Job was subjected to terrible tests and lived in Avsithida, a territory between Arabia and Idumea. His father’s name was Zareth, and his mother was Vosorah. Job’s person is historical, not a legend or myth. Job’s historical existence is attested to by Ezekiel, who mentions Job as one of the most extraordinary righteous men of the Old Testament, along with Noah and Daniel. Jesus, son of Sirach. Job held without deviation all the paths of righteousness.
According to God’s words, Job never sinned. For He told the devil that there is no one like Job on all the earth. A man who so feared God and fled from evil at all costs. When he was 70 years old, God allowed terrible temptations brought by the devil to fall upon him. On a single day, Job lost all his wealth; on the same day, all his sons and daughters died. After that, he fell into terrible diseases, his body turning into a wound from head to foot. But Job did no evil against God but endured all the torment with patience to the end.
After all, he had endured, God restored him to total health, gave him greater riches than he had before, and gave him seven more sons and three daughters, as many children as had died. The holy and righteous Job lived another 170 years after this great trial, reaching the age of 248. Throughout his years on earth, the honest Job brought unceasing glory to God.
Grief is extreme, but also necessary to emerge from the initial state of satisfaction, in which divinity remained only an external and secondary reality, and to proceed towards the inner and complete knowledge of God. Thus he states: The Lord has given, the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. We see from these words that for Job, every insight becomes an opportunity to raise the mind to God. Job suffers an existential crisis when his whole family is taken away, triggering the transfigurative process. While he does not react to the complete loss of his fortune, the death of his children is followed by mourning: Then Job arose and tore off his garment, shaved his head, and, falling to the ground, bowed down.
Despite his sufferings, Job was still and knew God would rescue him. Yet Satan could not separate Job from the love of God. His words about God make this very clear: But I know that my Redeemer is alive and that he will rise again this crumbling skin of mine from the dust on the last day. And out of my body, I shall see God face to face.
But the torment didn’t stop there, for Job was to go through even worse, but he still trusted God. Thus, a terrible disease took hold of his whole body and tormented him terribly. His bones and flesh were melting with unbearable pain.