He sat on the ground, his body covered from head to foot with painful boils, or ulcers. Picture him, his head bowed, shoulders slumped, alone, barely able to summon the energy to shoo away the flies that buzzed around him. Sitting amid ashes to signify his mourning, he could only scrape his diseased skin with a shard of pottery. He had lost so much, had fallen so far! His friends, neighbors, and relatives had abandoned him. People, even children, mocked him. He thought that his God, Jehovah, had turned against him as well, but he was wrong about that.—Job 2:8; 19:18, 22.

This was Job. God said of him: “There is no one like him on the earth.” (Job 1:8) Centuries later, Jehovah still thought of Job as outstanding among men of righteousness.—Ezekiel 14:14, 20.

Do you face hardship and misfortune? Job’s story can bring you great comfort. It can also give you insight into a quality that every faithful servant of God needs—integrity. Humans show integrity when they are so completely devoted to God that they continue to do his will even in the face of hardship. Let Job teach us more.

What Job Did Not Know

There is reason to believe that some time after Job died, the faithful man Moses wrote down the story of Job’s life. Under divine inspiration, Moses was able to reveal not only the events on earth that affected Job but also some events that unfolded in heaven.

At the beginning of the account, we find Job leading a full and happy life. He was prosperous, a man well-known and respected in the land of Uz—possibly in northern Arabia. He shared freely with those in need and championed the cause of the helpless. Job and his wife were blessed with ten children. Above all, Job was a spiritual man. He eagerly sought to please Jehovah, much as his distant relatives Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph had done. Like such patriarchs, Job acted as a priest for his family, regularly offering up sacrifices in behalf of his children.—Job 1:1-5; 31:16-22.

Suddenly, though, the scene shifts in Job’s story. We get a glimpse into heaven, and we learn things that Job could not have known. Jehovah’s faithful angels were gathered before God, and the rebel angel Satan entered. Jehovah knew that Satan despised the righteous man Job, so God addressed Satan, pointing out Job’s outstanding integrity. Satan boldly replied: “Is it for nothing that Job has feared God? Have you not put up a protective hedge around him and his house and everything he has?” Satan hates people of integrity. When they show such wholehearted devotion to Jehovah God, they expose Satan for the loveless traitor that he is. So Satan insisted that Job served God only for selfish reasons. If Job were to lose everything, Satan asserted, the man would curse Jehovah to his face!—Job 1:6-11.

Job could not know it, but Jehovah had entrusted him with a great privilege: Prove Satan wrong. Satan was allowed to rob Job of all that he had. Only the man himself he was not to touch. So Satan eagerly set about his sadistic work. In a single day, a series of terrible blows rained down on Job. He learned that his livestock—first his cattle and donkeys, then his sheep, and then his camels—were suddenly wiped out. Worse, the servants who tended them were killed. In the case of one group, the cause was reported to Job as “fire from God”—possibly lightning. Before Job could even contemplate the loss of human lives or the poverty he now faced, the heaviest blow landed. His ten children were gathered together in the home of the oldest when a sudden windstorm struck the house, destroying it and killing them all!—Job 1:12-19.

It is hard, perhaps impossible, to imagine how Job felt. He ripped apart his clothes, cut off his hair, and collapsed to the ground. Job concluded that God had given to him and God had taken from him. Indeed, Satan had cleverly made it look as if God had sent those disasters. Nonetheless, Job did not curse his God as Satan had predicted. Rather, Job said: “Let the name of Jehovah continue to be praised.”—Job 1:20-22.

“He Will Surely Curse You”

Infuriated, Satan refused to quit. He again came before Jehovah during a gathering of angels. Again Jehovah praised Job’s integrity, which was holding up under all of Satan’s attacks. Satan retorted: “Skin for skin. A man will give everything that he has for his life. But, for a change, stretch out your hand and strike his bone and flesh, and he will surely curse you to your very face.” Satan was certain that if Job got sick enough, he would curse God. Fully trusting Job, Jehovah allowed Satan to take away his health—as long as Satan did not kill Job.—Job 2:1-6.

Soon, Job was stricken as described at the outset. Imagine his poor wife. Already shattered with grief over the loss of her ten children, she now had to watch, helpless, as her husband suffered horribly! Agonized, she cried out: “Are you still holding firmly to your integrity? Curse God and die!” She did not sound like the wife that Job knew and loved. He could only say that she was talking like one who had lost her senses. Still, he refused to curse his God. He uttered no sinful speech.—Job 2:7-10.

