By Mike Dawson
Pastor Emeritus, First Baptist Church, Columbia
Focal Passage: Job 42:1-11
You may have heard about the little boy who stood with his dad outside the window of a pet store. His dad had promised a new puppy, and the son was now selecting one. Several pups vied for attention; one of them was not the cutest, but was excitedly wagging his tail. “That’s the one I want,” the boy said, “The one with the happy ending!”
Everyone likes a ‘happy ending,’ especially when the villains get their comeuppance and the admired hero gets to live happily ever after. That kind of ending is found in today’s study from the book of Job, chapter 42.
This is not fiction or fairy tale. It’s the true-life story of Job, who went from riches to rags — to riches again. The story of a man who endured pain, suffering, loss and grief, and whose so-called friends turned against him and slandered him. [Read more…]