Does Death End it All?

[JayJayDee]

I was talking about some of this stuff...

"Wail, for the day of the Lord is near;
****it will come like destruction from the Almighty.[a]
7*Because of this, all hands will go limp,
****every heart will melt with fear.
8*Terror will seize them,
****pain and anguish will grip them;
****they will writhe like a woman in labor.
They will look aghast at each other,
****their faces aflame.
9*See, the day of the Lord is coming
****—a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—
to make the land desolate
****and destroy the sinners within it.
10*The stars of heaven and their constellations
****will not show their light.
The rising sun will be darkened
****and the moon will not give its light.
11*I will punish the world for its evil,
****the wicked for their sins.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty
****and will humble the pride of the ruthless.
12*I will make people scarcer than pure gold,
****more rare than the gold of Ophir.
13*Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;
****and the earth will shake from its place
at the wrath of the Lord Almighty,
****in the day of his burning anger.
14*Like a hunted gazelle,
****like sheep without a shepherd,
they will all return to their own people,
****they will flee to their native land.
15*Whoever is captured will be thrust through;
****all who are caught will fall by the sword.
16*Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
****their houses will be looted and their wives violated." - Isaiah 13

Gotta love scripture plucked out of thin air without context.

Chapter 13 of Isaiah is introduced with the words: “The pronouncement against Babylon that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw in vision.”

Isaiah's words are directed to sworn enemies of God and his people. The land of Israel was gifted to them by their God and they had a right to defend it against such enemies....even ones who had been used by God to punish his own 'children'.


Paul told his Athenian audience that God “decreed the appointed times and the set limits [Gr., ho·ro·the·si′as, literally, “settings of bounds”] of the dwelling of men.” (Acts 17:26)
A similar thought is expressed in Psalm 74:17 with reference to the Creator: “It was you that set up all the boundaries of the earth; summer and winter—you yourself formed them.” The Most High is responsible for the existence of natural boundaries such as rivers, lakes, seas, and mountains, which determine where people live. (Jer 5:22) People defended their borders vigorously in Bible times.


"Jehovah's Day" is when he actively manifests himself against his enemies and in behalf of his people. With divine judgment executed against the wicked, Jehovah comes off victorious over his opposers during this “day.” It is also a time of salvation and deliverance for the righteous, the day in which Jehovah himself is highly exalted as the Supreme One. Thus, in a double way it is uniquely and exclusively Jehovah’s great day.

All enemies of God and his people are on notice. He does not bring his destructive forces into play without due warning and without appeals to his enemies to reconsider their position. As Solomon once wrote.. "a live dog is better off than a dead lion" Once you are dead...you can do nothing to reclaim your life. (Eccl 9:4-6)

"Happy is the one who seizes your infants
****and dashes them against the rocks." Psalms 137:9

Plucked out of context again....

In the initial fulfilment of his words on literal Babylon, Jehovah used the Persian ruler Cyrus to liberate his people from that ancient world power. But in the fullest sense, Cyrus was not the one meant in the closing words of Psalm 137, which refer to Babylon the Great, the world empire of false religion:

“O daughter of Babylon, who are to be despoiled, happy will he be that rewards you with your own treatment with which you treated us. Happy will he be that grabs ahold and does dash to pieces your children against the crag.” (Psalm 137:8, 9)

This is not talking about the killing of infants, but is symbolic language used to describe "children" of a different sort. Whereas Jehovah will safeguard his loyal ones, he will, in a figurative sense, grab ahold of every one of the religious “children” of the harlotlike system of false religion and break them to pieces against what looms up like a “crag”—the unyielding Kingdom of Jehovah God by Jesus Christ.
No enemies of God will be able to resist his incoming kingdom......"sheep" or "goats"...that's all there is. There is nothing in the middle labelled "undecided". We choose the category we want to be in.

If something was whispering this stuff in my ear, or extermination/genocide of a neighboring people/tribe, or that I should sacrifice one of my little children....no way in hell I would take it as a God or some benevolent spirit, let alone show willingness to obey.

If you choose to take the scriptures at face value without analysing the deeper meaning of the context, then it is little wonder that you would go off in a huff. Jesus once made a statement that stumbled his whole audience, who all left in disgust, taking what he had said at face value...only his apostles remained. He asked them if they were going to leave too? They waited for an explanation because they trusted in who he said he was. (John 6:52-69)

You don't see the irony when it is suggested that the spirits which non-christians experience or communicate with are demons?