Did you know that this sad, true story affects you personally? Notice that Satan aimed his venomous charge not only against Job but against mankind in general. He said: “A man will give everything that he has for his life.” In other words, Satan believes that integrity is beyond each of us! He insists that you have no real love for God, that you would quickly abandon God to save your own skin. In effect, Satan says that you are as selfish as he is! Would you like to prove him wrong? Each of us has that privilege. (Proverbs 27:11) Let us now see what challenge Job faced next.

The Comforters Who Failed

Three men who knew Job—the record describes them as companions, or acquaintances—heard of his troubles and traveled to visit him and offer comfort. When they saw him from a distance, he was unrecognizable. Racked with pain, his skin blackened with disease, he was barely a shadow of his former self. The three men—Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar—put on a great show of grief, wailing loudly and throwing dust on their heads. Then they sat on the ground near Job and said nothing. For a full week they sat there, day and night, uttering not a word. We should not mistake their silence for comfort, for they asked the man no questions and learned only what was obvious—Job was in great pain.—Job 2:11-13; 30:30.

Finally, Job had to begin the conversation himself. In words drenched with pain, he cursed the day he was born. And he revealed a deep cause of his agony. He thought that God was the source of his troubles! (Job 3:1, 2, 23) Though still a man of faith, Job desperately needed comfort. But when those acquaintances began to speak, Job soon realized that their silence was better.—Job 13:5.

Eliphaz, possibly the eldest and much older than Job, began. In time, the other two followed suit. In general, we might say that they sheepishly followed the lead of Eliphaz. Some of what those men said might have seemed harmless, as they spouted spiritual-sounding platitudes about God being lofty, punishing bad people, and rewarding the good. From the first, though, there was an undercurrent of unkindness. Eliphaz used simplistic logic to suggest that if God is good and he punishes the bad, and Job was clearly being punished, then what must be true? Must not Job himself be bad in some way?—Job 4:1, 7, 8; 5:3-6.

Not surprisingly, Job did not take well to that line of reasoning. He rejected it forcefully. (Job 6:25) But the three counselors became ever more convinced that Job was guilty of some hidden wrongdoing; he must somehow deserve all the bad things happening to him. Eliphaz accused Job of being presumptuous, wicked, and devoid of godly fear. (Job 15:4, 7-9, 20-24; 22:6-11) Zophar told Job to put away his evil and his enjoyment of sin. (Job 11:2, 3, 14; 20:5, 12, 13) And Bildad struck a particularly cruel blow. He suggested that Job’s sons must have sinned in some way, so they deserved to die as they did!—Job 8:4, 13.

Integrity Under Attack!

Those misguided men did something even worse. They actually cast doubt on not only Job’s integrity but the very idea of integrity! In his opening speech, Eliphaz described an eerie encounter with an unseen spirit. The conclusion that Eliphaz drew from that demonic experience was poisonous: God “has no faith in his servants, and he finds fault with his angels.” By that reasoning, mere humans can never please God! Later, Bildad claimed that Job’s integrity would not matter to God—any more than would that of a maggot!—Job 4:12-18; 15:15; 22:2, 3; 25:4-6.

Have you ever tried to comfort someone in the throes of great pain? It is not easy. But we can learn a great deal from Job’s misguided acquaintances—mostly about what not to say. In their endless flow of high-sounding words and faulty logic, those three men never even addressed Job by name! They gave no thought to Job’s wounded heart and saw no need to treat him gently.a So if someone you care about is feeling low, try to remain warm, personal, and kind. Seek to build up the person’s faith and courage, helping that one to trust in God and to believe in His great kindness, mercy, and justice. That is what Job would have done for his companions had he been in their place. (Job 16:4, 5) How, though, did he react to their persistent attacks on his integrity?

Job Stood Firm

Poor Job was already in a state of despair when this long debate began. From the outset, he admitted that his words sometimes amounted to “wild talk” and “a desperate man’s sayings.” (Job 6:3, 26) We can understand why. His words reflected the agony of his heart. They also reflected his limited perspective. Because the tragedies that befell him and his family came so suddenly and even appeared to be supernatural, Job assumed that Jehovah was the cause. There were important events of which Job knew nothing, so he rested some of his reasoning on faulty assumptions.

