Job: The Restoration
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We now reach the climax of the book and God Himself steps on the scene!
In 9:35, 13:22, and 31:35–37, Job had challenged God to appear and talk with him face to face, and now God does just that.
The first thing God does is to sweep aside the vain ideas of Elihu, who had darkened God’s purposes and brought no light into the situation at all.
Now God proceeds to deal with his servant Job in a personal way.
I. God Humbles Job
(38:1–42:6)
God asks Job a series of simple questions about the universe and its operation.
1 Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind and said,
2 “Who is this who darkens the divine plan By words without knowledge?
3 “Now tighten the belt on your waist like a man, And I shall ask you, and you inform Me!
“Since you seem to know so much about God, let me ask you whether or not you could run the universe I have made!”
“You challenged me; now I am going to challenge you!”
God begins with Creation:
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding,
In 38:12 God asks Job about the dawn of the sun and the spread of the light:
12 “Have you ever in your life commanded the morning, And made the dawn know its place,
In 38:16, He inquires about the measurements of the earth and the sea.
16 “Have you entered the springs of the sea, And walked in the depth of the ocean?
How foolish to think that a mere human being could measure God’s Creation!
Then God turns to inanimate nature—the snow and hail, the rain and ice.
22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, And have you seen the storehouses of the hail,
The phrase in verse 22 could be translated “the treasuries of the snow,”.
There is a real sense in which snow does contain treasures, for snow helps to capture nitrates from the air and deposit them into the ground.
What man would want the responsibility of deciding where it should rain and snow!
Only God can govern this universe and make everything work harmoniously.
In 38:31, God asks about the stars and constellations.
31 “Can you tie up the chains of the Pleiades, Or untie the cords of Orion?
He next asks about animal life:
39 “Can you hunt the prey for the lioness, Or satisfy the appetite of young lions,
Does a man hunt for prey to feed a lion?
Do the ravens depend on man for food?
Jesus answers this in Luke 12:24.
The wild goats on the mountain, the wild asses in the plains, and the wild oxen all look to God to protect them and provide for them.
Even the stupid ostrich, which often forgets where its nest is, enjoys the care of the Almighty!
13 “The wings of the ostrich flap joyously, With the pinion and feathers of love,
14 For she abandons her eggs to the earth And warms them in the dust,
15 And she forgets that a foot may crush them, Or that a wild animal may trample them.
16 “She treats her young cruelly, as if they were not hers; Though her labor is for nothing, she is unconcerned,
17 Because God has made her forget wisdom, And has not given her a share of understanding.
18 “When she rushes away on high, She laughs at the horse and his rider.
The Point of God’s questions is simple:
Wherever Job looks at creation, he sees the hand of God at work.
1 Then the Lord said to Job,
2 “Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who rebukes God give an answer.”
There is only one answer Job can give:
3 Then Job answered the Lord and said,
4 “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I say in response to You? I put my hand on my mouth.
5 “I have spoken once, and I will not reply; Or twice, and I will add nothing more.”
Job’s religious experience is no longer second-hand; he has met God personally, and this makes all his sufferings worthwhile.
II. God Honors Job (42:7–14)
Now that Job has humbled himself, God can exalt him.
(1 Peter 5:6; James 4:10).
The first thing God does is rebuke the friends.
The first thing God does is rebuke the friends.
8 Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will accept him so as not to do with you as your foolishness deserves, because you have not spoken of Me what is trustworthy, as My servant Job has.”
He commands the friends to offer burnt offerings, and He instructs Job to pray for them.
It must have taken grace for Job to pray for men who had treated him so severely, but he was a man of God and he obeyed the Lord.
Again Job showed his spiritual prosperity by forgiving his friends.
But its more than that: Job’s whole situation of suffering turned around ONLY when he showed the fruit of forgivness!
10 The Lord also restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased double all that Job had.
God knew He could trust Job with wealth and prestige because Job was a humble servant.
Once his fortunes were restored, Job’s friends and acquaintances returned to him to comfort him and encourage him.
11 Then all his brothers, all his sisters, and all who had known him before came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house; and they sympathized with him and comforted him for all the adversities that the Lord had brought on him. And each one gave him a piece of money, and each a ring of gold.
Some of these same people had undoubtedly criticized him and judged him in the past, but now that was all over.
They brought gifts to Job, perhaps as evidence of their sincere sorrow for the mistakes of the past.
Conclusion:
Suffering is awful. There is nothing beautiful in suffering except faith, persiverence and
However,
The names of Job’s daughters are interesting. “Jemima” means “dove”; “Kezia” means “cinnamon”; and “Keren-happuch” means “box of eye-paint” or “cosmetic box.”
Each of these names indicates that the girls were attractive and honorable.
Job even gave them an inheritance with their seven brothers.
Job lived for another 140 years, which suggests (from the doubling of everything) that he may have been seventy when these events took place.
Of course, not every saint who suffers in the will of God (1 Peter 3:17) is going to be so honored in this life.
The main lesson in the Book of Job is not that you will be rich and powerful when suffering is over, but rather that Almighty God has a purpose in suffering and nothing can thwart that purpose.
Even Satan must bow to God’s control, for God always writes the last chapter. Job was not suffering for sins, but his suffering still made him a better man. God gave him great honor after he suffered as a testimony in an age when there was no written Bible to teach people divine truth.
Christians who suffer during this present age may not be rewarded here, but they will be rewarded hereafter. See Rom. 8:18–39; 2 Cor. 4–5; and 1 Peter 4:12–19.
The secret of Job’s life was endurance (James 5:11); he trusted God in spite of Satan, circumstances, friends, or loved ones.
His faith at times wavered, and sometimes he accused God, but he still endured “as seeing Him who is invisible.”