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Job 2:9-10

INTRODUCTION: We are continuing in our series on Famous Mothers in the Bible, and today we come to Job’s wife, the foolish mother. There are four main characters in the first two chapters of Job: God who is good; Satan who is bad; Job who is wise; and Job’s wife who is foolish.

The book of Job is what we call an extreme case. If anyone had the right to be angry with God, it was Job and his wife. They were both tested to the utmost. We should have great compassion for Job’s wife. She suffered unimaginable loss. We will never go through what she experienced.

However, it was still wrong for her not to trust God in her circumstances. And if it was wrong for her not to trust God even in her most extreme situation, how much worse for us not to trust God in our less extreme situations. (Read Job 2:9-10 and pray.)

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Job was a man of righteousness and integrity who feared God and shunned evil. Satan questioned Job’s integrity to God’s face, claiming that Job only feared God because God had blessed him. God allowed Satan to test Job, first by taking away all his earthly possessions, including his sons and daughters (Job 1:13-19), and then by striking Job himself with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head (Job 2:7). Even in the midst of all this suffering, Job maintained his integrity. He did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing (Job 1:22), and he refused to curse or blame God for his troubles.

Job’s wife is a different story, however. In contrast to Job’s wisdom, she shows her foolishness in three different ways: 1) she mocks Job for holding on to his integrity; 2) she encourages him to curse God and die; and 3) she is willing to accept good from God but not trouble.

It is foolish to turn away from God when you need him most, and Job’s wife teaches us some important lessons about trusting God during the hard times.

I. It’s foolish to let go of your integrity (9a)

First, it is foolish to let go of your integrity. Look at the first part of verse 9 where Job’s wife mocks her husband:

His wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity?” (Job 2:9a)

There are several reasons why it is foolish to let go of your integrity, even in times of suffering.

   A. We are called to a life of moral goodness (Ps. 7:8; 1 Peter 4:19)

First of all, we are called to a life of moral goodness. God is holy, and we are called to be holy as well. God saves us and gives us the Holy Spirit so we can grow in holiness. None of us are good on our own, but when you trust in Jesus, you become a new creation, created in Christ Jesus to do good works that God prepared for you in advance (Eph. 2:10).

David in the Old Testament knew the importance of holding on to his integrity. He prayed: “Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High” (Ps. 7:8).

What about in times of suffering? Do we get a pass? No, it is especially in times of suffering that we are called to do good. 1 Peter 4:19 says: “So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” We are called to a life of moral goodness, and in times of suffering we should commit ourselves to God and continue to do good.

   B. You forfeit God’s protection and blessing (Ps. 25:21; Prov. 11:3)

Another reason it is foolish to let go of your integrity is that you forfeit God’s protection and blessing. David wrote in Psalm 25:21: “May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.” Proverbs 11:3 says: “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.”

Although we are saved by grace, and we walk by faith—confessing sin and receiving God’s forgiveness every day—when you let go of your integrity, you open yourself up to God’s disciplining hand. How foolish to forfeit God’s protection and blessing in your life.

   C. You put yourself on a slippery path (Ps. 73:18; Prov. 10:9, 13:6)

And then a third reason why it is foolish to let go of your integrity is that you put yourself on a slippery path. Psalm 73 says about the wicked: “Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin” (Ps. 73:18). Proverbs 10:9 says: “The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.” Proverbs 13:6 says: “Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.”

Writer C.S. Lewis commented on why even the smallest of our choices matter. He wrote: “Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible” (Lewis; Mere Christianity).

When you let go of your integrity, you put yourself on a slippery slope. One wrong choice can lead to another, which can lead you down the slippery path to ruin. So, that’s the first lesson Job’s wife teaches us about trusting God during the hard times. It’s foolish to let go of your integrity.

II. It’s foolish to curse or blame God (9b)

Secondly, it’s foolish to curse or blame God. Look at the second part of verse 9 with me now:

His wife said to him, “Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9b)

Job’s wife encouraged her husband to curse God and die, but it is absolute foolishness to curse or blame God. Why? Let me share five reasons with you.

   A. You risk God’s judgment or discipline (Lev. 24:14-16)

First of all, you risk God’s judgment or discipline. When the Israelites were in the wilderness, we read of an incident where two of the young men got into a fight, and in the course of the fight one of them blasphemed the Lord’s name with a curse. They put him in custody while Moses inquired of the Lord what should be done with him.

