No One on Earth Like Him

"Then the LORD said to Satan, 'Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil'" (Job 1:8, NIV).

What an awesome compliment from the only one who could know such information: God himself.

Job was a special man. He loved the Lord and his family. Although a man of great wealth and influence in his society, he never became corrupted by greed, power, or selfishness. In fact, reflecting on his past, Job said,

"Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,
when God's intimate friendship blessed my house...
When I went to the gate of the city
and took my seat in the public square,
the young men saw me and stepped aside
and the old men rose to their feet;
the chief men refrained from speaking
and covered their mouths with their hands;
the voices of the nobles were hushed,
and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.

Whoever heard me spoke well of me,
and those who saw me commended me,
because I rescued the poor who cried for help,
and the fatherless who had none to assist him.
The man who was dying blessed me;
I made the widow's heart sing.
I put on righteousness as my clothing;
justice was my robe and my turban.
I was eyes to the blind
and feet to the lame.
I was a father to the needy;
I took up the case of the stranger.
I broke the fangs of the wicked
and snatched the victims from their teeth" (Job 29:4, 7-17, NIV).

Job used his wealth, his influence, and his gifts in order to benefit the poor, the orphans, the widows, the disabled, the immigrants, and victims of injustice. He became a model of the kind of righteousness that comes from "God's intimate friendship" (Job 29:4, NIV). He became a source of inspiration and encouragement for the people of God who would come after him.