MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS

Very little is said of Job’s wife and daughters, but we get glimpses that reveal their hearts through the actions we see. We perceive a lack of faith in Job’s wife and a lack of dedication in Job’s first daughters. The second set of daughters seems to be much better—indicating they had better training.

Initially Job wife had borne him seven sons and three daughters (Job 1:2). No doubt she had plenty of help to take care of these children, because her husband had a great household (indicates numbers of servants) and great possessions of land and cattle.  He was the “greatest of all the men in the east” (Job 1:3).

We don’t actually get much indication of the relationship between Job and his wife except during his suffering, when she told him to curse God and die. Terrible affliction came to them both (Job 1:13-19).  They lost things. They lost children. Job’s wife was there to watch as he suffered such harsh personal affliction and no doubt was the one to care for him during this time (Job 2:7-8). Considering her own suffering added to the physical suffering of the one she must have loved, she had a heavy burden to bear. Nevertheless she spoke foolishly and Job rebuked her (Job 2:9).

If there were no such thing as life after death, cursing God and dying in order to avoid suffering might have been the answer.  Did Job’s wife understand the eternal resurrection?  Did she understand eternal life? All we can know is that at this point she became an accomplice to Satan himself in causing her husband to be tempted to do wrong. There could be no higher treason than to curse God (1 Kings 21:10). In essence, she was asking her husband to sell his soul for physical relief, thus becoming an accomplice to Satan in Job’s great temptation.

There may be many ways that wives influence their husbands to “sell out” to Satan.  In Genesis 2:20-24, we learn that woman was created to be helpmeet to her husband.  Her affectionate heart, mild disposition, and a sensitive love would normally be a great comfort, but wrong counsel causes temptation and grief.  Wives can be a helpmeet for good or they can cause great discouragement and temptation to sin.  Did Job’s wife accept the rebuke?  We must assume she did since she was later used to give him ten more children, better than the first.

So what were the first daughters like?  The only indication we have of their focus in life was when they went along with the birthday parties held in each of their brothers’ homes.  Obviously they were not married yet and had a gracious amount of free time.  How did their father respond to their continual partying? He did not participate with them, but “… when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons (sounds like all of them—sons and daughters) have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually (Job 1:5).

After Job’s affliction, he was blessed with twice as much possessions as he had before (Job 42:10), and another set of children.  Even though Job’s wife is never mentioned again, we can assume she was the one to bear and train these new children. Job’s sons are not named, but his daughters are named Jemimah, Keziah and Keren Happuch.  By comparison, “in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren” (Job 42:15).

The scriptures do not tell us why Job’s wife is not mentioned again, but we can be sure that the Lord rewards faithfulness (Job 1:2-3; Job 42:12-14). Under the New Testament covenant we see a promise of the reward (Mark 10:28-30).  Job’s wife and daughters were rewarded for whatever goodness they had and for whatever ways they obeyed the Lord.

—Beth Johnson