Job 1:11
But stretch out Your hand and strike all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face."
But stretch out Your hand
This phrase is a direct challenge to God, suggesting an action that is both divine and sovereign. The Hebrew word for "stretch out" (שׁלח, shalach) implies an intentional and powerful extension of God's authority. In the context of the ancient Near Eastern understanding of divine power, this phrase underscores the belief that God’s hand is capable of both blessing and judgment. Theologically, it reflects the omnipotence of God, who has the ultimate control over creation and the lives of individuals.

and strike everything he has
The word "strike" (נגע, naga) in Hebrew conveys a sense of physical touch that results in harm or affliction. Historically, this reflects the belief that God’s intervention can manifest in tangible ways, affecting material possessions and personal well-being. The phrase "everything he has" emphasizes the totality of Job's possessions and blessings, which were seen as indicators of divine favor. This challenge tests the integrity of Job’s faith, questioning whether his devotion is contingent upon his prosperity.

and he will surely curse You to Your face
The Hebrew word for "curse" (ברך, barak) is often used ironically here, as it typically means "to bless." In this context, it is understood as a euphemism for cursing, highlighting the gravity of the accusation against Job’s character. The phrase "to Your face" suggests a direct and personal affront to God, indicating a complete renunciation of faith. This reflects the ancient belief in the personal nature of the relationship between humans and the divine, where actions and words are seen as direct communications with God.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Job
A man described as blameless and upright, who feared God and shunned evil. He was wealthy and had a large family, living in the land of Uz.

2. Satan
The adversary who challenges Job's integrity, suggesting that Job's faithfulness is due to his prosperity and protection from God.

3. God
The Almighty who allows Satan to test Job's faith, demonstrating His sovereignty and the depth of Job's righteousness.

4. Heavenly Court
The setting where the sons of God, including Satan, present themselves before the Lord, initiating the dialogue about Job.

5. Land of Uz
The region where Job lived, often associated with the area east of Israel, though its exact location is uncertain.
Teaching Points
Understanding Trials
Trials are not always a result of personal sin but can be a test of faith. Job's account reminds us that God may allow challenges to refine and strengthen our character.

Integrity in Adversity
Job's initial response to his trials demonstrates the importance of maintaining integrity and faithfulness to God, even when circumstances are dire.

Sovereignty of God
God's permission for Satan to test Job underscores His ultimate control over all situations. Believers can trust that God has a purpose, even in suffering.

Spiritual Warfare
The dialogue between God and Satan reveals the reality of spiritual warfare. Christians should be aware of the spiritual battles that occur beyond the physical realm.

Faith Beyond Blessings
True faith is not dependent on material blessings. Job's account challenges believers to evaluate whether their faith would remain if all earthly blessings were removed.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Job's response to his trials challenge your understanding of faith and integrity in difficult times?

2. In what ways can the account of Job help you prepare for spiritual warfare in your own life?

3. Reflect on a time when you faced a trial. How did your faith in God influence your response, and what did you learn from that experience?

4. How can the testing of Job's faith encourage you to trust in God's sovereignty, even when you don't understand His plans?

5. Consider the role of Satan in Job's account. How does this influence your perspective on the nature of evil and suffering in the world?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 22
The testing of Abraham's faith when God asks him to sacrifice Isaac. This parallels Job's testing, highlighting themes of faith and obedience under trial.

James 1:2-4
The New Testament teaching on considering trials as joy because they produce perseverance, reflecting the purpose behind Job's trials.

