At the beginning of the book of Job, we are transported to the heavenly realms where God is holding court with his staff team (a common image in the Old Testament to show how God runs the world). Standing among the spiritual beings is a figure called “the satan,” which in Hebrew means “accuser” or “prosecutor.” And in the court, God presents Job as a truly righteous man. But the satan doesn’t buy it. He questions Job’s motives, saying that he only obeys in order to get God’s reward and protection. He’s convinced that if God touched Job with suffering, Job would curse God. So the satan proposes a test to see if he’s right, and, surprisingly, God agrees to it. While he limits how far the accuser can go, he allows him to inflict suffering on Job.

Now at this point, many of us may be scratching our heads. Is this right? Is God’s way of running the world truly wise and just? We’re not alone in this confusion. Job asks these questions too. So let’s keep reading. Take time to consider the following reflections as you read today’s Scripture passages.

Reflect:
1) How do you think suffering can reveal our motives for serving God?
2) If someone accused you of false motives behind your back, would you want the opportunity to prove them wrong?
3) What did Jesus suffer when he was falsely accused? How did he overcome it?