However, Job was a man of deep, strong faith. His faith came through in much of what he said in that long debate—words that are true, beautiful, and encouraging to us today. When he spoke of the marvels of creation, he glorified God in ways that no human could without God’s help. For instance, he said that Jehovah is “suspending the earth upon nothing,” a statement many centuries in advance of scientific knowledge.b (Job 26:7) And when Job spoke of his own hope for the future, he expressed a confidence that other men of great faith have held as well. Job believed that if death should take him, God would remember him, would miss him, and would eventually restore him to life.—Job 14:13-15; Hebrews 11:17-19, 35.

What, though, about the issue of integrity? Eliphaz and his two friends insisted that a man’s integrity makes no difference to God. Did Job swallow that vile teaching? Far from it! Job asserted that integrity matters to God. He said confidently of Jehovah: “He will recognize my integrity.” (Job 31:6) Further, Job saw clearly that the false reasoning of his would-be comforters amounted to an attack on his integrity. It stirred Job to make his longest speech, one that finally closed the mouths of those three men.

Job saw that his integrity involved his everyday life. So he defended the way he lived and acted. For example, he avoided all forms of idolatry; he treated others with kindness and dignity; he kept morally clean, cherishing his marriage; and above all, he remained loyally devoted to the only true God, Jehovah. Thus Job was able to say with his whole heart: “Until I die, I will not renounce my integrity!”—Job 27:5; 31:1, 2, 9-11, 16-18, 26-28.

Imitate the Faith of Job

Do you share Job’s view of integrity? It is an easy word to use, but Job saw that integrity is much more than a matter of words. We show our complete, wholehearted devotion to God by obeying him and doing what is right in his eyes in our everyday life—even when facing hardship. If we live in that way, we will surely make Jehovah happy and frustrate his enemy, Satan, just as Job did so long ago. There is no better way to imitate the faith of Job!

Still, Job’s story was far from over. He was out of balance, so caught up in defending his own righteousness that he forgot about standing up for his God. He needed correction and spiritual help. And he was still suffering from profound pain and grief, in dire need of genuine comfort. What would Jehovah do for this man of faith and integrity? Another article in this series will address those questions.

At last, the small group of men fell silent. Perhaps the only sound left was the whisper of a warm wind from the Arabian desert. Job had run out of words, exhausted after a long debate. Picture him glaring at his three acquaintances, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar—almost daring them to continue. But they could only look down or away, frustrated that their clever arguments, their “blustery” words, and their hurtful insinuations had failed. (Job 16:3, footnote) If anything, Job was more determined than ever to defend his integrity.

Job may have felt that integrity was all he had left. He had lost his wealth, all ten of his children, the support and respect of his friends and neighbors, and finally his own health. His skin was blackened with disease, encrusted with scabs, crawling with maggots. Even his breath was foul. (Job 7:5; 19:17; 30:30) Yet, the attacks of those three men had stirred up in Job a fierce indignation. He was bent on proving that he was not the corrupt sinner they said he was. Job’s final speech had just silenced them. Their torrent of cruel words had finally run dry. However, Job’s pain remained. He still needed help—desperately!

Job’s thinking, understandably, was out of balance. He needed guidance and correction. He also needed genuine consolation and comfort, the very things that his three acquaintances should have provided but did not. Have you ever felt in dire need of guidance and comfort? Have you ever been let down by people you thought were your friends? Learning how Jehovah God helped his servant Job and how Job responded may fill you with hope and give you practical help.

A Wise and Kind Counselor

The account of Job next reveals a surprise. There was another person nearby, a younger man named Elihu. He had been there all along, silently listening to the older men debating. And he was not at all happy with what he had heard.

Elihu was upset with Job. It pained him to see righteous Job allow himself to be goaded into “trying to prove himself right rather than God.” Yet, Elihu truly felt empathy for Job—he could see the man’s pain, his sincerity, and his desperate need for kind counsel and comfort. No wonder Elihu ran out of patience with the three false comforters! He had heard them attacking Job, trying to undermine his faith, his dignity, and his integrity. Worse still, their twisted words declared God himself wicked. Elihu was fairly bursting with the urge to speak!—Job 32:2-4, 18.

“I am young,” he said, “and you men are aged. So I respectfully held back, and I dared not tell you what I know.” But he could no longer keep silent. He went on: “Age alone does not make one wise, nor is it only old men who understand what is right.” (Job 32:6, 9) Elihu then spoke at length, proving those words true. He took a very different approach from that of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Elihu reassured Job that he would not talk down to him or add to his pressures. He also dignified Job, addressing him by name and acknowledging that he had been treated with derision.a Respectfully, he said: “Now, Job, please hear my words.”—Job 33:1, 7; 34:7.

