Pastor Perry Stone of MannaFest first directed me to this intriguing revelation, one which current as well as traditional translations traduce.
In the book of Job, four mentions of the word "curse" appear, and just in the first two chapters:
"And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually." (Job 1: 5)
Satan tempts God to question Job's integrity:
"But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face." (Job 1: 11)
After God permits Satan to attack Job's substance, Satan attempts to tempt God once again:
"But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face." (Job 2: 5)
Then Job's wife suggests that Job end it all, after suffering so much:
"9Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die." (Job 2: 9)
The interesting element in each of these verses, however, rests on that word "curse", which in the Hebrew word is actually "barak", or "bless".
A proper translation, then would read:
"And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed [lit. blessed] God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually." (Job 1: 5)
Why was Job afriad that one ofhis sons may have sinned and blessed God in their hearts? The issue in this pasasge does not reveal the issue of sin, but rather the status of the son, that his blessings of God would be corrupted in some manner. I also submitted that this compulsiveness to preempt and sacrifice for his sons shows a spiritual gluttony of sorts, as if Job wanted to be the source of blessings in his children's lives, or that his sacrificial efforts made all the difference in their lives as well as his, that his sacrifices were the source of all good things in his life, as opposed to God's Blessed Nature.
Furthermore, Job was keenly, compulsively aware of his sons' sinning, but not his own? Job had a high opinion of himself, to say the least.
This opinion runs contrary to the revelation of man's depraved nature:
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17: 9)
Who can know the human heart, indeed? Job thought that he knew his sons's heart, yet he never could, and he never once considered that as a man, a son of Adam, his heart was dead, in need of new life.
For this reason, God promised a new covenant (Jeremiah 31: 33-34), which was cut by His Son, our perfect High Priest and new, eternal mediator. Jesus establishes fully the truth which Job did not understand;' God alone is our Blessing and Blessor, and no one can take His place.