Job's wife (interpretation of Job 2:9 and Job 42)

[Lik3]

In my opinion, it is painfully obvious that Job's wife wasn't dependent on the Lord, but I think that her message was not interpreted as well as it could have been. According to Job 2:9, His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”". She was obviously suffering because like Job, she too lost everything. The fact that she was angry at God reinforced my belief that what she did was a an expression of being angry while at the same time being flawed. Her actions were that of a woman who had no use for God in her pain, bitterness, and anguish.

I have read of commentators who attacked not just her words, but her character. Not much has been said about her except for that. I don't even know or it hasn't been mentioned in Job 42 what happened to her. I assume that because Job ended up with twice of what he had in the past, his wife returned to Job, repented of her sin of her lack of faith and rejection to God, and reunited with him. However, there have been theories or rather, explanations that she has died or she has left him, but it seems that is not plausible to me either.

It seems to me is that like her, many people would express such anger at God, even if they are professing believers. In Job 2:10, Job answered, "
“You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said." She did sin because of she at that time seemed to have allowed bitterness to consume her. In my opinion, she seemed to have blamed God for what has happened.

In my opinion, her faith in God was not nearly as strong. Her response was based on what she has seen and what she had experienced, which just happened in what seems to be all but immediate. I am not seeing her from rose colored glasses as in my opinion, her words were insensitive to a suffering man. She seemed cold, but was she? It sounds to me that she wasn't just some hateful, insensitive shrew. Job's wife was consumed in her anger and pain, which would be natural under the circumstances. Am I expressing that she is right on condemning God? On that note, she obviously did not see or had any use for the same God that Job did.

 

[ewq1938]

She seemed cold, but was she? It sounds to me that she wasn't just some hateful, insensitive shrew. Job's wife was consumed in her anger and pain, which would be natural under the circumstances. Am I expressing that she is right on condemning God? On that note, she obviously did not see or had any use for the same God that Job did.

She was wrong for saying what she did but Job ends up basically feeling and saying the same it just took him a little longer to do it than it took his wife. Job was just as wrong for what he said as what his wife said. Luckily he repents and is forgiven at the end...assume the same for his wife though she is not mentioned.

 

[Lik3]

She was wrong for saying what she did but Job ends up basically feeling and saying the same it just took him a little longer to do it than it took his wife. Job was just as wrong for what he said as what his wife said. Luckily he repents and is forgiven at the end...assume the same for his wife though she is not mentioned.

I admit that should have worded things better than I did. What I should have said is that is she right on being so angry, but not bitter or condemning God. I won't or even don't believe that Job's wife was being used as an agent of Satan, despite her anger. Her response was that of the flesh. She could have asked God why, but she only saw her pain and not on God. I believe that Job does in indeed repent in Job 41-42, but I only just have a belief or speculation that she did too. Now that is just a speculation as far as her repentance. I don't even believe that she died as her dying and in him being a widower taking a second wife made no sense.

 

[ewq1938]

I admit that should have worded things better than I did.. I believe that Job does in indeed his repentance, but I only just have a belief that she too. Now that is just a speculation as far as her repentance. I don't even believe that she died as her dying and in him being a widower taking a second wife made no sense.

No death is mentioned and no re-marriage so I believe she survived and was blessed with him.

 

[Lik3]

No death is mentioned and no re-marriage so I believe she survived and was blessed with him.

Agreed. One thing that I have noticed is that she was not being used as an agent of Satan. She was a flawed, grieving woman who acted according to what she saw and her response was of the flesh. I too find it telling that a lack of what has mentioned of her is now only speculation it seems. It would be hard for anyone, even a professing believer to respond according to the Spirit. How would one respond to such tragedy and calamity of losing everything but pain and misery in the Spirit unless one has the Holy Spirit? Even then, it would still be difficult. Many people who haven't lost so much would not know how she would have felt in the moment. Her actions were a sign of her rejection of God and a seemingly rejection of her husband as well.

 

[brinny]

It was Job who was suffering inexplicably, on an ash heap, with sores on every inch of his body with worms in them, not his wife. At Job's absolute "lowest", she tells him to curse God and "die".

Yes, Satan was using Job's wife to really jab at Job where it would hurt him most.

In his heart.

And she did.

 

[ewq1938]

At Job's absolute "lowest", she tells him to curse God and "die".

He got a lot lower than at that point. He was still strong when she said those things but worse times would come for Job.

 

[brinny]

He got a lot lower than at that point. He was still strong when she said those things but worse times would come for Job.

Poor Job.

And he suffered through all of this alone.

 

[ewq1938]

He actually had three friends with him but they weren't much help.

 

[amadeois]

Trust God and always you'll be a winner.

He knows everything and knows your heart. You can not lie to Him.

And an important advice, learn the tricks of the enemy so you do not fall in his web.

 

[brinny]

He actually had three friends with him but they weren't much help.

LOL!

With friends like that, who needs enemies?

 

[amadeois]

Yahweh should be your trusted friend. He is and I'm doing fine.

Glory be to Him and not us.

He is the Boss and we need to pay our respects to our dear father.

 

[brinny]

God Himself describes a Godly wife here:

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him GOOD and NOT EVIL all the days of her life." ~Proverbs 31:10-12

This does not describe Job's wife.

 

[Lik3]

I agree that she was not a godly wife, especially one who is a Proverbs 31 wife. She is as close to a perfect wife that every woman, especially a Christian woman should strive to be. She didn't behave like a Proverbs 31 wife and for that, I agree. She was insensitive in her words, but I doubt that she didn't suffer. When I mentioned that she wasn't an agent of Satan, I meant that it isn't just Satan, but it could be the flesh, or it could be the world. Maybe she was, but I only believe what I believe that because while in this case it was Satanic, it could also be a matter of the flesh or that she was already a worldly woman.

Maybe she was once a godly woman until she lost everything. She could have handled things differently and not have been so insensitive, that is true. However unloving, I do not believe that I she was a bad wife outside of what she did to Job. I don't wish to come across as a woman who doesn't believe she was wrong, but I still she a woman who had no use for God and acted out of anger and bitterness. She didn't blame the devil, but she blamed God. As insensitive as it was and as cold as she was, I believe that there is no evidence that she did not suffer along with Job.

 

[brinny]

I agree that she was not a godly wife, especially one who is a Proverbs 31 wife. She is as close to a perfect wife that every woman, especially a Christian woman should strive to be. She didn't behave like a Proverbs 31 wife and for that, I agree. She was insensitive in her words, but I doubt that she didn't suffer.

She was on an ash heap with sores on every inch of her body with worms in each sore, amongst other things?

She attacked Job when he was in inexplicable misery, even despising that he maintained his integrity, and said so.

By the way, what was it again, that Satan wanted Job to do?