September 1, 2026
JOB'S SERVANT - PART 2
Zichri and the other three servants who had survived the disasters in Job's life had been busy since that fateful day. They had the unpleasant task of burying the servants who had died. Some of the servants had families who came to claim their loved ones' bodies and bury them. But some of the servants who had died had no family, so Zichri and the three servants buried them.
After that, the servants planted the fields. Some of the fields had been plowed before the Sabeans had attacked, so the servants used those fields. They had no oxen left to plow anymore fields. First they planted fields of barley and then fields of wheat. The planting and harvest would be very small compared to past years since there were only four servants left to do the work. Since it was planting season for everyone in the area, there weren't extra workers who could be hired. Job worked along with his servants so more grain could be planted.
"Well, at least there is a lot grain that had been reserved for planting left, so we can use some for food and won't starve this year," said Hazi, one of the other servants, as he and Zichri went to the storehouse to get pots of barley seed. The storehouses were large and filled with seed that had been saved from the previous year's harvest for planting this year.
"That's true," replied Zichri. "But I still feel really bad for Job. He's such a kind man. He gave me a job when no one else would."
Each of the men carried two clay pots. They started scooping barley seed into the pots. When the pots were full, they carried one in each arm and went back to the field where they were planting. Normally they would use donkeys to carry the pots but had to do it themselves since the Sabeans had stolen all the donkeys several weeks earlier.
"Let's try to finish planting this field before evening," said Hazi. Each man set down one pot and took the other to the row where they had been working. They would scatter a few seeds ahead of them in the furrow that had been formed by the plow. Then they would follow, using their bare feet to push the soil over the seeds. It was slow work, but they finished planting the field as the sun was setting over the western horizon.
"I'm ready to be done for the day," said Zichri. "That's exhausting work, especially since we have no animals to help with any of it."
Zichri and Hazi walked up to the house where Job and his wife lived. Job's wife had bread and meat prepared for them for supper. They gladly ate the food and then walked to one of the mudbrick homes a short distance away where many of the servants had lived. It was strange to only have four of them living there. It seemed weirdly empty and quiet after so many men had lived there only a few weeks earlier.
The planting season continued, with Job and his servants planting fields of wheat after they finished the barley fields. After planting they had to maintain the fields, hoeing out weeds and watering the plants when the soil became dry.
One day Job didn't show up to help the servants with the work. Usually if he wasn't able to help, he would at least stop by to encourage the men. But that day he didn't even do that. At the end of the day the servants stopped by the house to pick up food that Job's wife had prepared for them. When they did, they asked her if Job was ok.
"No, he's not ok," Job's wife replied. "He's covered in boils from his head to his feet and in a lot of pain. He's out there sitting in the place where we dump ashes, scraping himself with a piece of broken pottery. I told him he should curse God and die, but he doesn't listen to me. He says that we should be willing to have evil in our lives as well as good. I don't know what is the matter with that man!"
The servants were in shock when they heard the news. They walked closer to the area where Job was sitting. Even from a distance they could tell he was in pain. Job was rubbing ashes on the boils that covered his body and then would scrape them with the potsherd. The servants could hear him groaning in pain. Tears started down Zichri's cheeks as he watched the kind man who had helped him.
"This is horrible," cried Zichri in agony for his boss. He turned and hurried away, not wanting to see Job's misery. The other servants followed him.
Soon it became known in town and the surrounding area that Job was going through many trials. Besides losing all his livestock, most of his servants and all his children, he was now in physical pain. Three of Job's friends decided to visit Job and comfort him. Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar had been friends for a long time and made plans to visit Job at his home. Elihu was younger but decided to tag along with the others on their mission. When they got to Job's home, they saw him from a distance and could barely recognize him. They rent their clothes and cried at his misery. Then they sat down by him in silence. They continued sitting, not saying a word for a whole week. Job's wife would bring them food, but they only nibbled at it. Finally after a week, Job started talking with them.
Zichri would occasionally go near and hear the friends talking with Job. Job was in such pain that his speech was rough and slow, and he had to take deep breaths between phrases. After Job talked for a while, one of his friends would answer him. Zichri didn't hear the whole conversation, but the parts that he heard frustrated him. The friends condemned Job for not helping the poor. That's not true! Zichri thought. Job helped me and he helped many others too!
The discussion went on for many days between Job and his friends, with Zichri catching some of the conversation on occasion. Some things the friends said were true, but it was mixed with things that were false. After everyone, including Elihu, had spoken, they all sat silently, just looking at each other.
All of a sudden there was a whirlwind! It started small and then grew in size until it was huge! The servants were working in the fields when it happened.
"Look at that!" Hazi said, pointing towards the whirlwind.
The servants watched as it grew and became black, swirling around and around. They could hear the noise of it even in the fields of grain they were attending. The whirlwind stayed in the same place for a long time, near the place where Job and his friends were sitting. Job was watching it intently, but his friends were cringing in fear.
The servants stood still where they had been working. They were ready to flee from the whirlwind if needed. Whirlwinds were usually deadly if they went through a place where people were, picking up everything in sight including people, and then dumping them far away. Zichri began to wonder if the whirlwind was another trial that Job would go through. But this whirlwind didn't move and didn't touch Job. Just as suddenly as the whirlwind had come, it seemed to disappear, having caused no damage to anything.
Zichri later heard that God has spoken to Job out of the whirlwind. After hearing of God's glory, Job had humbled himself before the Lord, acknowledging that God had the right to do what He wanted. Then God spoke to Eliphaz and rebuked him and the other friends for not speaking right things about the Lord. Eliphaz and his friends had Job offer sacrifices to the Lord and pray for them. God then healed Job and blessed him.
The following months were filled with Job's brothers, sisters, and acquaintances coming to visit. Each of them that came brought many gifts for Job, to help him to get back on his feet after the trials he had faced.
That year, even though they had only been able to plant a few fields, they had an abundance of crops. The servants couldn't believe how much each field yielded!
Job's wealth began to grow each year until he had twice as much as he had before his trials. God also gave Job and his wife seven more sons and three more daughters. The daughters were the most beautiful women anywhere around. Even though daughters didn't normally have an inheritance from their fathers, Job gave his daughters an inheritance along with his sons.
Zichri worked for Job for many years. He saw Job rejoice as he was able to see his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and even great great grandchildren. As Zichri would see Job's joy and contentment, he would sometimes think back to the time when Job lost everything except his faith in God. Job was a great example to Zichri, that even through trials, he could still trust in the Lord.
