Week 46 : Where’s the Party tonight?

 

His sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. (Job1:4)

We are talking about Job of course. Life was good for him and indeed for his children as well. Let’s learn a little bit about him, beginning at verse 1.

 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. ² And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. ³ Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.

⁴ And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵ So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did regularly.

Job’s life style was quite contrary to our general expectation of the lives “the rich and famous” or “the bold and the beautiful”. With numerous heads of cattle and a large household of servitors, this man was quite on top of the world. He was described as the greatest of all the people of the East, but he was of such a godly nature that he wouldn’t have had any trouble at all outdoing the camel in the competition for  going through the eye of the needle (Luke 18:25) .  A rare specimen indeed!

Whilst the father was careful to lead a life that pleased God, the children were generally enjoying life. And why not?

They had everything going for them. Plenty of food, no shortage of accommodation (each one had his own house), a legion of servants, a loving father etc., etc. There was no need to put their nose to the grind; all they had to do was to loll about, lounge lazily, party heartily, eat merrily and drink heavily; which they did quite frequently, taking turns in each brother’s house. The sisters had it even easier. They were guests at every do. All they had to do was dress up and look pretty.

But where is the mother? She does not find a mention at all in these opening verses. Nothing is said of her character; she did not seem to share her husband’s godly attitude or his concern about the life-style of their children.

A somewhat dysfunctional family? Possibly.

Did Job marry right? Good question. Given the fact that his wife bore him 10 children (in the first yield), one can surmise that they lived together. While they seemed to have had physical union, we cannot say the same about their mental, emotional and spiritual lives. It looks like a single engine household with Job building all the spiritual capital. It is difficult to tell how well the children were nurtured and guided in their formative years.

Did they have family prayers? Did they together  give thanks to God daily for their prosperity? Were the children sent to Sunday School? Whilst they seem to have grown up physically to lead lives independent of their parents, did they have enough spiritual footing to withstand the storms of life? Job worried; his wife was indifferent.

Job cared enough to pray for his children, to  intercede for them, to sacrifice in atonement for any sin they might have committed in their hearts. Job did this regularly or continually as another version puts it.

The lesson for those of us who are parents is obvious. Do we pray for our children? Not just for their health and material well being but more importantly for their standing with God. The importance of this cannot be overstated in an uncertain world as we face eternity.