The irony exists only in the misinterpretation. If you know the whole truth instead of staring at a few dead pixels in the whole picture you don't go off with only half a story. Scripture explains itself, so you need knowledge of the whole story, not just snatches here and there taken out of context.

You are missing a great deal by being satisfied with a limited view of everything.

Would you think it was God if something told you to kill your child, or any other children, as a show of faith?

If you trusted the one telling you to do as he instructs, having no reason whatsoever to doubt this one who has proven to be your closest and most trusted friend over your lifetime, and your faith in him as an all powerful, all knowing God is strong, then obedience, regardless of personal feelings would dictate your actions.

Outside of indoctrination, extreme terror, or some type of possession - what could make a healthy person think this is divine or acceptable?

Knowing that the one who asked it had a good reason, and that he will always fulfil his promises requires faith. (Job had that kind of faith too)

If we have no faith in God, and look for ways to see ourselves as superior to him, (virtually saying 'we would never do what this evil deity does') he will not actively engage in our lives at all. We only come into his field of vision when our hearts genuinely seek the truth about him.
If you only want to find fault with him, he will let you. Is it what your heart desires?

It is also good to remember that death to this Creator of life is not the finality it is to us. He can wake the dead as easily as we wake our children from sleep.

Step back...look up.

 

[adi2d]

I'm always amazed (and a little disgusted) when the story of Job is brought up.

Here as a guy doing his best for his family and God and the Accuser tear his life up destroy his life in the equivalent of a bar room bet

No better than two boys tearing wing off a fly to see what would happen

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I'm always amazed (and a little disgusted) when the story of Job is brought up.

Here as a guy doing his best for his family and God and the Accuser tear his life up destroy his life in the equivalent of a bar room bet

No better than two boys tearing wing off a fly to see what would happen

Yeah, it really is disgusting, even if I realize that it's fiction. But even more, no answers are really given as to the nature/cause of suffering, which the book was meant to explore in the first place! What a waste of time!

 

[JayJayDee]

Can't see past the end of your noses you people. :slap:

Why do you suppose the story of Job is in the Bible in the first place? For entertainment?

I would wager that you watch movies or play video games that are way more 'disgusting' than this story of triumph over tragedy. There is nothing 'disgusting' about Job's integrity....what was disgusting, was what the devil wanted to do to him to break his relationship with God. This man's faith in his Creator could not be broken, no matter what the devil threw at him. I take it you all would have caved and proved that the devil was right....man only serves God when the going is good....take away the things he values and he will curse the one who gave him life. The longer I live, the more admiration I have for this man's integrity.

You seem to forget that Job had faith in the resurrection. He knew that a better life in much better conditions was what God promised in the future and that all 10 of the children he lost would be returned to him. They all presently 'sleep in death' and will be reunited together with the 10 siblings born after the loss. These will then have an opportunity to live on earth together forever with their parents and brothers and sisters. From God's perspective, the loss was momentary and for Job, the ordeal did not cause any lasting harm for him. Nobody bothers to read how it ends...

"And Jehovah himself turned back the captive condition of Job when he prayed in behalf of his companions, and Jehovah began to give in addition all that had been Job’s, in double amount.....he blessed the end of Job afterward more than his beginning, so that he came to have fourteen thousand sheep and six thousand camels and a thousand spans of cattle and a thousand she-*****. He also came to have seven sons and three daughters. And he went calling the name of the first Je·mi′mah and the name of the second Ke·zi′ah and the name of the third Ker′en-hap′puch. And no women were found as pretty as Job’s daughters in all the land, and their father proceeded to give them an inheritance in among their brothers. And Job continued living after this a hundred and forty years and came to see his sons and his grandsons—four generations. And gradually Job died, old and satisfied with days." (Job 42:10, 12-17)


Job lived a long and happy life because he knew his God and had faith in his promises. Do we demonstrate that kind of faith? Or will we curse God at the first sign of trouble?

 

[Sees]

Can't see past the end of your noses you people. :slap:

Why do you suppose the story of Job is in the Bible in the first place? For entertainment?

I would wager that you watch movies or play video games that are way more 'disgusting' than this story of triumph over tragedy. There is nothing 'disgusting' about Job's integrity....what was disgusting, was what the devil wanted to do to him to break his relationship with God. This man's faith in his Creator could not be broken, no matter what the devil threw at him. I take it you all would have caved and proved that the devil was right....man only serves God when the going is good....take away the things he values and he will curse the one who gave him life. The longer I live, the more admiration I have for this man's integrity.