Elihu offered Job some frank counsel: “You said in my hearing, . . . ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am clean, without error. But God finds reasons to oppose me.’” Elihu went right to the heart of the problem, asking: “Are you so convinced that you are right that you would say, ‘I am more righteous than God’?” He could not allow such reasoning to pass. “You are not right in saying this,” the young man said. (Job 33:8-12; 35:2) Elihu knew that Job was filled with anger over his terrible losses and his mistreatment at the hands of his false friends. But Elihu cautioned Job: “Take care that rage does not lead you into spitefulness.”—Job 36:18.

Elihu Highlights Jehovah’s Kindness

Above all, Elihu spoke in defense of Jehovah God. Powerfully he summarized a profound truth: “It is unthinkable for the true God to act wickedly, for the Almighty to do wrong! . . . The Almighty does not pervert justice.” (Job 34:10, 12) As an example of Jehovah’s merciful justice, Elihu reminded Job that Jehovah had not stepped in and punished Job for uttering rash and disrespectful words. (Job 35:13-15) And rather than pretending to have all the answers, Elihu humbly acknowledged: “God is greater than we can know.”—Job 36:26.

Though his counsel was frank, Elihu remained kind. He spoke of a wonderful hope, that Jehovah would one day restore Job’s health. God would say of his loyal servant: “Let his flesh become fresher than in youth; let him return to the days of his youthful vigor.” Another instance of Elihu’s kindness: Instead of simply lecturing Job, he kindly invited Job to speak, to answer him. “Speak,” he said, “for I want to prove you right.” (Job 33:25, 32) But Job did not answer. Perhaps he felt no need to defend himself against such kind, encouraging counsel. Perhaps he wept in relief.

We can learn a great deal from both of these faithful men. From Elihu we learn how to counsel and comfort those in need. A true friend will not hold back from pointing out a serious fault or a dangerous course of action. (Proverbs 27:6) We want to be a friend like that, remaining kind and encouraging to those in need, even when they speak rashly. And when we ourselves are in need of such counsel, Job’s example may remind us to listen humbly to counsel instead of dismissing it. All of us need counsel and correction. Accepting it can save our life.—Proverbs 4:13.

“Out of the Windstorm”

As Elihu spoke, he often mentioned wind, clouds, thunder, and lightning. He said of Jehovah: “Listen carefully to the rumbling of his voice.” Moments later Elihu referred to a “storm wind.” (Job 37:2, 9) It seems that as he spoke, a storm was brewing, growing steadily more intense. Finally, it was an all-out windstorm. And then something far more dramatic happened. Jehovah spoke!—Job 38:1.

When reading the book of Job, it is a wonderful relief to come to these marvelous chapters containing Jehovah’s speech to Job. It is as if a windstorm of truth were blowing away all the empty speeches, all the false words of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Jehovah did not even address those men until later. His focus was on Job alone; he firmly addressed his beloved servant as a father would correct a son.

Jehovah knew Job’s pain. And he felt pity for the man, as he always does when his beloved children suffer. (Isaiah 63:9; Zechariah 2:8) But he knew, too, that Job had been “speaking without knowledge,” making his own problems worse. So Jehovah corrected Job by questioning him extensively. “Where were you,” he began, “when I founded the earth? Tell me, if you think you understand.” At the dawn of creation, “the morning stars,” God’s family of angels, shouted in applause over the wonders of creation. (Job 38:2, 4, 7) Job, of course, knew nothing of this.

Jehovah went on to speak of his creative works. In a sense, he gave Job a brief tour of what humans today might call the natural sciences, touching on such subjects as astronomy, biology, geology, and physics. In particular, Jehovah described a number of animals then found in Job’s part of the world—the lion, the raven, the mountain goat, the wild donkey, the wild bull, the ostrich, the horse, the falcon, the eagle, Behemoth (evidently the hippopotamus), and finally Leviathan (likely the crocodile). Imagine the privilege of attending a lecture about the natural world delivered by the Creator of the universe!b

Teaching About Humility and Love

What was the point of all of this? Job urgently needed a dose of humility. By complaining of what he thought was mistreatment at Jehovah’s hand, Job was only increasing his own pain, distancing himself from his loving Father. So Jehovah asked again and again where Job was when such marvels came into existence and whether Job could feed, control, or tame the creatures He had made. If Job could not master even the basic elements of Jehovah’s creation, how could he presume to judge the Creator? Were not Jehovah’s ways and thoughts far beyond the scope of Job’s limited view?