1 Peter 5:8-9
The warning about the devil prowling like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour, which connects to Satan's role in Job's testing.
Conscious and Unconscious HypocrisyAlfred Bowen Evans.Job 1:11
Temptations of the AfflictedG. Swinnock.Job 1:11
The Ease with Which God Can Destroy Man's EstateJ. Caryl.Job 1:11
Trial the TouchstoneJ. Caryl.Job 1:11
A Fatal DayJ. Caryl.Job 1:6-12
A Three-Fold Estimate of a Good Man's CharacterJoseph S. Exell, M. A.Job 1:6-12
Counsels in Heaven Concerning Man's Life on EarthE. Johnson Job 1:6-12
God's ServantJ. Caryl.Job 1:6-12
God's Testimony to the GoodJ. Caryl.Job 1:6-12
SatanHomilistJob 1:6-12
Satan Among the AngelsE. P. Hood.Job 1:6-12
Satan Compassing the EarthH. Smith.Job 1:6-12
Satan Considering the SaintsSpurgeon, Charles HaddonJob 1:6-12
Satan Deserves His NameHenry Smith.Job 1:6-12
Satanic ExcursionsT. De Witt Talmage.Job 1:6-12
Satanic TemptationJ. Caryl.Job 1:6-12
Sin EschewedSpurgeon, Charles HaddonJob 1:6-12
TemptationE. Monte.Job 1:6-12
The SatanRobert A. Watson, D. D.Job 1:6-12
The Trial of the Righteous ManR. Green Job 1:6-19
People
Job
Places
Uz
Topics
Anything, Blaspheme, Bless, Blessed, Curse, Cursing, Face, Forth, Hands, Hast, Renounce, Spread, Strike, Substance, Surely, Touch, Yet
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Job 1:11

     1265   hand of God
     8735   evil, origins of

Job 1:6-12

     5202   accusation, false
     5828   danger

Job 1:8-11

     4121   Satan, enemy of God

Job 1:8-12

     4195   spirits

Job 1:9-11

     4123   Satan, deceiver
     8484   spiritual warfare, enemies

Library
Blessed Adversity.
INTRODUCTORY. In our meditations on the first Psalm we have dwelt on "Blessed Prosperity." But all GOD'S dealings are full of blessing: He is good, and doeth good, good only, and continually. The believer who has taken the LORD as his SHEPERD, can assuredly say in the words of the twenty-third Psalm, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever;" or, taking the marginal reading of the Revised Version, "Only goodness and mercy
J. Hudson Taylor—A Ribband of Blue

Sorrow that Worships
'Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.'--JOB i. 21. This book of Job wrestles with the problem of the meaning of the mystery of sorrow. Whether history or a parable, its worth is the same, as tortured hearts have felt for countless centuries, and will feel to the end. Perhaps no picture that was ever painted is grander and more touching than that of the man of Uz, in the antique wealth
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Satan Considering the Saints
Up there, beyond the clouds, where no human eye could see, there was a scene enacted which augured no good to Job's prosperity. The spirit of evil stood face to face with the infinite Spirit of all good. An extraordinary conversation took place between these two beings. When called to account for his doings, the evil one boasted that he had gone to and fro throughout the earth, insinuating that he had met with no hindrance to his will, and found no one to oppose his freely moving and acting at his
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 11: 1865

Whether all Men Equally are Required to have Explicit Faith
Whether all Men Equally are required to have Explicit Faith We proceed to the sixth article thus: 1. It seems that all men equally are required to have explicit faith. For it is clear from the precepts of charity that all men are required to believe such things as are necessary for salvation, and it was said in the preceding article that explicit belief in some matters is necessary for salvation. It follows that all men equally are required to have explicit faith. 2. Again, no one should be examined
Aquinas—Nature and Grace

Marriage, I Say, is a Good, and May Be...
24. Marriage, I say, is a good, and may be, by sound reason, defended against all calumnies. But with the marriage of the holy fathers, I inquire not what marriage, but what continence, is on a level: or rather not marriage with marriage; for it is an equal gift in all cases given to the mortal nature of men; but men who use marriage, forasmuch as I find not, to compare with other men who used marriage in a far other spirit, we must require what continent persons admit of being compared with those
St. Augustine—On the Good of Marriage

