In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. - Job 1:1
Satan's argument to God was that Job was blameless and upright only because God had put a hedge of protection around him. He was blessed with sons and daughters, fields and flocks. So God gave Satan permission to strike everything Job had. When Job's children and possessions were all taken away and he still did not curse God, God granted Satan's second request and gave him permission to do anything he wanted to Job short of taking his life. So Job was afflicted with painful sores from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet.
Job must have been miserable to look at. His wife's response was that he should just curse God and die. And his three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, who rushed to his side when they heard of his calamities, were dumbstruck. They sat on the ground with him for seven days without speaking.
When someone finally does speak it is Job. And all he can say is that he wishes he had never been born. He has forgotten all the joy he experienced during his life. He has forgotten the joy of watching his children grow, the joy of sharing good food and drink with family and friends, the joy of seeing his business prosper. Perhaps it was true as Satan said that Job's peace and trust in God was only because of the hedge that God had placed around him. Will this blameless man blame God?
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