Job 1-2 & 2 Samuel 19-21

In my daily Bible reading, it's poetry day. Job was the richest man around and feared God and shunned evil. He had tons of animals, and 7 sons and 3 daughters. One day, all the angels were having a meeting with God, and Satan showed up (probably looking like a sulky dog). God raised a brow and said, "Where have you come from?"
"From roaming through the earth and going back in forth in it."
An angel sniffed and whispered to another, "Sounds boring."
But God can't resist the urge to brag on his children:P He says, "While in your wanderings, did you see my servant Job? There's no one on earth like him." Whoa! Wouldn't it be awesome if God said that about you? "He is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."

Satan scoffed. "Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not protected him and his household? You have blessed him with flocks and herds. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face."

God shrugged. "Very well, everything he has is in your hands, but don't harm the man himself."
I thought then about when bad things happen to us. Is it Satan or God? God does allow bad things to happen to us, and it doesn't mean he's angry with us or forgotten about us - he knows everything that goes on and why!

So Satan killed all the servants and flocks and herds and children with enemies and bad weather. But right after he found out about all this, Job praised the Lord! Wait - he WHAT??? He praised the Lord? When all this bad stuff happened to him? Yep! He praised Him in the storm!

So on the next angel meeting, Satan showed up again, and God said, "Job still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason." Hey, did you hear that? "You incited ME against him". Interesting.

Satan said, "Well, a man will do anything for his own life. But if you strike him, he will surely curse you to your face."

"Very well," God said, with a little smile. So Job was afflicted with painful sores from head to toe. His wife said, "curse God and die!" but Job said, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" So Job is still keeping his faith, though everything's falling around his ears.

In the life of David, rebellion is still brewing. Well, wait before I go into that, we should clear somebody. When David and his men came back to the castle, Mephibosheth went to meet him. Remember, the one who thought he was about to get the kingdom? He hadn't showered or shaved since David left. The king asked, "Why didn't you go with me?"
He replied, "I sent my servant Ziba to get my donkey, so I could follow you, but he betrayed me and slandered me. I know my family deserved nothing but death." So whew! Mephibosheth is still loyal.

Back to rebellion. A troublemaker named Sheba gathered all the men of Israel to follow him (but Judah stayed loyal to David). But this time David wasn't going to let them get away. He made Amasa the new army commander, probably because Joab disobeyed and killed Absalom. Amasa was sent to get some fighting men and be back in 3 days. But he took longer than 3 days. David rolled his eyes at these punky, disobedient army commanders that were always in his hair, and called Joab's brother Abishai (still not talking to Joab), gave him some men, and told him to run after Sheba's men. So Abishai and Joab took the men out, but guess who they ran into on the way there? Amasa, finally on his way back with the men. Joab had a dagger in his hand, but went up to Amasa all friendly-like and went to kiss him, then stabbed him to death. He was probably jealous, and wanted to narrow the kings options of army commander back to him. The two brothers took the men Amasa had got, and took off after Sheba. They were camping out in a fortified city, so Judah laid siege to it, and battered the wall to bring it down. But a woman called for Joab and said, "You are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel! Why do you want to swallow up the LORD's inheritance?"

"Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy!" he said. I'm surprised he didn't think of what he had just done to Amasa! "A man named Sheba has rebelled against the king! Hand him over and we will leave." So the woman told everybody else, and they threw Sheba's head to the soldiers over the wall ("thank you!":P). So the army went back to the king. So then, David really was running out of options for army commander, and Joab got the job again. Interesting guy, huh? I'll be sure to stay updated on what happens to him.