Whether all are Equally Bound to have Explicit Faith?
Objection 1: It would seem that all are equally bound to have explicit faith. For all are bound to those things which are necessary for salvation, as is evidenced by the precepts of charity. Now it is necessary for salvation that certain things should be believed explicitly. Therefore all are equally bound to have explicit faith. Objection 2: Further, no one should be put to test in matters that he is not bound to believe. But simple reasons are sometimes tested in reference to the slightest articles
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether Hypocrisy is Always a Mortal Sin?
Objection 1: It seems that hypocrisy is always a mortal sin. For Jerome says on Is. 16:14: "Of the two evils it is less to sin openly than to simulate holiness": and a gloss on Job 1:21 [*St. Augustine on Ps. 63:7], "As it hath pleased the Lord," etc., says that "pretended justice is no justice, but a twofold sin": and again a gloss on Lam. 4:6, "The iniquity . . . of my people is made greater than the sin of Sodom," says: "He deplores the sins of the soul that falls into hypocrisy, which is a greater
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether all the Angels who are Sent, Assist?
Objection 1: It would seem that the angels who are sent also assist. For Gregory says (Hom. xxxiv in Evang.): "So the angels are sent, and assist; for, though the angelic spirit is limited, yet the supreme Spirit, God, is not limited." Objection 2: Further, the angel was sent to administer to Tobias. Yet he said, "I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven who stand before the Lord" (Tob. 12:15). Therefore the angels who are sent, assist. Objection 3: Further, every holy angel is nearer to God than
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether Sacrifice Should be Offered to God Alone?
Objection 1: It would seem that sacrifice should not be offered to the most high God alone. Since sacrifice ought to be offered to God, it would seem that it ought to be offered to all such as are partakers of the Godhead. Now holy men are made "partakers of the Divine nature," according to 2 Pet. 1:4; wherefore of them is it written (Ps. 81:6): "I have said, You are gods": and angels too are called "sons of God," according to Job 1:6. Thus sacrifice should be offered to all these. Objection 2: Further,
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether the Gifts Differ from the virtues?
Objection 1: It would seem that the gifts do not differ from the virtues. For Gregory commenting on Job 1:2, "There were born to him seven sons," says (Moral. i, 12): "Seven sons were born to us, when through the conception of heavenly thought, the seven virtues of the Holy Ghost take birth in us": and he quotes the words of Is. 11:2,3: "And the Spirit . . . of understanding . . . shall rest upon him," etc. where the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost are enumerated. Therefore the seven gifts of the Holy
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Epistle Xl. To Mauricius Augustus.
To Mauricius Augustus. Gregory to Mauricius, &c. The Piety of my Lords in their most serene commands, while set on refuting me on certain matters, in sparing me has by no means spared me. For by the use therein of the term simplicity they politely call me silly. It is true indeed that in Holy Scripture, when simplicity is spoken of in a good sense, it is often carefully associated with prudence and uprightness. Hence it is written of the blessed Job, The man was simple and upright (Job i. 1).
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

St. Peter of Alcantara Comforts the Saint. Great Temptations and Interior Trials.
1. When I saw that I was able to do little or nothing towards avoiding these great impetuosities, I began also to be afraid of them, because I could not understand how this pain and joy could subsist together. I knew it was possible enough for bodily pain and spiritual joy to dwell together; but the coexistence of a spiritual pain so excessive as this, and of joy so deep, troubled my understanding. Still, I tried to continue my resistance; but I was so little able, that I was now and then wearied.
Teresa of Avila—The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus

The Writings of Israel's Philosophers
[Sidenote: Discussions the problem of evil] An intense interest in man led certain of Israel's sages in time to devote their attention to more general philosophical problems, such as the moral order of the universe. In the earlier proverbs, prophetic histories, and laws, the doctrine that sin was always punished by suffering or misfortune, and conversely that calamity and misfortune were sure evidence of the guilt of the one affected, had been reiterated until it had become a dogma. In nine out
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament

Our Attitude Toward his Sovereignty
"Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in Thy sight" (Matt. 11:26). In the present chapter we shall consider, somewhat briefly, the practical application to ourselves of the great truth which we have pondered in its various ramifications in earlier pages. In chapter twelve we shall deal more in detail with the value of this doctrine but here we would confine ourselves to a definition of what ought to be our attitude toward the Sovereignty of God. Every truth that is revealed to us in God's Word
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God

From the Latin Translation of Cassiodorus.
[3712] I.--Comments [3713] On the First Epistle of Peter. Chap. i. 3. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who by His great mercy hath regenerated us." For if God generated us of matter, He afterwards, by progress in life, regenerated us. "The Father of our Lord, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:" who, according to your faith, rises again in us; as, on the other hand, He dies in us, through the operation of our unbelief. For He said again, that the soul never returns a second
Clement of Alexandria—Who is the Rich Man that Shall Be Saved?

