Job 1:8 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” 9 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? 10 Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
約伯記 1:8 耶和華對撒但說：「你曾用心察看我的僕人約伯沒有？地上再沒有人像他那樣完全、正直、敬畏 神、遠離惡事。」 9 撒但回答耶和華說：「約伯敬畏 神，豈是無故呢？ 10 你豈不是四面圈上籬笆圍護他和他的家，以及他一切所有的嗎？他手所做的都蒙你賜福，他的家產也在地上增多。
Job was a righteous man as well as a wealthy man; he “was the greatest of all the people of the east” (1:3). Not only that; God was very pleased with Job and proud of him, even presenting him before Satan ( “have you considered my servant Job” 1:8). In response, Satan questioned the reason for Job’s faithfulness to God, saying that it was that God had blessed Job’s life with many possessions. The book of Job not only talks about suffering but also challenges Christians to think about the reason we believe in God. In the midst of suffering, the first question we might ask is “why”, but we learn from the book of Job that God allows suffering in our lives “without reason” (2:3). Actually God showcases Job in front of Satan because Job still holds fast to his integrity.
Many try to find the reason that God has allowed the current COVID-19 situation. But instead of focusing on “why”, know that God is more interested in seeing that His people still “hold fast to their integrity” during times of suffering. We need to first ask ourselves “why” we believe in God – is it because of the blessings He gives us, or is it simply because of who He is? Let us “hold fast to our integrity” in the midst of suffering because God’s eyes are always on us, and He is still in full control. Let us pray that we will not let God down but will instead cause Him to be proud of us in front of Satan – So God can proudly say to Satan: “have you considered my servant _________”!
約伯既是正義的人，又是富有的人。他“在東方人中為至大”（1：3）。而且不僅上帝對約伯非常滿意，並為他感到驕傲，甚至把他介紹給了撒但（“你曾用心察看我的僕人約伯沒有” 1：8）。撒但回應質疑約伯忠實於上帝的原因，說這是因為上帝用許多財產祝福了約伯的生活。約伯記不僅談論苦難，而且還挑戰基督徒思考我們信仰上帝的原因。在苦難之中，我們總要問的第一個問題是“為什麼”，但是我們從約伯記中得知上帝允許我們的生命“無緣無故地”受苦（2：3）。實際上，上帝將約伯展示在撒但的面前，因為約伯仍然堅守自己的純正。
許多人試圖找出上帝允許當前COVID-19發生的原因。但是，與其專注於“為什麼”，不如知道上帝更願意看到祂的子民在受苦時仍“持守自己的純正”。我們首先要問自己“為什麼”我們相信上帝-是因為祂給了我們祝福，還是僅僅因為祂是誰？讓我們在苦難中“持守我們的正直”，因為上帝的眼目始終在我們身上，而祂仍完全控制ㄧ切。讓我們祈禱，我們不會讓上帝失望，反而會使上帝在撒但面前為我們感到驕傲 – 讓上帝驕傲的對撒但說：“你曾用心察看我的僕人________沒有”！