God’s answer was swift and clear: “Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. Say to the Israelites: ‘If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible; anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord must be put to death’” (Lev. 24:14-16).

When you curse or blame God for your situation, you are risking God’s judgment or discipline.
What was even more foolish about Job’s wife is that she knew this. She told Job to “curse God and die.” She knew that if Job cursed God he would probably die, and yet she encouraged him to do it anyways.

   B. You risk turning others away from God (Ps. 73:15)

Another reason why it is foolish to curse or blame God is that you risk turning others away from God too. A man named Asaph wrote Psalm 73. When Asaph envied the arrogant and saw the prosperity of the wicked, he was tempted to say wrong things about God. But then he thought better about it when he wrote: “If I had said, ‘I will speak thus,’ I would have betrayed your children” (Ps. 73:15).

What changed Asaph’s mind? He considered the effect his words might have on others. That’s a second reason why it is foolish to curse or blame God for your situation. You risk turning others away from God too.

   C. You show ungratefulness for past and present blessings (Lam. 3:22-23; 1 Thess. 5:18)

A third reason why it is foolish to curse or blame God is that you show ungratefulness for past and present blessings. The Bible says: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22-23). God is faithful. His mercies are new every day, and his mercies far outnumber our troubles.

The Bible says: “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 5:18). Yes, you may be going through a difficult time right now, but God has been faithful in the past. And even in the present there are so many blessings you can thank God for each and every day. Thank him for Jesus and the Holy Spirit and salvation and forgiveness and the gift of life and hope and the promise of peace and strength for today.

   D. You show a lack of faith for the future (Ps. 90:15; 2 Cor. 4:16-17)

A fourth reason why it is foolish to curse or blame God is that you not only show ungratefulness for past and present blessings, but you also show a lack of faith for the future.

Psalm 90:15 says: “Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble.” Yes, you are going through a hard time now, but there are better days ahead. And God will give you good days and good years to balance out the bad.

As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (2 Cor. 4:16-17).

   E. You push God away when you need him most (Ps. 73:25-26; James 5:11)

Finally, it is it is foolish to curse or blame God because you only end up pushing God away when you need him most.

Remember Asaph in Psalm 73 who was tempted to blame God when he saw the prosperity of the wicked but then held back because he considered how it might affect others? At the end of the same psalm, he writes: “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps. 73:25-26). Asaph realized another important reason not to blame God in his situation. He realized how much he needed God himself.

We read in James 5:11: “As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” Imagine if Job had pushed God away by cursing him. He would have missed out on all that God had for him. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. We need to persevere in faith. It is foolish to push God away when you need him most.

III. It’s foolish to accept good but not trouble from God (10)

Why do we call Job’s wife a foolish mother? 1) She mocked Job for holding on to his integrity. 2) She encouraged him to curse God and die. And then finally, 3) she was willing to accept good from God but not trouble. Look at verse 10 next:

[Job] replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (Job 2:10)

It’s foolish to accept good but not trouble from God. Let me share with you several reasons why.

   A. We live in a fallen world (Ps. 90:10; John 16:33)

First of all, we live in a fallen world. God didn’t create this world fallen. When God created the world, at every stage he saw all that he created and proclaimed it good (Gen. 1). But when mankind fell into sin, that sin had a ripple effect throughout the whole world.

So now we live in a fallen world, and that means trouble. Psalm 90 says: “The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.” (Ps. 90:10). Everyone experiences trouble in this world, believers and non-believers alike. Why should we expect ourselves to be the exception?

I saw a TV show once where they were debating why there’s so much trouble and sorrow in the world, and one of the characters commented: “Maybe it’s so when we get to heaven, we’ll notice the difference!” (Edith Bunker; “All in the Family”). Yes, we will notice the difference when we get to heaven, but that’s not why there’s so much trouble in the world. It’s because of sin. It’s because we live in a fallen world.

Jesus told his disciples in the Upper Room: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). Take it from Jesus, as long as you are in this world, you will have trouble. But the good news is that when you are in Christ, you may also have peace. So, that’s the first reason why it’s foolish to accept good but not trouble from God. We live in a fallen world.

   B. You deserve far worse (Ezra 9:13; Ps. 103:10)

The second reason is this: when it comes right down to it, you deserve far worse. In other words, you not only live in a fallen world, but you are also a fallen person. You have sinned against God and others. You have broken God’s holy law and acted in ways that have hurt other people.

