Job 2
Satan came with the angels  1
The Lord discusses Job with Satan  3
Satan afflicts Job 7
Job's wife tempts him  9
Three friends came 11
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Text
Explanation
.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 unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
  1 - Satan came among them If Satan had been cast out of heaven at the time he tempted Eve, how did He come here? The Bible doesn't tell us in detail but we do see two stages in the fall (1) his citizenship in heaven was lost re1207, and (2) at the cross, all doubt of his case was clear to the angels re1209. We are looking at a time here long before the cross. Satan obviously had access, at lest, to the presence of the Lord – perhaps to the gateway to heaven.
.3  And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.
 4  And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
.5  But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.
 6  And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.
  3 - My servant Job The Lord wants to say that about you and me, too. Note here that Job and all the others in the story had no idea of the plan about to be made. We have the perspective jb0101.
  5 - Touch ... he will curse thee Under pressure, Satan argues, sin is necessary jb0111. He urges the same falsehood today.
.7 ¶ So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
.8  And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.
  8 - Potsherd "not a piece of a broken earthen vessel, but an instrument made for scratching (the root of the Hebrew word is "scratch"); the sore was too disgusting to touch. "To sit in the ashes" marks the deepest mourning (Jon 3:6); also humility, as if the mourner were nothing but dust and ashes; so Abraham (Ge 18:27)." (JFB)
.9  Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
.10  But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
  9 - Curse God Rather "renounce God." Satan was at work here to make his prediction of v5 happen.

© 2002, GoodSalt, Inc.
.11 ¶ Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.
.12  And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
 13  So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.
   The "friends" are key characters along with Job in the rest of the book.
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