Lecture 2 — Job humbled

^2:7^ So Satan went forth from the face of the Lord and afflicted Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his feet to the crown of his head.

^2:8^ Job scraped the bloody matter with a shard and he sat in a dung heap.

^2:9^ Then his wife said to him: Do you still hold fast to your simplicity? Bless God and die.

^2:10^ But he said to her: You have spoken like one of the foolish women speaks. If we have received good at the hand of the Lord, shall we not tolerate evil? In all these things Job did not sin with his lips.

^2:11^ Now when Job’s three friends heard of all the evil which had come upon him, they came, each from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, Baldath the Shuite, and Sophar the Naamathite. They agreed to come together, visit him and console him.

^2:12^ When they saw him from afar, they did not recognize him, and raising their voices, they wept and they rent their robes and sprinkled dust upon their heads heavenward.

^2:13^ And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him; for they saw that his suffering was very great.

43. So Satan went forth. When Satan had received the power, he proceeds to execute it. So the text continues, so Satan went forth from the face of the Lord and afflicted Job, with what was truly an abominable and shameful blow. So the text says, with sores, which were incurable and painful, loathsome, and complete from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

44. The afflictions of the sick are customarily alleviated by cures applied externally which are pleasant. But Job was not alleviated in such a way, for the text continues, Job scraped the bloody matter with a shard. In this the text shows that pleasant and soothing remedies are not applied to him. And he sat in a dung heap, in which the text shows that he did not restore himself to health in a pleasant place, or in the gentleness of straw, or with some pleasant smell, but he more used their opposite. This can have happened in two ways: either because after he was struck by the Lord, he voluntarily afflicted and humiliated himself even more to more easily obtain mercy, or because he lost everything he had, and so he could not afford suitable cures for himself. This is probable enough from what the Lord said above, and it does not seem that Satan had acted except with the power given him to harm something.

45. In their afflictions, men customarily find solace in words of those offering consolation. But the affliction of Job was accompanied by irritating words, which were as much more provocative as the person who spoke them was more closely connected to him. The text continues, then his wife said to him, for she was the only person whom the devil left untouched, so that through her, he who had deceived the first man through a woman, might assault the mind of the just man. This woman first broke out in words of mockery, do you still hold fast your simplicity? as if she said, “At least after so many chastisements you should know that it was useless for you to guard simplicity.” The same is said by a person like her in the prophet Malachi, it is vain to serve God; what is the profit in keeping his commandments? (Mal 3:14).

Second, she proceeds to words of perverse suggestion, saying, bless, that is, curse, God, as if she said, “From the fact that adversity came upon you when you were blessing God, curse God and you will enjoy prosperity.” Lastly, she concludes in words of despair, saying, and die, as if she said, “Regard yourself as dead because nothing is left for you in remaining in simplicity except dying.” Or bless God and die; can be understood in another way to mean that, since after so much reverence for God you have been so afflicted with adversity, if you still bless God, nothing remains but for you to wait for death.

46. The holy man, who had born his troubles patiently, could not bear the injury done to God, for there follows, but he said to her: You have spoken like one of the foolish women speaks. He rightly accuses of foolishness one speaking against the divine wisdom. He shows that she spoke foolishly when he adds, if we received good at the hand of the Lord, shall we not tolerate evil? In this he teaches the perfect wisdom of man, for since temporal and corporeal goods should not be loved except because of spiritual and eternal ones, when the latter are conserved as the more principal ones, man should not be dejected if he is deprived of the former, nor puffed up if he has an abundance of them. Job teaches us, therefore, that we should have such a steadfastness of spirit, that if temporal goods are given to us by God, we should so use them that we are not puffed up in pride from them, and we should so sustain the contrary evil that our soul is not dejected from their lack. This accords with what St. Paul says, I know how to be humbled and how to enjoy prosperity (Phil 4:12) and further on, I can do all things in him who gives me comfort (Phil 4:13). Finally, the conclusion is that Job persevered in innocence when it is said, in all these things Job did not sin with his lips.

47. The devil not only strove to exasperate the mind of blessed Job through his wife, but also through his friends, who, although they came to console him, yet went so far as words of rebuke. About this, the text says, now when Job’s three friends heard of all the evil which had come upon him, they came, each from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, Baldath the Shuite, and Sophar the Naamathite. Because nearly the whole debate of this book occurs between these men, we must consider that these three were of the same opinion as Job in some respect and so they were called friends. In another respect they differed from him and were in agreement among themselves, and so they are numbered together with each other and are distinguished from Job. For indeed, they agreed with Job that not only natural things but also human affairs were subject to divine providence, but they differed from him because they thought that man is rewarded for the good which he did with temporal prosperity by God, and is punished for the evil which he does with temporal adversity by God, as though temporal goods are the rewards for virtues and temporal evils are the proper punishments of sins. Each one of the men strives to defend this opinion in his own way, as his own character suggested to him; because of this they are said to have come each from his own place. Now Job was not of this opinion, but he believed that the good works of men are ordered to a future spiritual reward after this life, and likewise, sins should be punished with future punishments.

48. The next verse expresses the fact that these friends just mentioned came to console Job, saying, they agreed to come to visit him together and console him. In this they showed themselves to be true friends in not deserting him in a time of tribulation, for Sirach says, a man’s friend is recognized in sorrow and evil (Sir 12:9).

At first, the visit itself was certainly consoling, for to see a friend and to associate with him is most delightful. They also console him by their actions, showing him signs of their compassion. What provoked these signs of compassion is now introduced. When they saw him from afar, they did not recognize him, for his face was changed by sores, his clothing and his refinement gone because of the loss of his possessions. The term from afar should be understood to mean that measure by which a man can be recognized from a distance. This change in their friend stirred them to sadness and compassion, which they showed by external signs, for there follows, and raising their voices, out of the great depth of their sorrow, they wept, and they rent their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads, as a sign of humility and dejection, as though they felt themselves to be cast down by the casting down of their friend. The text adds, heavenward, as though they might provoke the mercy of heaven by this humiliation. Consider that the compassion of friends is a consolation, either because adversity, like a burden, is more lightly born when it is carried by many, or even more, because all sorrow is alleviated when mixed with pleasure. To have the experience of someone’s friendship is very pleasurable, which especially derives from their compassion in adversity, and so offers consolation.

49. They consoled him not only by showing compassion to him, but also by showing their fellowship with him; for there follows, they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights. Nevertheless one must not understand this to mean a continuous period, but at suitable times, for great sorrow needed consolation for a long time. But they did not show him the third form, which is especially consoling, namely, in words, for there follows, and no one said a word to him. The cause of their silence is shown when the text continues, for they saw that his suffering was very great. This cause is more an idea the consolers have than the state of the one afflicted. For when the mind of someone has been absorbed with pain, he does not listen to words of consolation, and so Ovid remarks, who but one of inept mind would forbid a mother to weep at the funeral of her child? Job, however, had not been so disposed that he could not accept consolation because of great sorrow. Rather, he consoled himself very much according to reason, as is apparent from the words quoted above.