God is a holy and righteous judge, and yet the Bible tells us: “[God] does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities” (Ps. 103:10). In this life God never punishes us as much as we deserve. Instead, he gives us grace and mercy to draw our hearts to him in repentance and faith (Rom. 2:4). However, on the day of judgment, if we are still outside of Christ, we will receive exactly what we deserve.

The Bible says the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). That means as long as you are still alive, you can be certain that God has not treated you as your sins deserve. So, when we experience troubles and hardships in this life, we need to pray like Ezra: “What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins have deserved” (Ezra 9:13).

   C. We don’t know all that is going on (Deut. 29:29)

A third reason it is foolish to accept good but not trouble from God is because we don’t know all that is going on. Job had no idea why God allowed such suffering into his life. He didn’t know all that was going on in the background. He didn’t know that Satan was accusing him of only serving God because of God’s blessings.

The Bible says: “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law” (Deut. 29:29). God’s plan is much bigger than you. You will not always know what is going on either, but you can trust that God knows what he is doing.

   D. We do know that God works in all things for our good (Rom. 8:28)

And that leads us to a fourth reason why it is foolish to accept good but not trouble from God. We may not know all that is going on. However, we do know that God works in all things for our good. Romans 8:28 says: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

God is good, and he works in all things for the good of those who love him. God can take every trial, every trouble, every sorrow that comes your way and turn it to good.

   E. You miss out on opportunities to trust God and encourage others (2 Cor. 1:4)

And then a final reason why it is foolish to accept good but not trouble from God is that you miss out on opportunities to trust God and encourage others. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians: “[God] comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God” (2 Cor. 1:4). Many times, your trial becomes your testimony. God uses your sorrows to soften your heart so you can minister to others in their times of trouble too.

APPLICATIONS: Job’s wife is an example of a foolish mother. She mocked her husband for holding on to his integrity. She encouraged him to curse God and die. She was willing to accept good from God but not trouble.

But it is foolish to turn away from God when you need him most. God calls you to be wise not foolish. The foolish person hurts himself and those around him, while the wise person benefits herself and those around her.

So, if Job’s wife was foolish, what can we learn from her so that we may be wise mothers and fathers and followers of God? In closing, here are four applications for all of us here today on how we can practice wisdom rather than foolishness in our lives.

1) A wise mother trusts God even when she doesn’t understand
   – Psalm 86:7; Romans 8:35-39

First, a wise mother trusts God even when she doesn’t understand. She doesn’t turn away from God when she needs him most. Psalm 86:7 says: “In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.” Romans 8 says: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors…. For I am convinced that … [nothing can] separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:35-39).

2) A wise mother counts her blessings instead of her troubles
   – Psalm 103:2

Secondly, a wise mother counts her blessings instead of her troubles. Psalm 103 says: “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Ps. 103:2). God has blessed you in so many ways. Don’t lose sight of that in the midst of your troubles.

3) A wise mother sets the example and encourages her family
   – Proverbs 31:12,28

Thirdly, a wise mother sets the example and encourages her family. Proverbs 31 says: “She brings [her husband] good, not harm, all the days of her life…. Her children arise and call her blessed” (Prov. 31:12,28).

4) A wise mother leaves a spiritual legacy of faith for her family
   – Job 42:12-17

And then, fourthly, a wise mother leaves a spiritual legacy of faith for her family. The final chapter of Job balances out the opening two chapters. We read in Job 42:

The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters. The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers. After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so he died, old and full of years. (Job 42:12-17)

God showed grace to both Job and his wife. He restored their belongings and blessed them with seven sons and three daughters. No, they were not the same children who died in chapter one—that was a true and irrevocable loss. But they were still a blessing and would have helped ease the pain for both Job and his wife.

This was all part of Job’s legacy of faith. But did you notice who is not mentioned in the final chapter? Job’s wife is not mentioned at all. She shared in the blessings of renewed prosperity and additional children to comfort her in the loss of her original sons and daughters. But she missed out on the opportunity to leave a spiritual legacy of faith for her family. That legacy went to Job alone.

A wise mother trusts God even when she doesn’t understand. A wise mother counts her blessings instead of her troubles. A wise mother sets the example and encourages her family spiritually. And a wise mother leaves a spiritual legacy of faith for her family. Oh Lord, help us to shun foolishness and live a life of wisdom, that we may leave a legacy of faith for those who follow.

© Ray Fowler

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