You seem to forget that Job had faith in the resurrection. He knew that a better life in much better conditions was what God promised in the future and that all 10 of the children he lost would be returned to him. They all presently 'sleep in death' and will be reunited together with the 10 siblings born after the loss. These will then have an opportunity to live on earth together forever with their parents and brothers and sisters. From God's perspective, the loss was momentary and for Job, the ordeal did not cause any lasting harm for him. Nobody bothers to read how it ends...

"And Jehovah himself turned back the captive condition of Job when he prayed in behalf of his companions, and Jehovah began to give in addition all that had been Job’s, in double amount.....he blessed the end of Job afterward more than his beginning, so that he came to have fourteen thousand sheep and six thousand camels and a thousand spans of cattle and a thousand she-*****. He also came to have seven sons and three daughters. And he went calling the name of the first Je·mi′mah and the name of the second Ke·zi′ah and the name of the third Ker′en-hap′puch. And no women were found as pretty as Job’s daughters in all the land, and their father proceeded to give them an inheritance in among their brothers. And Job continued living after this a hundred and forty years and came to see his sons and his grandsons—four generations. And gradually Job died, old and satisfied with days." (Job 42:10, 12-17)


Job lived a long and happy life because he knew his God and had faith in his promises. Do we demonstrate that kind of faith? Or will we curse God at the first sign of trouble?

You often confuse being critical of the Bible, or at least the idea it is The Word of God, with being critical of God altogether

Who is it really that can't see past their own nose?

It could say somewhere in there that winter time is when every family must sacrifice a neighbor's child and you would find a way to excuse it Not only this, but make claims that others who criticize are less concerned with righteousness, truth, and following God while doing so.

 

[adi2d]

Can't see past the end of your noses you people. :slap:

Why do you suppose the story of Job is in the Bible in the first place? For entertainment?

I would wager that you watch movies or play video games that are way more 'disgusting' than this story of triumph over tragedy. There is nothing 'disgusting' about Job's integrity....what was disgusting, was what the devil wanted to do to him to break his relationship with God. This man's faith in his Creator could not be broken, no matter what the devil threw at him. I take it you all would have caved and proved that the devil was right....man only serves God when the going is good....take away the things he values and he will curse the one who gave him life. The longer I live, the more admiration I have for this man's integrity.

You seem to forget that Job had faith in the resurrection. He knew that a better life in much better conditions was what God promised in the future and that all 10 of the children he lost would be returned to him. They all presently 'sleep in death' and will be reunited together with the 10 siblings born after the loss. These will then have an opportunity to live on earth together forever with their parents and brothers and sisters. From God's perspective, the loss was momentary and for Job, the ordeal did not cause any lasting harm for him. Nobody bothers to read how it ends...

"And Jehovah himself turned back the captive condition of Job when he prayed in behalf of his companions, and Jehovah began to give in addition all that had been Job’s, in double amount.....he blessed the end of Job afterward more than his beginning, so that he came to have fourteen thousand sheep and six thousand camels and a thousand spans of cattle and a thousand she-*****. He also came to have seven sons and three daughters. And he went calling the name of the first Je·mi?mah and the name of the second Ke·zi?ah and the name of the third Ker?en-hap?puch. And no women were found as pretty as Job’s daughters in all the land, and their father proceeded to give them an inheritance in among their brothers. And Job continued living after this a hundred and forty years and came to see his sons and his grandsons—four generations. And gradually Job died, old and satisfied with days." (Job 42:10, 12-17)


Job handled everything thrown at him. No problem with that. As a story to teach that we need to get up every time we are knocked down

What I see as wrong is when satan said sufe he's faithful now. Look at how good his life is. God caused all Jobs troubles. He told satan to do all those things to Job
Job lost EveRYthing.

If you think that having more children replaces the children he lost then excuse me but you hve no idea.
In the story (if real) job was a pawn. He handled his life the best he could. God didn't need to cause so much pain just to prove a point

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Can't see past the end of your noses you people. :slap:

Why do you suppose the story of Job is in the Bible in the first place? For entertainment?

I would wager that you watch movies or play video games that are way more 'disgusting' than this story of triumph over tragedy. There is nothing 'disgusting' about Job's integrity....what was disgusting, was what the devil wanted to do to him to break his relationship with God. This man's faith in his Creator could not be broken, no matter what the devil threw at him. I take it you all would have caved and proved that the devil was right....man only serves God when the going is good....take away the things he values and he will curse the one who gave him life. The longer I live, the more admiration I have for this man's integrity.

