So far in our stories, God has shown himself to be in the habit of asking questions He already knows the answers to (which, really, would be every question). God asked Adam where he was when Adam was hiding, in order to engage with him and create a moment for Adam to think about what he was doing. In this story, God engages with Satan, asking "Where have you come from?" Rather than plotting in their corners as arch rivals, God and Satan are interacting and debating. And they begin to talk about our man Job.
Satan is not impressed with Job because he has such a happy life. Job is wealthy. A family man. He has a good reputation and the success to back it up. Satan calls all of this "a hedge" around Job and a no-brainer reason why Job would be a fan of God's. Satan thinks Job is a total wimp who only looks strong because of all his blessings. Take away his great life, Satan argues with God, and Job will "curse you to your face" (Job 1:11). A valid argument, really. Does Job love God because of all his stuff or for some deeper, unshakable reason? To use the word in our story, can Job maintain his integrity when it is challenged to the extreme?
As Job's life starts to crumble around him - he loses his oxen, donkeys, sheep, servants, camels, sons, daughters, and health - grief overwhelms him. His wife can't believe he doesn't just "curse God and die" since after all, what's left to live for? Job does not speak a word against God, but he does question the point of a life of misery.
A life of misery. This is the perception Job has of his world immediately after the loss of almost everything that matters to him. Was Satan sort of right? Did Job's blessings shield and comfort him, serving as his primary source of peace, rest and wellbeing? This seems to be the case when Job wonders what is the point in living life if the best thing about it is death?
Satan and God seem to be discussing human life in a much different way than Job does. Job even uses Satan's phrase "hedged in" to describe his feeling of being unable to understand or enjoy life now that he's lost so much. Satan predicted that Job's blessings are something he hides behind; and now Job is feeling trapped in misery without them. God and Satan recognize that there is more to life than what a man has, and their debate centers around whether or not people can experience meaning beyond themselves to do upright things even when life stinks. God believes Job can. Satan aims to squeeze Job senseless to prove that he can't.
Even though at this point our protagonist is feeling that peace, joy and comfort are tied to the blessings he's lost, I suspect he will later find these essentials in God somehow. Because although he is grieving now, he upholds his integrity in what he says and does not curse God like Satan thought he would.
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