当压力增大
约伯记二章1至10节
1又有一天，神的众子来侍立在耶和华面前，撒但也来在其中。
2耶和华问撒但说：“你从哪里来？”撒但回答说：“我从地上走来走去，往返而来。”
3耶和华问撒但说：“你曾用心察看我的仆人约伯没有？地上再没有人像他完全正直，敬畏神，远离恶事。你虽激动我攻击他，无故地毁灭他；他仍然持守他的纯正。”
4撒但回答耶和华说：“人以皮代皮，情愿舍去一切所有的保全性命。
5你且伸手伤他的骨头和他的肉，他必当面弃掉你。”
6耶和华对撒但说：“他在你手中，只要存留他的性命。”
7于是撒但从耶和华面前退去，击打约伯，使他从脚掌到头顶长毒疮。
8约伯就坐在炉灰中，拿瓦片刮身体。
9他的妻子对他说：“你仍然持守你的纯正吗？你弃掉神，死了吧！”
10约伯却对她说：“你说话像愚顽的妇人一样。嗳！难道我们从神手里得福，不也受祸吗？”在这一切的事上，约伯并不以口犯罪。
信息分享
约伯正是要面对这种情况。撒但再次在神面前中伤约伯，于是神允许他进一步攻击约伯。撒但这次便攻击约伯的身体，使他全身长满毒疮。约伯所患的是何种疾病，有很多种猜测，名目繁多，从严重的疖子到象皮病都有。
不管它是甚么，这种毒疮一定非常疼痛，并且不断流脓，约伯不得不把脓刮走。经文描写他蓬头垢面，坐在炉灰之中，拿瓦片刮着身体，形容憔悴，极端痛苦。
更甚的是，他的妻子，十个儿女的母亲，还嘲讽他说：「你仍然相信你所说的神么？」换言之，就是，你还认为你的神爱你么？祂如果爱你，怎么会出这种事呢？即使在今天，我们不是也经常听见这种话吗？
接着，她还加上一个恶毒的提议：「咒诅你的神吧！祂必取去你的性命。你这样活着，不如死了还好。」她甚至建议他自杀。约伯有甚么感想呢？人生伴侣非但没有支持他，如今也离弃他了。
约伯怎样回应呢？第10节告诉我们：「在这一切事上，约伯并不以口犯罪。」约伯的反应，实在令我们深深佩服。回想我们自己，当落入这种境况时，有多少人能够谨慎自己的言辞呢？激起我们言语激烈，或是不断向人诉苦，或是沉溺于自怜当中，实在是太容易了。
事实上，我们每个人都可能在意想不到的时候，面对人生的悲剧和损失。在那一刻，但愿我们能向神祷告说：「父啊，我信靠你。不要成就我的意思，只要成就你的意思。」
THE PRESSURE IS INCREASED
Job 2: 1-10
1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
2 And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?”
Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”
3 Then 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, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.”
4 So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.
5 But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!”
6 And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.”
7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
8 And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes.
9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!”
10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
Message
Job had that experience. For a second time Satan slandered Job to God and God gave him additional permission to attack Job, this time to touch his body. Various names have been given to the disease which struck Job, all the way from severe boils to elephantiasis,
Whatever it was, it must have been severely painful with a constant discharge which Job scraped off. Can you see him, a pitiful broken figure, sitting on the household ash heap, disfigured and in extreme pain?
Then his wife, the mother of his ten children turns on him. “Are you still hanging on to your faith in that God you talk about?” In other words, do you still think God loves you? If He does, why has this happened? Those words sound rather familiar even today.
Next she adds a terrible piece of advice. “Curse this God and he will have to kill you. You’d be better off dead than the way you are now.” She may even have been suggesting suicide. How would Job have felt? Instead of supporting him, his life companion had turned against him.
What could Job do? It is remarkable what verse 10 tells us, “In all of this Job did not sin in what he said.” We may wonder how many of us would be so careful in our remarks about God in that situation. It is so easy to burst out in strong words or to talk to other people about our tragic situation and to indulge in self-pity.
At some time or other we each could unexpectedly face personal tragedy and loss. That is the time when we need to say, “Father, I trust you. Not my will but yours be done.”