Job is one of the most ancient books of the Bible. It is a powerful testimony to the faith of a man named Job. God removes the hedge of protection and prosperity surrounding Job and Satan is allowed in. Satan can only do to a believer what God will allow him to do. God can put us to the test to demonstrate to Satan who is in control. God in his foreknowledge knew what Job would do. Satan didn’t. Satan had many, many years to observe mankind, their actions, and reactions.  So, if Job were to respond the way most people would, Satan must have been certain that he would win the battle over Job. Yet through all the trials and sufferings and loss, Job questions but does not loose faith in God. Pay careful attention to the advice of Job’s “friends”. They are often wrong.

The book of Job explains why bad things happen in this world. It teaches that there is a plan and a reason for it. If you think about God’s purpose for us while we are on this earth is to make us more like Jesus, then everything that happens to us potentially makes us more and more like Him. 

Rom 8:29
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Job regularly sacrificed a burnt offering for each of his children. “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their heart.”
By the same token we should remember and pray for our children.

After hearing that he has basically lost everything Job does the traditional symbol of mourning. He tears his robe, shaves his head and then….worships and praises God! Wow!

After Satan is allowed to inflict Job with painful sores, Job sits among the ashes. (the city dump). This well respected and wealthy man spends his days at the city dump. How humiliating that must have been. Job’s wife is obviously used by Satan as his mouthpiece. She uses the same words that Satan uses, “curse God.”

Enter Job’s “friends”. Eliphaz is a descendent of Esau. Bildad is a descendent of Abraham and Abraham’s second wife Keturah. Zophar is a descendent of Naamah. Elihu is a descendent of Nahor, Abraham’s brother.

 

What is the world did they do the entire seven days they spent with him before they spoke a word??? In that culture, the "friends" had to wait on Job to allow them to speak.

When Job first speaks, he curses his birth, but he does not curse God.  
ROUND 1 - Satan looses!
During the seven days of silence, were Job and his friends waiting on some divine word from the Lord? How would it be with us as Believers in Jesus - if we spent seven days in silence waiting on a word from the Lord? Might be interesting to try that sometime.