time in human history. Since none of the names in the book appear to be Hebrew names and since there is nothing in the book to indicate to us that Job was seeking to follow the Law of Moses, we are given to speculate that the events described in the book occurred prior to the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai. Many believe the book of Job is the oldest book in the Bible. While there is much we do not know about Job, we do know that he was an actual person and not merely a figure in a fairy tale. In the fourteenth chapter of his book, Ezekiel mentions Job as a genuine historical figure along with Noah and Daniel (Eze. 14:14). Similarly, in the New Testament, James mentions “the endurance of Job” as an example of the Lord’s compassion and mercy toward the suffering (Jas. 5:11).

But what we do know about Job are the traits for which he is commended by the Lord God Himself. “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil’ (Job 1:6-8). It is not so much what others think about us that is important but what God thinks about us. We might fool some people. We might even fool most people. But, we can never pull one over on the Lord. He knows us better than we know ourselves. Reputation is what people say about us. Character is what God says about us. Job was a blameless, upright servant of God who feared the Lord and turned away from evil. He was not perfect; but he was faithful.

Satan lied about Job to the face of God. He accused him of vile motives and thought the worst of what might happen if Job were to face difficulties. For our benefit and the benefit of Job himself, the Lord allowed Satan to take away Job’s blessings. The result of this righteous man’s faithfulness in suffering inspires our trust in the face of adversity. How blessed are we to have heard of the endurance of Job! (Jas. 5:11).