You seem to forget that Job had faith in the resurrection. He knew that a better life in much better conditions was what God promised in the future and that all 10 of the children he lost would be returned to him. They all presently 'sleep in death' and will be reunited together with the 10 siblings born after the loss. These will then have an opportunity to live on earth together forever with their parents and brothers and sisters. From God's perspective, the loss was momentary and for Job, the ordeal did not cause any lasting harm for him. Nobody bothers to read how it ends...

"And Jehovah himself turned back the captive condition of Job when he prayed in behalf of his companions, and Jehovah began to give in addition all that had been Job’s, in double amount.....he blessed the end of Job afterward more than his beginning, so that he came to have fourteen thousand sheep and six thousand camels and a thousand spans of cattle and a thousand she-*****. He also came to have seven sons and three daughters. And he went calling the name of the first Je·mi′mah and the name of the second Ke·zi′ah and the name of the third Ker′en-hap′puch. And no women were found as pretty as Job’s daughters in all the land, and their father proceeded to give them an inheritance in among their brothers. And Job continued living after this a hundred and forty years and came to see his sons and his grandsons—four generations. And gradually Job died, old and satisfied with days." (Job 42:10, 12-17)


Job lived a long and happy life because he knew his God and had faith in his promises. Do we demonstrate that kind of faith? Or will we curse God at the first sign of trouble?

You completely missed the point of what I said. What is disgusting about the story of Job is that God agreed to let all those horrible things happen to Job. The poor guy had his whole family taken from him. He lost everything. On top of that, he was stricken with sores covering his whole body and was in pain all the time. God let all of this happen to this good man just to make a petty, selfish point to Satan and nothing more.

Furthermore, one of the reasons for the story is to explore the issue of suffering - why it happens and how we should respond. But even then, it offers no answers. Job questions why he suffers and God doesn't give him an answer but instead cops an attitude over Job's questioning of him, because we're nothing compared to Yahweh and how dare we question him. So Job just gives up and repents of his questioning attitude. In other words, don't question and just mindlessly worship and praise Yahweh even though he's allowing you to be tormented and tortured. I don't see Job as a shining example of faith. He gave up questioning Yahweh when Yahweh got ****** at him and lectured him for questioning him - in other words, Job only repented after Yahweh put him "in his place". This was a broken and suffering man and Yahweh did not offer any comfort to him. He only rewarded him after gaining Job's unquestioning obedience. It's a terrible story.

So the story presents God as petty and who plays games with humans just to "test" us. But if we lose our faith after having calamity after calamity befall us, we've "failed the test". Excuse me, but that's a load of crap. It's only sensible to lose faith in the biblical god when your life has gone to hell. How dare he hold that against humanity. How callous! And save your claptrap about having faith in some resurrection. You try losing all of your children and see if you never rage at Yahweh over it. Seems that you don't really understand the pain of loss. Honestly, if all that horrible stuff happened to me, I'd probably kill myself.

 

[adi2d]

Thanks frank(may I call you frank?) You said it much better than I could. The part that really gets me is someone could believe that replacing a child with another makes everything ok. The older I get the less I understand people

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Thanks frank(may I call you frank?) You said it much better than I could. The part that really gets me is someone could believe that replacing a child with another makes everything ok. The older I get the less I understand people

Of course you can call me Frank. That's my name.

Exactly. Children are not disposable trinkets. They are unique human beings and you cannot just "replace" them. The concept of God in the book of Job is a quite petty and horrible one that relies on an obedience/reward paradigm of faith. It's a master/slave mentality. There is no love and no comfort.

 

[Thief]

Of course you can call me Frank. That's my name.

Exactly. Children are not disposable trinkets. They are unique human beings and you cannot just "replace" them. The concept of God in the book of Job is a quite petty and horrible one that relies on an obedience/reward paradigm of faith. It's a master/slave mentality. There is no love and no comfort.

No...and 'nay'....

Job displays mindset.....toward peace.
God had nothing to prove and neither did Job.
It was the devil, attempting to say he is greater than Job, having stood in the gathering (the sons of God) and having faced objection.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

No...and 'nay'....

Job displays mindset.....toward peace.
God had nothing to prove and neither did Job.
It was the devil, attempting to say he is greater than Job, having stood in the gathering (the sons of God) and having faced objection.

You've never read the book, have you? The whole thing is based upon a bet Yahweh made with Satan, and Yahweh allowed Satan to do all those horrible things to him just to test his faith.

