The Book of Job - the fall and rise of the righteous and richest man in the world

As humans - we place a lot of emphasis on material wealth, and rightly so, if you are rich, you can afford better food, better neighborhoods, homes, you can sleep at night better, you don't need to worry about your next meal or pay check etc.. but being rich can cause you to be less dependent on God, less respectful of Him, you're pretty self-sufficient... who needs him? etc..

This is the eternal question - whether we love God because he is a freebie ATM machine, a Golden Goose - or because of His majesty, His Holiness and because He is our creator etc.. Subtle difference... not one to be resolved internally in a bible study.

This question was put to Job, a righteous rich man whose story is accounted in the Bible.

God loved him and blessed him. He was very wealthy according to the standards of the time.

8 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."

There are some Christians who subscribe to the belief - that God will always reward the faithful in material ways. The good will be blessed - with wealth and health. The people that do wrong will get punished. Unfortunately, this creates a rather shallow faith. One that is dependent on good times. The minute bad things happen - how do they rationalize it? How do they cope?

Unfortunately bad things do happen to good people. Christians do get persecuted for their faith. Even good Christians get destroyed by natural calamities. Bad things do happen to good people.

One would like to think - this is a rare occurance. But in many parts of this world- esp. in the Third World - many people suffer for their faith, for doing good.

There is absolutely NO easy answer - as evidenced in the dialogue in the Book of Job. And anyone who attempts it- risks a scolding from God.

One has to accept that the World is a fallen place - the only thing for us to do is to do good no matter the outcome. Holiness cannot be dependent on external earthly factors.