We have all heard about the patience of Job from the Bible. But do you know the other virtues Job had, and what did God think of Job? I will write about the book of Job in this and several more articles to come. This article covers Job 
1-3.
Job was a very rich man it tells us in the Bible and he was blessed with a large family and he had many possessions as well. Job was the head of his family; he performed priestly duties that included offering sacrifices to God for his family. Job lived to be more than one hundred years old. But for a while he didn’t think he would make it to one hundred as he went though his test.
God testified in the Bible to Job’s consistently blameless character, even to Satan who was to put Job to the test of his life. (Job 1: 8; 2:3) James spoke of Job in James 5:11: “Behold we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” After Job lost all he had suddenly and without warning, he didn’t know why God had done this to him. (Job didn’t know Satan was to blame). He was mad with himself, his friends, and his wife, but he never lost faith in his God. In the end it worked out for Job, but it was a hard test to endure.
Job had to deal with his friends, with Satan, and the Lord in the book of Job. His friends thought he was suffering because he was a sinner, but Job couldn’t see the sins God was punishing him for:
1 His friends were wrong and he knew it.
2 Job didn’t know Satan accused him of obeying God only because God blessed him. Satan spoke in slanderous terms about Job to God in Heaven to cause trouble.
3 God knew Satan was also slandering God Himself by saying “God would not have any followers if He did not reward them.” There are Christians today with that kind of faith in God, who put the conditions on their faith saying “ I will serve you, if you bless me”.
God let Satan put Job to the test and this is why Job took the punishment so hard. Job would have taken the punishment better if he knew he had sinned and God was angry with him for that reason. One more thought here is that Satan predicted Job would fail and curse God for his miseries. Instead Satan heard Job say, “Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Satan was wrong! This shows us that Satan cannot foresee the future plans of God. Remember that important lesson about Satan and what he can and can’t do.
Another lesson about Satan is this: he never, ever gives up!
Satan put a new test for Job in front of God, this time to really see his real faith. This time Satan wanted Job to go though physical pain and suffering. God agreed but God said in Job 2: 6: “And the Lord said into Satan, behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.”
What kept Job going was his faith in God and his own integrity. Job knew God had no cause to inflict pain on him, he knew he had a good and right relationship with God. But God used Job to show that his friends accusations were wrong, to silence Satan’s accusations about Job’s faith, and to strengthen the determination of all who will suffer by the will of God. Job made his mistake in cursing his being born. We know that when you are hurt physically or mentally, you are likely to lose perspective and forget the good times you’ve had in your past. When you’re suffering just remember God’s goodness and thank Him for all you have received from God!
All Glory to God
His humble servant Lee M Buchanan