In all that Jehovah said, there was also a strong undercurrent of love. It is as though Jehovah were reasoning with Job: ‘My son, if I can create and care for all these things, do you really think that I will fail to care for you? Would I really abandon you, rob you of your children, your security, your health? Am I not the only One who can restore your losses and heal your terrible pain?’

Job spoke only twice in answer to Jehovah’s probing questions. He did not argue, justify himself, or make excuses. He humbly acknowledged how little he really knew, and he repented of his rash words. (Job 40:4, 5; 42:1-6) Here we see Job’s faith in the finest light. After all that he had endured, he remained a man of great faith. He accepted Jehovah’s correction and took it to heart. We may thus be moved to ask ourselves a probing question, ‘Am I humble enough to accept correction and counsel?’ We all need such help. When we accept it, we are imitating the faith of Job.

“You Have Not Spoken the Truth About Me”

Jehovah now took action to comfort Job in his pain. Addressing Eliphaz, evidently the eldest of the three false comforters, Jehovah said: “My anger burns against you and your two companions, for you have not spoken the truth about me as my servant Job has.” (Job 42:7) Think about those words. Was Jehovah saying that everything those three men had said was false or that every word that Job had uttered was correct? Of course not.c However, there was a vast difference between Job and his accusers. Job was brokenhearted, racked with grief, and stung by false accusations. Thus, it is understandable that he would speak rashly at times. However, Eliphaz and his two friends did not bear such burdens. Weak in their own faith, they spoke deliberately and arrogantly. Not only did they attack an innocent man, but worse, they misrepresented Jehovah himself, in effect painting him as a harsh, even wicked, God!

Little wonder, then, that Jehovah demanded a price from those men. They had to sacrifice seven bulls and seven rams—no small matter, for the bull was later designated in the Mosaic Law as the sacrifice that the high priest would have to offer if his sin brought guilt on the whole nation. (Leviticus 4:3) It was the costliest of the animals offered as a sacrifice under that Law. What is more, Jehovah said that he would accept the offering of Job’s accusers only if Job first prayed in their behalf.d (Job 42:8) How it must have soothed Job’s heart to be vindicated by his God and see Jehovah’s justice prevail!

Jehovah was confident that Job would do as he asked him to, forgiving those men who had hurt him so deeply. And Job did not disappoint his Father. (Job 42:9) His obedience was the greatest proof of his integrity, far more powerful than words. And it paved the way for the greatest blessings of Job’s life.

“Very Tender in Affection”

Jehovah was “very tender in affection and merciful” with Job. (James 5:11) How so? Jehovah restored Job to health. Imagine how Job felt when he realized that his flesh had, indeed, become “fresher than in youth” as Elihu had foretold! His family and friends rallied around him at last, extending sympathy and gifts. Jehovah restored Job’s wealth, giving him twice the possessions he had before. And what of the deepest of wounds—the loss of his children? Job and his wife found a measure of comfort in becoming parents to ten more children! And Jehovah miraculously extended Job’s life. Job lived for 140 more years, long enough to see four generations of his descendants thriving. “Finally,” we read, “Job died, after a long and satisfying life.” (Job 42:10-17) And in Paradise, Job and his dear wife will be reunited with their family, including the ten children Satan took from them.—John 5:28, 29.

Why did Jehovah reward Job so richly? The Bible answers: “You have heard of the endurance of Job.” (James 5:11) Job endured more hardships than most of us can even imagine. The word “endurance” tells us that Job did more than just survive those trials. He endured with his faith and his love for Jehovah intact. Rather than turning hard and bitter, he remained willing to forgive even those who had deliberately hurt him. And he never let go of his precious hope or his own prized possession, his integrity.—Job 27:5.

Each of us needs to endure. We can be sure that Satan will try to discourage us as he did Job. But if we endure in faith, remaining humble, willing to forgive others, and determined to protect our integrity, we too may hold on to our precious hope. (Hebrews 10:36) Nothing would frustrate Satan more or delight the loving heart of Jehovah more than if we were to imitate the faith of Job!