JOB: The man I saw then and the man I see now
Akhil Rodrigues

            A more shocking encounter I have yet to face. I, Eliphaz from Teman, was aghast at the sight before me. My throat, like a bottomless pit, seemed to have eaten up my power of speech for I could not utter a word.

            My eyes, I felt were playing a game of deceit with me, for, as far as they would look they saw nothing except the vast expanses of a black desert. Burnt trees lay on the ground like a testament to one mighty gust of fire, unimaginable to the human mind, that had swept through the land that was once Job's little paradise- obliterating everything in its path. Only the whispering hum of the strong, hot wind broke the deadly silence, as though singing the song of suffering, destruction, and death. The whole expanse smelt of carcass' rotting in the heat. Only one word kept ringing in my head like the gong of church bells proclaiming the loss of life- HELL.

            On the ground lay a man so still and so pale it was hardly possible to tell if he was breathing. His face, shriveled and wrinkled like the dry remnant of a garden flower, reflected the immense suffering and trauma of a man who has just seen the devil himself, and his body was scarred with sores, from which oozed slowly a mixture deadly fluids that seemed to squeeze out the little life he had left in him. This man, my friend Job, did not even look human. His clothes, a tattered mess , clung loosely to his body and he smelt of a disease so terrible it was hard to think of him as a living person. The sight of this once handsome man whose dress had been impeccable - his tunics, made of the finest silk, now reduced to a state lower than that of a beggar perplexed me. How could so much misfortune befall one man? For this was indeed misfortune.

            I remember coming here to visit with my friend not nearly a year ago. Job's house was a palace, a treasure to be locked up and isolated from the outside world. A massive courtyard led up to the house - servants rushed up to refresh me and take my coat and belongings. They led me through a wide passage lined with exquisite marble statues to an enormous dining room- here four walls gradually tapered toward the center to give the ceiling, which was lined with hand polished semi- precious stones from Africa, a dome-like appearance. From the highest point of the dome hung a chandelier the size of a large well. I could not even count the candles that were placed on this miniature moon; suffice it to say that no man in the room could tell if it was day or night. At the head of a giant rosewood table that sat seventy was Job. I was honored by a place at his right. The table covered with elegant silver ware that was polished three times a day, sparkled brilliantly, inviting us to a banquet fit for a king and we ate till we could eat no more. Job then led us to the next room where we drank the finest wines from hand cut crystal goblets that had been presented to Job by the king of Czechoslovakia. Again I marveled at the splendor of the room. Several pillars painted in gold supported the ceiling that was almost wholly one massive panel of stained glass brought in from Turkey. The sunlight seeped through the vivid colors of the roof top and reflected brilliantly of the floor lined in Jade. Thus, it is needless to say that Jobs house was his castle-it caused even the richest of kings to stop and gape in awe in the very embodiment of splendor and magnificence.

            And so it is not unreasonable to comprehend the void I felt as I saw Job in his new state of distress. I must give support to my friend in this his hour of need, but I can only pretend to understand the forces that caused this much suffering to a man I know to be true to his God and himself.