Here, read it yourself:
Job 1 - Prologue - In the land of Uz there - Bible Gateway

 

[Thief]

You've never read the book, have you? The whole thing is based upon a bet Yahweh made with Satan, and Yahweh allowed Satan to do all those horrible things to him just to test his faith.

Here, read it yourself:
Job 1 - Prologue - In the land of Uz there - Bible Gateway

It was not a wager.
The sons of God did gather and with them came the devil.
It was God that made the objection.
The sons of God were silent.

It was not a test of Job.
God knew His servant.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

It was not a wager.
The sons of God did gather and with them came the devil.
It was God that made the objection.
The sons of God were silent.

It was not a test of Job.
God knew His servant.

Obviously you've read a different version of the story than the rest of us.

 

[Thief]

Obviously you've read a different version of the story than the rest of us.

Nay again.

As we stand before God.....we all face the same dilemma.
Comparison to the least of the servants.

Will you take offense and do as did the devil?
Attempt self justification by coming down on someone else?

That would not be peaceful.
and the peace of heaven is guarded.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Nay again.

As we stand before God.....we all face the same dilemma.
Comparison to the least of the servants.

Will you take offense and do as did the devil?
Attempt self justification by coming down on someone else?

That would not be peaceful.
and the peace of heaven is guarded.

You're missing the point, too. Yahweh allowed Satan (no, not the "devil" because that conception of Satan didn't exist at that time - Satan in the OT was an angel of God) to wreak havoc in Job's life. You seem to not understand that. Everything that Satan did was with the permission of Yahweh!

 

[KidatHeart]

You're missing the point, too. Yahweh allowed Satan (no, not the "devil" because that conception of Satan didn't exist at that time - Satan in the OT was an angel of God) to wreak havoc in Job's life. You seem to not understand that. Everything that Satan did was with the permission of Yahweh!

Maybe, but you're overlooking the book as a whole. The book of Job is more about Job's reaction to what allegedly happened to him, followed by God's response to that. I believe the "wager" was about whether or not Job would curse God.

Maybe Satan did have God's "permission" to do all those things to Job, but pain is an inseparable part of life; God was just allowing Satan to have control over Job's suffering.

Then, Job gets in a debate with three of his friends...

In the end, God was cool with Job's attitude, even though there were some harsh words.

I take Job to mean that an all-knowing god Would understand Job's point of view.

Therefore, it's ok to vent at God sometimes, so long as it's resolved to love.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Maybe, but you're overlooking the book as a whole. The book of Job is more about Job's reaction to what allegedly happened to him, followed by God's response to that. I believe the "wager" was about whether or not Job would curse God.

Maybe Satan did have God's "permission" to do all those things to Job, but pain is an inseparable part of life; God was just allowing Satan to have control over Job's suffering.

Then, Job gets in a debate with three of his friends...

In the end, God was cool with Job's attitude, even though there were some harsh words.

I take Job to mean that an all-knowing god Would understand Job's point of view.

Therefore, it's ok to vent at God sometimes, so long as it's resolved to love.

No, I'm not overlooking the book as a whole. I just don't see it the way you do.

 

[JayJayDee]

You're missing the point, too. Yahweh allowed Satan (no, not the "devil" because that conception of Satan didn't exist at that time - Satan in the OT was an angel of God) to wreak havoc in Job's life.

Regardless of whether the concept of satan was fully understood at that time or not or not, "the Adversary" was indeed an angel, but a rebel in the camp of God. He boldly turned up with all the other angels on this occasion. An adversary is an opposer...an enemy.

Job 1:6-12 from The Complete Jewish Bible....

"It happened one day that the sons of God came to serve Adonai, and among them came the Adversary [a]. Adonai asked the Adversary, “Where are you coming from?” The Adversary answered Adonai, “From roaming through the earth, wandering here and there.” Adonai asked the Adversary, “Did you notice my servant Iyov, that there’s no one like him on earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil?” The Adversary answered Adonai, “Is it for nothing that Iyov fears God? You’ve put a protective hedge around him, his house and everything he has. You’ve prospered his work, and his livestock are spread out all over the land. But if you reach out your hand and touch whatever he has, without doubt he’ll curse you to your face!” Adonai said to the Adversary, “Here! Everything he has is in your hands, except that you are not to lay a finger on his person.” Then the Adversary went out from the presence of Adonai."

