Strive to Support and Encourage Your Spouse
We don’t know the name of Job’s wife. She’s a minor character in the Bible’s account of his life, so we could view her name as unimportant.
Through no fault of Job, Satan attacks him, wiping away his wealth and killing all his children. Next, Satan afflicts Job’s health, leaving him in agony. The suffering man wishes he were dead, that he’d never been born.
All Job has left is his life, four unsupportive friends, and a wife who harasses him.
As Job struggles to maintain his faith in God and hold on to his righteousness, Job’s wife could choose to support him. She should encourage him. Instead, she turns on him. She ridicules his integrity and suggests he just curse God so he can die.
A supportive wife she is not. Her reaction to his pain suggests apathy toward him, even disdain.
At a time when Job seeks comfort and encouragement from those around him, his wife lets him down. She could have—she should have—encouraged him to stand firm in his faith, to not waver or doubt.
She doesn’t. Instead, she urges him to give up and die.
Despite this, Job doesn’t waver. He calls her foolish and does not sin. God spares Job and restores what Satan took from him.
Do we encourage those closest to us when they go through tough times, or do we make things even harder for them?
How can we better support those who struggle?
[Read about Job’s wife in Job 2:9–10. Discover more about a good wife in Genesis 2:18 and Proverbs 31:10–31.]
Learn about 100 more biblical characters in More Old Testament Sinners and Saints, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover. Get your copy today.
More Old Testament Sinners and Saints is part of the Bible Character Sketches series.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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