The Lord Restores Job

Context

Current Series: Faith Suffers.

Guide: Job, a righteous man, full of faith.

The book that bears his name, just before Psalms. 42 chapters of wisdom poetry telling a story that helps us grapple with the problem of suffering.

One day, God held court in heaven. There, it was questioned whetherJob’s faith was as genuine as it appeared top be.

So, God permitted Job’s faith to be tested.

Job was afflicted with great suffering — loss of property, wealth, even his children.

Job’s friends claimed that the calamity was divine punishment for some unknown sin.

But Job maintains his innocence, and cries out for an answer from God.

Last week, we read: God appears to Job and establishes the truth that although Job does not understand what is happening, he is in God’s wise and omnipotent hands, as all things are.

And now the epilogue of Job.

Text

Job 42:7–17 ESV

After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the Lord had told them, and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer. And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold. And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. He had also seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first daughter Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch. And in all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job’s daughters. And their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, four generations. And Job died, an old man, and full of days.

Introduction

Who doesn’t like a happy ending? Classic happy endings

The princess finds her prince and escapes the evil step-mother

The good guy saves the day

The cowboy rides off into the sunset

When we read the epilogue of Job, we may have the sneaking suspicion that this is a literary attempt at a “happy ending”…but that may leave us with some lingering doubts, since we are not talking about fairytales here at church…but real life.

In real life, we desperately want to know that there is in reality a happy ending for life.

If Job’s story can have a happy ending, after so much inexplicable sorrow, then there is hope for the rest of us.

That is what I want to us to consider today.

Exegesis

Job lost all things. Possessions. Wealth. Health. His beloved children. Socially devastating as his friends represented the common view that Job must have really offended God.

True, God then appeared to Job and confirmed Job’s faith in divine power and goodness.

But the story does not end there. The epilogue offer us a “happy ending.”

God restores to Job twice as much as before:

possessions. He was the wealthiest, now doubly so.

children. 7 sons and 3 daughters. Some texts say 14 sons. All texts say the daughters are the most beautiful and share in the inheritance.

life span of an additional 140 years. Double the expected 70 (Ps. 90:10; akin to the patriarchs of faith Abraham 175, Joseph 110). Died at a ripe old age, surrounded by children to several generations.

Intercessor for his friends (whereas before only for his family). A holy man.

We can be hesitant to be happy. I’m not sure that getting all the doubled replacements would have been better than never having lost the originals. The evil/misfortune was not undone.

It is not the same children restored.

Job’s suffering still would have left its mark physically and emotionally.

The Bible acknowledges that reality. Not a fairytale.

The friends and the family comfort him for all that the LORD brought upon him.

God is not portrayed as trying to say I am sorry I put you through all that. Not trying a clumsy comfort: you lost those kids but don’t be so sad: I can give you others.

The point of the restoration, the happiness of it:

First, to show Job and everyone around him, that Job was no sinner after all.

If Job had sinned there would not have been no restoration. He would have lost everything, the debt would have been paid and he would have at the best a clean slate.

Instead, the double portion a divine validation. shows that Job was accomplishing the test of his faith.

Everyone sees the restoration. Good for job…and new awareness God exists! God gives, God takes away, God gives even more. God is!!

Example: we had a friend, lost everything…we think man either you are a sinner or God doesn’t exist….no, I’m not a sinner, and I believe in God,…then God works a miracle we would reconsider our position… even place our faith in God more strongly than before.

Implications for this life…and for the next, life after death with God.

Interpretation

This brings us to the central mystery of the restoration of Job.

That Job again points us to Jesus…in whom God restores to his people all that they lose, no matter how seeming permanent the loss is.

Jesus gave restored sight to the blind, mobility to the lame, food to the hungry…and most divinely he gave back the dead to those who mourned them.

Jesus raised Lazarus. Martha, said, if you had been here! I am the resurrection. Do you believe this? Yes, and then Jesus showed it.

Would not Job have said the same thing! He had to wait to see the day. And he did see the day.

Jesus said in a dispute with is challengers…Abraham saw my arrival and rejoiced! You are not yet 50 how could Abraham see? I AM.

I am the god of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The god of the living not the dead!

Jesus with Moses and Elijah

Jesus restored the dead to life, to show that in this life, we will lose what we have, but in the kingdom of God all will be restored miraculously and abundantly.

Peter says we gave up all. You will receive 100 fold.

Jesus showed this in his own life and death and resurrection. Jesus lost all. He even died. But was given many more brothers and sisters.

Job pointed forward to all this in hope.

Eventually he died and experienced what his earthly restoration pointed toward: Job was restored in Christ. To his original children. To God. To many more.

Paul, 1 Corinthians 2:9 “But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—”

Application

We must necessarily lost all. Sometimes tragically. Sometimes just in the course of nature.

But if we lose all with faith, we have the hope of restoration. We believe that god gives and takes away, blessed be the name of the lord.

Restoration not just of what we lost, but of much more. And permanently.

Example: restoration of memories for me; and for Alzheimer’s.

Example: Man who lost his daughter and placed his faith in Christ.

Example: Comfort for now also: singles who find family in church.

We are all at various stages of loss. Together we gather around Christ, the way the friends and family gathered around Job. Mourn together, we take hope together.

We point to Christ, in whom all things are restored

Conclusion

Job shows us a happy ending.

In suffering, our faith us revealed as real.

In suffering, we resort to God.

In suffering, God holds us in a relationship

After suffering, He will restore us in Christ.