The footnote [a] says "Satan"

God's question to satan was "Did you notice my servant Iyov, that there’s no one like him on earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil?"

Since God is a reader of hearts, and satan had been wandering around on the earth, what do we imagine prompted God's question? Was satan already plotting something to undermine this man's faith? Did God see a challenge to Job's faith coming and decide to step in with some restraints and a set of rules to this engagement? The Bible account leaves room for that.

Satan's taunt was that Job's motives were entirely selfish. God knew that they weren't. The only way to prove it was to allow satan to take away everything he valued. The devil said Job would curse God....but he didn't.


In the second round of assault at Job 2:4 satan taunts...“Skin for skin! A person will give up everything he has to save his life. But if you reach out your hand and touch his flesh and bone, without doubt he’ll curse you to your face!”

Notice that the devil says "A person will give up everything he has to save his life."

He did not say "Job would give up everything to save his life"....he said "a person", meaning human beings, including all of us. Job was representing the human race in this test. He was demonstrating something that Jesus himself later showed....that humans are capable of standing up to the devil's temptations and trials, even being taken to the brink of death and beyond. It showed that Adam was fully capable of resisting the devil in the beginning. God's creation was not faulty and it was not a mistake to give intelligent beings free will.


Job's test was allowed because God knew the calibre of this man and how strong his faith was. (1 Cor 10:13) He used him as an example to demonstrate that no matter what the devil does to us, we too can overcome it and stand firm in our faith. When the going gets tough, the faithful stand firm.


If this account had not made it into scripture, then the lesson would have been lost and Job's test would not have served any purpose for us. As it is, we know the true source of suffering and we know who has the ability to undo it all. (John 3:8)

You seem to not understand that. Everything that Satan did was with the permission of Yahweh!

You seem to fail to understand that God's permission was given with the long term benefits in view and the maximum good accomplished, not just for Job, but for all of us. It was not just man's integrity on trial here but angels too were observing.

This outstanding test of a man's integrity did not go to waste. It is only lost on those who cannot appreciate it from God's perspective and what is accomplished in the eternal scheme of things.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I already posted my full thoughts about the story here:

You completely missed the point of what I said. What is disgusting about the story of Job is that God agreed to let all those horrible things happen to Job. The poor guy had his whole family taken from him. He lost everything. On top of that, he was stricken with sores covering his whole body and was in pain all the time. God let all of this happen to this good man just to make a petty, selfish point to Satan and nothing more.

Furthermore, one of the reasons for the story is to explore the issue of suffering - why it happens and how we should respond. But even then, it offers no answers. Job questions why he suffers and God doesn't give him an answer but instead cops an attitude over Job's questioning of him, because we're nothing compared to Yahweh and how dare we question him. So Job just gives up and repents of his questioning attitude. In other words, don't question and just mindlessly worship and praise Yahweh even though he's allowing you to be tormented and tortured. I don't see Job as a shining example of faith. He gave up questioning Yahweh when Yahweh got ****** at him and lectured him for questioning him - in other words, Job only repented after Yahweh put him "in his place". This was a broken and suffering man and Yahweh did not offer any comfort to him. He only rewarded him after gaining Job's unquestioning obedience. It's a terrible story.

So the story presents God as petty and who plays games with humans just to "test" us. But if we lose our faith after having calamity after calamity befall us, we've "failed the test". Excuse me, but that's a load of crap. It's only sensible to lose faith in the biblical god when your life has gone to hell. How dare he hold that against humanity. How callous! And save your claptrap about having faith in some resurrection. You try losing all of your children and see if you never rage at Yahweh over it. Seems that you don't really understand the pain of loss. Honestly, if all that horrible stuff happened to me, I'd probably kill myself.

Mind you, I don't think the story actually happened. I'm merely judging it like I would any other fictional morality story.

 

[Thief]

You're missing the point, too. Yahweh allowed Satan (no, not the "devil" because that conception of Satan didn't exist at that time - Satan in the OT was an angel of God) to wreak havoc in Job's life. You seem to not understand that. Everything that Satan did was with the permission of Yahweh!

Permission ganted?....if you insist.

But consider that again.
The God (perhaps your God?) would be willing to stand back and allow His own Advesary to stomp you hard!

Kinda like watching your Best Friend having an argument with a large bully....
and then that large bully crosses the street headed your way!

Permission granted?......are you sure those are the terms prefered?

I think the Advesary (call him anything else you care to)....
was acting on his own, trying to prove himself greater than the least of God's servants.

What?.... you didn't notice the insult?