The Book of Job

In "The Book of Job" God shows off one of his most dedicated followers to Satan - a man named Job. Job has had a prosperous life and lives according to God's commands. The Devil claims that Job only obeys God because he has blessed him with good fortune, and that if his life was not so pleasant he would reject God.  God decides to make a bet with Satan - he will curse Job, and see if he will still be faithful for him even when his life is in shambles.
        God testing man is a theme I've seen before. In the story of "Abraham and Isaac"  God tests the prophet Abraham's faithfulness. God orders Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac.  Abraham obeys God, and is about to kill Isaac when an angel of God stops him and offers a lamb in his son's place.
        Both stories are similar because they both feature God testing man to see how faithful they are. God is characterized as constantly demanding praise, even when actions are cruel and unecessary. Both Abraham and Job were innocent and loyal followers of God - but he is seemingly not satisfied with this. He wants his followers to praise him even when his actions are despicable and without reason. I was appalled that God still pettily demanded praise after destroying their lives. The story also bears a resemblance to the story of "Noah's Arc" when he floods the entire world for their sins. God has a habit of "taking things too far." He goes to extreme lengths to ensure that man will continue to worship him, and servers punishes those that question his actions.
       There are however,  differences between these stories. Abraham and Noah remain faithful to God throughout their legends. Job also,  at first, resists cursing God's name for his misfortunes but eventually breaks down. God has taken everything from him. Job in agony, wishes he had never been born - therefore questioning God's judgement. Not only is God being unreasonable, but he also sees Job's misery as being defiant. God tortures this poor man so far he wishes he had never existed. Yet
still, God is only concerned with himself. He sees this as an insult against him. God pushed Job to the brink - and I get the unnerving feeling that God would have kept going until Job eventually snapped. I believe God would have kept searching for disobedience even when there was none - that he is truly afraid that people will stop loving him. God punished Job for no reason but his own selfishness.
       God also appears as foolish. Why does he agree to make a deal with the devil in the first place? It would seem that Satan is the only one who benefited from this. God of all people (or beings,) should know not to trust a demon - but it seems that he is tempted himself. Out of curiosity, he ruins Job's lives and causes him to sink into depression - all while the devil watches in delight.