Faith, humility, and hope: Job Story*

 

To,

All those who have lost hope, maybe you did nothing wrong, maybe you have the best of others at heart, but you still suffer. It is not that you are being punished but just like a vine must be pruned to bear much fruit, so you too are being pruned to be an even better person.

Faith, humility, and hope: Job Story*

 

A wager in heaven

History, mystery,

Legend or lore,

Tale is told of a man from Yore.

 

Job was his name,

He had the wealth that would put Mr. Gates to shame,

Not a bit proud was he,

Grounded to the earth man was he,

He was the greatest man in east,

But at his tables the beggars enjoyed the feast.

 

He had wealth that was way beyond peoples’ health,

And his health surpassed most peoples’ wealth,

But it was not these that he relied;

For faith and family were his greatest assets,

But what good is faith if it is not tested in the fire of fate?

 

The almighty with him was pleased,

For his faith surpassed his wealth,

For his faith surpassed his health.

Then from the legions of almighty,

THE one among many did arise;

The opposer, the challenger, the

Shaitan did rise.  

 

Shaitan;

“O, mighty one, you need not be with Job pleased,

His prayers are just for you to appease.

If for a day, him you would not bless,

He would pray to you a lot less.

Sham is his faith,

For he hasn’t been burnt by fate,

Deliver him in my power for a while

And I will expose that vile.”.

 

God’s wisdom and knowledge was put to test,

It was necessary to put the matter to rest, 

He who sits on the highest of all thrones commanded thus;

“Shaitan, you are free to torment Job as you please,

But his soul from his body shall you not release!

Do to him, all that you will,

But, him shall you not kill.

Then when all of this is done,

 for eons let the tale of Job be told…. 

Who withstood all sufferings, yet loved me alone.”.

Shaitan,

“I will set upon him my malice free,

And attack him with torments three.”

 

Torment 1: Gone is your wealth

Robbers from east,

Raiders   from west,

Stole his cattle,

Fires from heaven burned his sheep,

Butchered were his servants,

Killed were his men,

Gone was all his wealth.

 

Torment 2: Gone is your family

Winds from hell,

Turned towards the house, where your children were feasting well,

The house on them did fell,

Saved was my beloved head,

But all your ten children are dead,

The saved servant did tell.

In a jiffy,

Gone was his entire family.

           

Torment 3: Gone is your health

He tore his robe,

Tore his last strand of hair,

And bare before the lord he lay.  

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,

And naked I will return there.

The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away.

May the name of the Lord be blessed!”

Though everything he had,

He had lost, yet he did not sin,

Not a word,

Against the almighty from his mouth be heard,

The Shaitan was getting impatient, for he expected by now to win,

He sent plagues to pound Job’s bone and flesh,

He suffered from ulcers from head to toe.

Then with these parting words his left his beloved wife;

“To your God be woe,

Your body is a huge sore,

Curse him and end your miserable life.”

Though the fate with its cruellest dagger at him had lunge,

But from his faith this man did not budge,

Though in pain he found it hard even to stutter,

Not a single word against almighty did he utter;

“He had given and he has taken it away.”

He cursed the day he was born,

But not the one who had created it.

 

Accusers three

In the name of comforting thee,

Came his old friends three,

And though they all acted wise,

They were hypocrites in disguise;

They asked him to;

Repent for the sins, he had never done,

Accused him of crimes he had never committed,

Though in their hearts they may have wished him well,

But in their minds Satan did dwell,

For they had committed his favourite sin;

Vanity, Vanity, Vanity!!

In their hearts they were comforting him,

But with their tongues they just hissed:

“You are unjust you are vile!

We have been good all the while,

God indeed does you hate,

And you deserve your fate!!”

 

Job tried to justify;

Before them in his innocence,

He did cry,

But bewitched was their sense,

Their empathy and sympathy had run dry,

And so the three who had come to comfort thee,

Unknowingly, became the greatest accusers of thee.

 `

His wisdom, not my strength

He cried, he pleaded,

He challenged;

Not the power of the almighty,

But “why him? Why him? Why him?!

He questioned almighty’s plan and design for him,

He questioned almighty’s justice.

 

His lamentations reached heaven,

The almighty couldn’t any more Job’s pain take,

For indeed a father’s heart at Job’s condition ache,

And,

Then there was a storm,

Unlike the one that had swallowed his children whole,

Though the land was all wet, his heartfelt warm,

Coz it was the Lord speaking through the storm.

 

The lord spoke not like a mother,

Who would grant his child all the world’s care,

But like a father whose heart for his child did pain,

But none visible to his child,

For today; Job in humility and futility he had to train.

 

God questioned Job’s knowledge, his wisdom and his power,

And then there he lay with no answers before the divine one,

The almighty asked him the last question;

 

When he couldn’t answer the simpler questions like;

Where is the way to the home of light?

And where does darkness dwell?

Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?

And;

If he had no power to set the limits of oceans

or command over the thunder and rain,

How could he then question the God’s plan?

How could he question his sense of justice then?   

 

He then lay prostrated there,

And as he beat his chest bare,

He cried in bitter tears;

He had the served the Lord all these years,

His prayers had been heard for years,

But when there came upon him fear,

He questioned his maker.

 

There as he cried like the firstborn,

Calmed was the storm,

Yet there was almighty in a glorious sunrise,

And then when he lifted his head,

Gone were all his ailments,

His flesh was healed,

His pain all gone,

His accusers stood there ashamed,

For him, had almighty blessed.

He wasn’t a condemned sinner who was cut off from the vine of life,

But just stood there,

A just man pruned.

 

His stature grew like never before;

He became richest in wealth,

He became supreme in health,

He was blessed with so much more….

And all this was not because;

He had been steadfast in his faith,

He had withstood tempest’s test,

He had helped the poor,

To the needy, was open his door,

But,

Because almighty in his wisdom knew,

What he deserved and when to give it to him.

 

Moral

So,

Next time, when from your trials you are weary,

And begin to wonder is this your righteousness’ cost,

Remember the Job story;

No good deed is ever lost,

The wage of your faith is not death.

Just feel the pain, experience  the loss,

Rely on the almighty’s wisdom,

For if in his wisdom, you are to rise,

Then like a phoenix from ashes will you arise.

                                                                                                              -Published originally in the ebook:

Beyond Black & White: Collection of poems, articles, and short stories to which everyone out there can relate to

  * The poem is a work inspired by the book of Tobit, the poet does not claim that the poem is historically or biblically accurate. The poet while exercising creative liberty has made a sincere effort to protect the intent and content of the book any inconsistency or inaccuracy is highly regretted. The readers are encouraged to read the book of Tobit for a better understanding of the scripture.