A View of Job's Wife

A View of Job’s Wife

(Job 2:9) Then his (Job) wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!”

Because of this statement, Job’s wife has gotten a lot of bad press. She is probably one the most berated women in the Bible.  She is most often looked upon as being selfish, uncaring, nagging, and over all, a poor example of a wife.  However, I think we should take a closer look and Mrs. Job.  She may not be as “bad” as she has been presented in countless sermons through the centuries. When you read chapter 1 of Job, you see that God allowed Satan to attack Job. Satan could attack him, but not kill him.  We see that Job lost sheep, oxen, camels, servants and finally, his children.  Soon, Satan was also allowed to strike Job with boils on his skin. We know that Job lost a great deal.  Whenever Job is preached or taught about, HIS loss is stressed.  But, for ever sheep Job lost, his wife lost a sheep; for every ox Job lost, his wife lost an ox; for every camel Job lost, his wife lost a camel; for every servant Job lost, his wife lost a servant; for every child that Job lost, his wife lost a child.

While she did not get attacked with the skin boils, she still suffered great loss.  While Job may have tried to comfort her at some point, there is no mention of him doing so.  She was in pain.  She is hurting as much or more than he was, except for the boils.  They were both grieving.  While Job is going on about his condition and ignoring hers, she utters the infamous statement, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!”  This was said out the deepest of pain and grief.  It was said out a feeling of abandonment.  Job was too much involved with his own pain to be concerned about hers.  At least, that is how she felt or she would not have said those fateful words.  Words spoken out of deep grief can sometimes come out angry and bitter.

Job’s response to her was, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. (Job  2:10).  While Job did not sin when he spoke to his wife, his words were no more comforting to her than hers were to him.  Now as then, spouses, in times of great loss, sometimes turn against each other, blame each other, grow apart from one another. 

But, that is not the end of the story.  The Word says that after all was said and done, God restored all that Job had lost and more.  He was even blessed with more children.  Chapter 42:12-16 says that Job was blessed with animals, more children and grandchildren and long life.  However, it did not say that he got a new wife.  No, he had the same wife as before. So, if he was declared to be right before God so was she.  God understands our pain and sees us through it. He did with Mrs. Job.  God did not judge her by one statement spoken out of pain.  Neither did Job. God blessed Job with the same wife and blessed her with the same husband.  And they lived happily ever after…No, really, they did.