The Lord Gives and Takes Away

Stories of material success are often presented as the outcome of human cleverness, skill, and enterprise. At the same time, the less materially successful often are blamed or blame themselves for their lack of these human qualities and talents which are believed to produce material success. Arising out of these perspectives are usually boasting on one hand and scorn on the other hand. Without ignoring the importance of the virtues of human cleverness, skill, and enterprise in life here on earth, we must admit that the life's stories of men and women indicate material success is not consistently related to these admirable human qualities. There are many occasions when this sort of human philosophy does not explain earthly success and failure.


The dramatic account of Job's historic experience recorded in the Bible should convince us we should lay no personal claim on the material things of this life. Job was an icon of material success in his era. According to the Bible his material possessions were vast. The account boasts, "his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East" (Job 1:3). In addition, Job's character and reputation were impeccable. The Bible describes him as a man who "was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil" (Job 1:1).

Yet with immense wealth for possession and an underlying human character capable of rightly holding on to his vast wealth, Job lost everything in one day. Disaster and misfortune suddenly struck and plunged Job immediately into dire poverty.

This was an unusual catastrophe that had happened to a hardworking godly man. Like it would be today, many in Job's day would have produced their explanations for Job's sudden misfortune. And certainly not missing in the case of this obviously unexplainable disaster would be the spiritualistic speculation that some 'powerful' curse cast by an envious neighbour had struck this good man.

But we thank God the Bible did not leave us to speculate the true cause behind Job's sudden calamity. According to the Bible's account, the devil in an attempt to destroy Job had found that God had placed around Job a hedge which effectively prevented the devil or anyone else from destroying Job and his possessions. The devil approached God and accused Job of maintaining a godly life only because of the vast wealth God had given Job. He proposed that if God would take away the hedge He had placed around Job to allow him to destroy Job's possessions, Job would blaspheme against God. And so, God, being confident of Job's unconditional integrity and faithfulness, took up the challenge. He shifted the hedge around Job to allow the devil limited access to Job. The devil quickly took the opportunity and in one day unleashed extensive havoc on Job's property resulting in total destruction of all Job's possession and the death of his seven sons and three daughters.

What is of significant interest to us in this dramatic account is Job's keen spiritual insight in the midst of his adversity of the actual source of the wealth he had amassed and the calamity that had befallen him. The Bible tells us Job worshipping God declared: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21).

This mindset displayed by Job in the midst of such personal disaster confounds all human philosophy of prosperity and calamity. Where can we fit there the principle of positive thoughts and actions for achieving material prosperity or preventing adversity? To Job, his prosperity was not the achievement of man nor was his present calamity the curse of enemies. His deep spiritual insight into what was happening to him excluded wicked men and demons. He saw only God.

Job saw God in his prosperity and God in his calamity. Yet God remained to him one who is consistently good in all He does. "In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong" (Job 1:22).

This is the amazing essence of the Christian faith in relation to earthly prosperity and calamity. God gives and God takes away and in either way He remains blessed forever in the hearts of those who trust Him. The Christian's lot is maintained by God and is not left to the manipulations of men or devils. David affirms in Psalms 125:3: "For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity."

"The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; Blessed be the name of the Lord!"