Job

First, we learn about Job, his character, his family, and his great wealth. Then Satan essentially tells God that Job is spoiled and that, of course, he loves God because God has given him so much. God permits Job’s loyalty to be tested.

Job’s children and possessions are destroyed, and only the messengers survive to bring him the terrible news. You can see these events in the upper left-hand corner of the painting.
Job’s health is attacked next. He sits among the ashes outside the town while his wife and three friends gather around him. His wife is shown wagging her finger and telling him to curse God and die. When his friends see how terribly he is suffering, they weep, tear their robes, and throw dust into the air over their heads. This gathering fills the lower half of the picture.
Job laments the day he was born. His friend Eliphaz argues that innocent people do not suffer without cause. Job begins to think that his friends are not much help and that life seems terribly futile. Then Bildad puts in his two cents’ worth and insists that God rewards the good. Again, Job wonders what on earth he is here for. Finally, Zophar joins in with his own rebuke, and Job answers them all.
I imagine Job thinking, “With a wife and friends like these, who needs enemies?”
The discussion goes back and forth between Job and his friends. They continue pointing out what they believe must be human wrongdoing, while Job continues wrestling with God’s hand in everything that has happened.
Then God speaks to Job about His power and the wonders of His creation. God asks, “Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook?” I used an alligator to represent my Leviathan. He can be seen lurking in the tall grass.
If you look closely, you will also find many small, rather evil-looking creatures living among the rubble and grasses. These odd little beings were inspired by one of my favorite paintings, Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights.

(You can explore the original painting through the museum link below)

God continues by giving Job many examples of His power revealed through creation. In the center of the picture, I used another of the creation-colored clouds from my Genesis painting.
After God speaks, Job confesses that before this experience he knew about God, but now, through all his suffering, he has encountered Him personally.
God restores Job’s fortunes. He is blessed with more children, lives to an old age, and dies full of days. In the upper right-hand corner, you can see the restored family, servants, and herds.
In my mind, this entire event unfolds under the watchful eyes of humanity, heaven, and hell. That is why I divided the painting into sections and included the dark angel at the top and the face in the center.
People have asked, “Who did this to Job? Was it God or Satan? Did God merely allow it, or was it His doing?” They have also asked, “Is the face in the center the face of God or the face of Satan?”
I want people to ask questions.