Whether it is Proper to the Rational Nature to be Adopted?
Objection 1: It would seem that it is not proper to the rational nature to be adopted. For God is not said to be the Father of the rational creature, save by adoption. But God is called the Father even of the irrational creature, according to Job 38:28: "Who is father of the rain? Or who begot the drops of dew?" Therefore it is not proper to the rational creature to be adopted. Objection 2: Further, by reason of adoption some are called sons of God. But to be sons of God seems to be properly attributed
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Scriptural Types.
1. The material world is full of analogies adapted to the illustration of spiritual things. No teacher ever drew from this inexhaustible storehouse such a rich variety of examples as our Saviour. His disciples are the salt of the earth, the light of the world, and a city set on a hill. From the ravens which God feeds and the lilies which God clothes, he teaches the unreasonableness of worldly anxiety. The kingdom of heaven is like seed sown in different soils, like a field of wheat and tares
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Of his Cross what Shall I Speak, what Say? this Extremest Kind of Death...
9. Of His cross what shall I speak, what say? This extremest kind of death He chose, that not any kind of death might make His Martyrs afraid. The doctrine He shewed in His life as Man, the example of patience He demonstrated in His Cross. There, you have the work, that He was crucified; example of the work, the Cross; reward of the work, Resurrection. He shewed us in the Cross what we ought to endure, He shewed in the Resurrection what we have to hope. Just like a consummate task-master in the matches
St. Augustine—On the Creeds

The Redeemer's Return is Necessitated by the Present Exaltation of Satan.
One of the greatest mysteries in all God's creation is the Devil. For any reliable information concerning him we are shut up to the Holy Scriptures. It is in God's Word alone that we can learn anything about his origin, his personality, his fall, his sphere of operations, and his approaching doom. One thing which is there taught us about the great Adversary of God and man, and which observation and experience fully confirms, is, that he is a being possessing mighty power. It would appear, from a
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return

Grace Before Meat.
O most gracious God, and loving Father, who feedest all creatures living, which depend upon thy divine providence, we beseech thee, sanctify these creatures, which thou hast ordained for us; give them virtue to nourish our bodies in life and health; and give us grace to receive them soberly and thankfully, as from thy hands; that so, in the strength of these and thy other blessings, we may walk in the uprightness of our hearts, before thy face, this day, and all the days of our lives, through Jesus
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Heb. 4:14 Our Profession
"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession."--Heb. 4:14. A CAREFUL reader of the Epistle to the Hebrews can hardly fail to observe that the words "let us" are found no less than four times in the fourth chapter. In the first verse you will read, "let us fear,"--in the eleventh verse, "let us labour,"--in the fourteenth verse, "let us hold fast,"--and in the sixteenth verse, "let us come boldly to the throne
John Charles Ryle—The Upper Room: Being a Few Truths for the Times

Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness.
^A Matt. IV. 1-11; ^B Mark I. 12, 13; ^C Luke IV. 1-13. ^c 1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, ^b 12 And straightway the Spirit driveth him forth ^c and ^a 1 Then [Just after his baptism, with the glow of the descended Spirit still upon him, and the commending voice of the Father still ringing in his ears, Jesus is rushed into the suffering of temptation. Thus abrupt and violent are the changes of life. The spiritually exalted may expect these sharp contrasts. After being
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Use to be Made of the Doctrine of Providence.
Sections. 1. Summary of the doctrine of Divine Providence. 1. It embraces the future and the past. 2. It works by means, without means, and against means. 3. Mankind, and particularly the Church, the object of special care. 4. The mode of administration usually secret, but always just. This last point more fully considered. 2. The profane denial that the world is governed by the secret counsel of God, refuted by passages of Scripture. Salutary counsel. 3. This doctrine, as to the secret counsel of
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

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