In this Neil Simon comedy, Joe Benjamin, a father of 3(David, Ben, Sarah), along with his wife Rose, along with their 2 servants Mady and Morris, had everything going for them: a prosperous business, a religious life, and wonderful house. But when an unexpected visitor drops by, his world is turned upside down. This visitor is a man by the name of Sidney Lipton. Sidney surprised the family, coming off as a robber. After a period of mystery, Sidney gets his conference with Joe. Sidney discusses with Joe that because of his faith, and strong belief in God, that he has been selected as God's Favorite. As his favorite, he wants him to denounce God, or else face harsh treatment. .
In the following days, Joe faced the harsh treatment from God, all which included different kinds of diseases and sickness, the utilities of his house being taken away, and above all, the destruction of his company. Visits from Sidney were frequent, with him constantly ask him to proclaim his denouncement of God, and each time, he rejected Sidney's requests. Until one day, his house burned down, and his family left him, and his morale was at an all time low. He saw his son David, and to his surprise he was blind. This blindness put Joe over the edge. His rage finally came out, and he sent out a verbal lashing at God, asking him why he brought suffering to his son, and commanded him to remove the blindness from him. God responded to his anger with numerous sounds of thunder, and eventually told him that he passed his test, thus restoring everything back to normal. .
Joe Benjamin's decision to not renounce God was a very bold one on his part. He sacrificed his perfect life, to stay as close to God as possible. This not only jeopardized his well - being, but the well - being of his family as well. .
His well-being affected those around him because he was the one making the money in the family, so whatever his financial status was, it focused on the whole family.
