So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal…
Job 2:7-8
If men and women in our day could have looked upon the being of Job as the boils oozed with infection all over body, I’m sure our stomachs would have turned. The shear pain and agony Job went through was enough to make even the strongest man bend over in torment. Sadly, the physical pain of the boils was not all Job dealt with; he dealt with the appearance of the boils for many days. Every man that walked by Job saw his deplorable state and distasteful form. I believe it’s fair to say, Job had his share of suffering. But, thanks be unto God that the story doesn’t end there. The end of the book of Job tells of his deliverance from the very hand of God. Every thing that had been taken from Job was returned two-fold. He had twice the cattle, twice the houses, and ten more children. God also restored unto him his health. Job’s restoration was a story of God’s deliverance and grace.
Job 2:7-8
If men and women in our day could have looked upon the being of Job as the boils oozed with infection all over body, I’m sure our stomachs would have turned. The shear pain and agony Job went through was enough to make even the strongest man bend over in torment. Sadly, the physical pain of the boils was not all Job dealt with; he dealt with the appearance of the boils for many days. Every man that walked by Job saw his deplorable state and distasteful form. I believe it’s fair to say, Job had his share of suffering. But, thanks be unto God that the story doesn’t end there. The end of the book of Job tells of his deliverance from the very hand of God. Every thing that had been taken from Job was returned two-fold. He had twice the cattle, twice the houses, and ten more children. God also restored unto him his health. Job’s restoration was a story of God’s deliverance and grace.
There is one area of Job’s restoration that the Bible is silent about and I believe it is a purposeful silence. This silence deals with the issue of Job’s physical appearance. We remember that his entire body was covered with boils that racked him with pain. The pain and pressure from the boils was so severe that he took a broken piece of pottery and scraped over the boils in order to gain some relief. If you have ever had a boil, you can imagine some of the pain he was in. Surely after he raked over his sores, they scabbed over and most definitely left scars from the top of his head to the soles of his feet from which I do not believe God regenerated. Till the day he died, those scars bore the story of his downfall, suffering, and his deliverance. Everywhere he went, his scars told the story of God’s grace.
My friend, we all have scars. Some scars are emotional while others are physical, yet all tell a story. Yes brothers and sisters, God did permit the trial to come into your life even though He knew it would tear and scratch your body and soul. But God was not being cruel or harsh, for God knew with the tearing and cutting would come the scars. And the scars on you would tell the world the story of God’s grace and deliverance. May we praise God for the trials and storms of life, even though they leave scars. For with our scars we tell the world God’s narrative of grace, mercy, and restoration.
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