Shall we Receive Good from God, and Shall we not Receive Evil? (Job 2:10 ESV)

 “Shall we Receive Good from God, and Shall we not Receive Evil?” (Job 2:10 ESV)

You might remember that the introduction to the Book of Job involves two meetings between God and Satan. That’s troubling. Twice, God holds forth Job as an example of righteousness, and twice Satan says it is only because of God’s favor. So God says, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” And then the second time: “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.” Poor Job. No one wants to be designated as humanity’s study in devil-wrought suffering.

It’s too much, and Job’s wife kindly says, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity?”, as though it were doing him any good. “Curse God and die,” she lovingly advises. And perhaps it is meant as a mercy. But then Job replies to her: “You speak as one of the foolish women w0uld speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?

Finally, we read an evaluation of Job at this early stage: “In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” We were wondering about that “foolish” reference above, but Scripture doesn’t hold it against him. At the same time, he gives us one of the Critical Questions of the Bible.

Notice that Job does not attribute his suffering to Satan, but to God. He may not have been privy to the heavenly conversation. Or, his theology is solid, and he knows that God is the sovereign One, not the devil. He knows that his life is lived in God’s hand, not in Satan’s. He knows that nothing can happen to him except as God allows. He knows that he can trust God, even if it hurts. He knows that he will continue to worship God, even if he does not understand. This should all be true of us as well.

Notice also that his view of God does not change whether he experiences good or evil; good times or bad. “Evil” in Hebrew is a broad word that can certainly mean “evil” as in “d-evil.” It can also mean “trouble.” God allows trouble. He confronts with calamity. He brings us to the end of ourselves. But He does not tempt or test us with evil (cf. James 1:13). 

If we love and worship God only when He sends good our way, then we are not worshipping Him as God, but rather as a kind of genie who exists to give us our wishes. If we reject God when life turns sour, then it shows that our hearts were sour to start with. You see, when an evil wind blows, it doesn’t reveal so much about God, as about you.