JOB ANSWERS GOD AND IS BLESSED

I guess the LORD must have stopped speaking to the point that Job knew it was time for him to formulate a response. Just the thought of this scenario is incredible to me; Job has been in direct audible communication with the LORD. Like Job, there have been many times that I have wished that I could experience just that. Though not with an audible voice, the LORD has certainly completely humbled me many times during special times of prayer before Him.

Job 42:1–6 “Then Job answered the LORD, and said, I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

Job expresses his belief that there is nothing the LORD cannot do; in fact, he knew that we cannot even have a thought that can be hidden from Him. Job then references the question that God had posed to him earlier, basically—Who is this that presumes to question My actions with such limited knowledge and understanding? Job admits that he has been presuming to provide understanding about things he did not truly understand. He was basically admitting that he had no idea of all the wonder involved with God’s creation and His provision for it. Again Job makes reference to God’s words to him—Listen to me and answer my questions. Job admits that his relationship with God had been one of hearsay at best, but now he has experiential knowledge that has made him ashamed of himself. I think he realized that he was placing more faith in his “good” actions before the LORD than he was in the character, power and authority of Almighty God. For this, Job declares that he is very repentant.

Isn’t that one of the prime deceptions that we continue to fall for today. Even we who daily strive to serve the LORD have to continually deal with the issue of pride—at least I know I do. We are so prone to focus on “doing” for the LORD rather than on yielding to Him to “do” through us. How often do we take the time to truly worship God and spend time with Him in meditation and the study of His word to get to know Him? How often do we take the time to appreciate the wonders of His creation? I’m afraid that the advances in knowledge and technology have made us appreciate God less rather than more. Just as God revealed when observing the people at the tower of Babel, “Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.” (Genesis 11:6) The computer has pretty much removed the language barrier, and man has accomplished some pretty amazing things. I think this has lessened our appreciation of the wonder of God’s creation. Instead of responding with awe to the wonders of the creation around us, we are much more prone to take them and, in turn, their Creator for granted.

The record of Job closes with God expressing His anger with Job’s friends and instructing them to prepare a burnt offering in repentance for wrongly representing God to Job. God dealt mercifully with them as a result of Job’s prayer for them.

We know that Job was given understanding of the reason behind his suffering because we have this written record. Job showed great humility in praying for his friends, and the LORD blessed him with twice as much as he had before. Interestingly enough—family and friends showed up out of the woodwork to offer Job comfort and curry his good favor with gifts once he was again a man of wealth and influence. I’ll let the record speak for itself as to God’s blessings upon Job.

Job 42:12–17 “Now the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first Jemimah, the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch. In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. So Job died, old and full of days.”