Job 1:16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

How can you worship the One who has devastated your possessions? When you hear of captives, do not attribute their plight to human actions. It is from above, from heaven; God is at odds with you. This is evident in the fact that the one who destroyed the sheep descended from heaven. Reflect on the devil's power, how he has stirred countless nations and manifested demons in the guise of foes; consider how effortlessly he accomplishes this. Do not perceive fire merely as flames (which cannot create); it took a form that consumed all, and if it were real fire, it would have drawn from the natural order and acted under God's permission.

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It is incorrect to assume that these disasters originate from God. The devil amplifies Job's suffering through the diverse reports he receives. Though Job, a devout man, responded by accepting God's afflictions, the devil highlights that men also strike him; not only is God against him. Notice the devil's might, how he has influenced so many nations or presented demons visible to the eye. Even if you doubt the existence of fire (for he cannot create), he willed it and burned everything.

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Observe the schemes of the devil. When he saw that the righteous Job withstood the first two afflictions and remained steadfast amidst temptation, the enemy devised another plan. He sent fire from above to create the illusion that it was sent down from heaven, provoking Job into thinking that God was waging war against him, hoping Job would blaspheme the Lord who chastises him unjustly despite his innocence.

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To divert Job’s thoughts towards God, the devil conveyed differently: "The fire of God has fallen from heaven." You cannot claim that your foes cast this fire down. Do not nurse resentment for this injustice; instead, curse the One deemed guilty against you. "The fire of God has fallen from heaven." Job received this news and responded with composure. His patience was complete, as the Savior stated, "He that endureth to the end shall be saved" (Matt. 10:22). Daily, he labored, offering sacrifices for his children, and God consistently accepted his offerings. "The fire of God has fallen from heaven." Had I been the sole beneficiary of my wealth, I would have been troubled; yet if the impoverished also benefit from it, the Lord overlooks no one. I am aware that whatever I sacrifice to Him, He returns in abundance. Is it not through injustice that my wealth has been accumulated? Was it not through selfishness that I gained my sheep? "Was he not warmed with the wool of my sheep" (Job 31:20)? "From my mother's womb I guided the widow" (Job 31:18). God understands His actions. He has now taken my possessions as a sacrifice; He will bless me with even greater abundance for the sake of virtue's multiplication. External assaults will not disturb me when I possess inner strength, and God's arrows will fortify me further within. "For thy arrows are thrust into me" (Psalm 37:3). What arrows? The arrow of righteousness, the arrow of godliness, the arrow of love for God, the arrow of zeal for good: with these divine arrows, the soul is pierced.

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Earlier, we pointed out that the devil does not conquer through force, cruelty, compulsion, or violence; otherwise, he would destroy all. This was evidenced by the swine which the demons feared to harm until the Lord permitted (Matt. 8:31), as well as the flocks of Job’s oxen and sheep, which the devil dared not annihilate until he received authorization from above. Thus, we discern that the devil does not overcome through coercion but rather through deceit, yet he does not prevail over everyone. Job serves as an example; despite the devil's relentless schemes against him, he stood firm and ultimately triumphed, while the devil himself was vanquished and retreated.

Various trials target different individuals: the wealthy suffer loss, a father experiences grief from losing children, while a man endures pain and the body is afflicted with sores. Oh, the many arrows he faced! However, the Lord did not desire that which could be taken away; He entered the world in a humble state (cf. 2 Cor. 8:9) to ensure the devil had nothing to seize. Do you wish to grasp the truth of these statements? Listen to the Lord’s own words: "The prince of this world cometh, and shall find nothing in Me" (John 14:30). He sought not to be a father to a few (cf. Job 29:16), but rather the Father of all. It would be futile to test One who disregarded all physical pain with corporeal suffering! Simultaneously, He aimed to demonstrate that He possesses complete victory, for He overcame the adversary of the body. Job, as a mere man, was tempted through his possessions, while Jesus was tested with the allure of dominion over the cosmos; one man's wealth was stripped from him while the other was presented with sovereignty. The devil employed deception, fearing the wrath of the Son of God: he tempted Job through affliction and offered Jesus worldly accolades. Reports of calamity arrived in succession (see Job 1:14-17), deepening Job’s wounds, yet this courageous warrior remained steadfast in spirit.

The first brings word of his oxen and donkeys being stolen, along with the slaughter of the servants who tended them; the next relays the destruction of a flock of sheep by divine fire, taking its shepherds with it; the third informs him of the theft of a caravan of camels and the death of the herdsmen; at last, the fourth declares: A great wind swept in from the desert, striking the four corners of the house where your sons and daughters were dining with their older brother, and the house collapsed upon them, resulting in their demise. In this swift annihilation of all Job's children, the adversary deprived his tender, affectionate heart of the chance to gradually express and soothe his sorrow; upon receiving the grievous news of his children's deaths crushed beneath the wreckage, Job was overwhelmed, unable to designate whom to mourn first or to find in the debris the ones he dearly wished to honor with burial rites. All of his suffering and anguish, so to speak, became sealed within his heart, rendering him unable to refrain from expressing his pain and leading him to voice his lament against God. Job’s children met their end through the rage of the tempter, just as the children of our Lord, the prophets, faced persecution from the furious religious leaders.

Alongside the faithful angels, Satan presents himself before God. The compassionate God, who desires not the death of a sinner, indicates through the devil's presence that He would welcome the repentance of even the first wrongdoer if there were a willingness to turn back. The reminder of his former glory and relationship with the Creator should evoke a sense of remorse in Satan. More importantly, it serves to eliminate any grounds for justifying his obstinacy: the Lord exhausts all means for salvation, while Satan persists in misleading humanity and opposing God.