The Bible is filled with stories of women that are never named. The most recognized is the Samaritan woman who had a profound encounter with Jesus at Jacob’s Well. Another is His encounter with the Canaanite woman who asked Jesus to heal her daughter of an evil spirit, and He seems to ignore her until she just keeps on asking. The Lord asks her should he give bread to the “dogs.” Her prompt reply that even the dogs get the crumbs under the table moves Jesus to say she has great faith and heals her daughter. The Widow that gave her last two mites as a tithe to God and the woman with the issue of blood that believed that just touching the hem of Jesus’ garment would be enough for her healing.
Faith-filled stories of no-name women abound, but there is one such woman that has been so misunderstood and given a bad name that is totally undeserved. This woman is the wife of Job. Her story centers on a few words she spoke to him in the darkest time of her life. Lady Job is perhaps the most misunderstood woman in Scripture. Job refers to her twice as “my woman” meaning wife, and it never speaks of him divorcing her or her leaving him but somehow this story is told in that manner. She is only credited with speaking six Hebrew words or eleven in English and has been judged by this for almost 5,000 years. I believed her to be a hateful person also just like so many others. It was not until after I experienced the loss of my two oldest children from my presence here on earth that I began to understand the Book of Job and especially understand the heart of Lady Job.
Lady Job’s words were spoken out of her broken heart in the loss of her 10 children and now her husband is covered in boils and sitting in ashes scraping those sores with a piece of broken pottery. Brokenness has totally invaded her life, her heart and her mind. She was in that deep pit of despair that grief plunges your whole being into and seems to be strangling you with every breath you take. Job was in great despair and so was Lady Job. I believe that all his suffering was being experienced by her also. That is what to expect when parents are thrust into this most difficult time of life.
I am a living testimony of Lady Job. I know the unbearable pain of grieving for your children and I know how hard it is to watch your husband, who has been your spiritual leader, sitting in a figurative pit of ashes day after day just scraping at his own hurt and pain. There comes a point when you think that saying something, even if it sounds harsh, must be done. I never asked Ricky to curse God and die but I did say some hurtful things to him and he, unlike Job, said things back. Suffering through the pain of sudden loss has a way of clouding your thinking and cause us to make rash, ungracious statements that we would never say if we were not in the fog of pain that was distorting our judgment.
I also take issue with the word that is most often used in every Bible translation of “curse” God. The Hebrew word used is barak, which can also be interpreted as bless and be strong. The Greek Septuagint Bible reads more like “say something to God and die”. In my own thinking, she was saying to him, Job tell God what is in your heart and let your body succumb to this disease and let go rather than remain here in this terrible place of heartache and pain with agony and suffering as your constant companion. (Rebekah’s translation.)
We all know that words can be used in a way that is basically the exact opposite depending on the way they are spoken. Here in the South you can hear the saying” Bless their heart” and depending on the tone of voice used by the speaker, it can be a good thing, or it can be said with much sarcasm and animosity toward the person to whom it is directed. I truly believe Lady Job said what she did out of love and not out of evil.
Was Lady Job a model of perfect attitude through the storm that had engulfed her life? NO! Did she say things she would later regret? YES! Many preachers have painted her as the Devil for what she said when in all actuality, God had said something very similar at the beginning of Chapter 2. He asked Satan had he considered Job because of his maintaining his integrity through all the pain and suffering that had been heaped upon him. Lady Job said basically the same thing with a greatly misunderstood “barak God and die” added on the end.
In ancient Hebrew, there is no such thing as a question mark. Looking at her opening statement in this context tells us that she was saying this as fact just like God had said it as fact to Satan. Job’s answer back to her has been the cause of the great divide on this story. When he said you act as a foolish woman, he was not saying she was a fool but more he was saying, “Woman right now you don’t understand what you are saying, this doesn’t even sound like you talking. You don’t talk like the woman of God I know and married. Honey, our God has given us great good and we have been blessed now shouldn’t we be willing to continue living for Him even in the bad times of our life?” (Rebekah’s translation.)
This story reminds us that we should not be quick to judge people in the midst of their suffering. Some people suffer visibly and are very verbal about their pain and others suffer in silence with their thoughts not spoken without deep digging under the surface. Every person must endure grief for themselves and it is hard work! Sometimes life is so dark, and it leaves its mark, like ashes, in the depths of our souls, where no one but God can really see. You may understand if…
– You have ever lost a loved one and had to wander through dark days of grief, wondering if you could carry on without them…
– You have set at the bedside of a dying friend whose life has being cut short by the ravages of cancer…
– You have watched a precious Mother and Daddy weeping bitterly at the funeral of their child or children…
– You have received a hard diagnosis and are feeling the effects of disease and pain in your body…
– You have been deeply wounded, abused, mistreated or betrayed…
– You have walked through the fire of trials and tribulations and wondered if would ever make it through.
Trials and suffering are a part of life and our Father, God does an awesome work to minister to us through the hard times and dark days. I could tell you a multitude of ways that He spoke to Ricky and I and through it all He was creating a humble dependence upon Him and using our pain to teach us truths that can only be learned in the suffering. Job stated at the end of his book that before he had heard of God with his ears but now, he has seen God with his eyes. He knows God in a way that passes all human understanding and it is precious.
I thank God continually for carrying us through the deep waters and restoring us to the JOY of our salvation in Him. Our God, through His Son Jesus, sees our heart. He knows our innermost thoughts and He loves us so much that He wants us to grow in wisdom and understanding of how our life is being used to glorify His name! Many times, I have cried out to Him for comfort, and have found it true that His Holy Spirit comforts us in all our affliction. Our sad time and hard places are not wasted. Your pain and suffering are never meaningless. God will use it all for your good and will allow you to become a prepared person for a special work that will yield great work for His Kingdom and His Glory! He used Job and his Lady in a way that continues to speak to us today.
When we are given the grace of God in our afflictions, we are expected to use our story to comfort and encourage others that are being asked to walk the same path. I am writing this today in love for my fellow brethren that are just beginning the journey. Brother Larry and Sister Dianne Mann, I dedicate myself to your support through my prayers and petitions to our Savior on your behalf. God loves you immensely and He will gift you with His mercies in ways you have never seen before.
Rebekah Marsh
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#rebekahmarshblogs
