And the Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.
--Job 42:10 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on September 10, 2013 of Proverbs 3:27-35; 1 Timothy 2; Job 40:15-42.
Job finally understands, he finally gets it. He acknowledges that God can do all things and that nothing He sets His will to do can be denied Him. Job admits that he really did not know what he was talking about when he criticized God, when he accused the Lord of causing harm to an innocent man. He realizes now that there are some things simply too wonderful for man to ever comprehend, things that lie strictly in the provenance of the God of all creation. Job understands God's position so well, in fact, that even though the Lord never appears to the men in any physical form, only speaking to them from the whirlwind, Job says he can now see God with his eyes, because of all he heard with his ears. This idea highlights how undeserved tragedy can help us see God and His undeserved grace.
Job understands and repents. Truly and sincerely humbled (please reference "What Price Justification?"), he repents of both his pride and of his rebellion to God. And this is exactly what God wanted, what He had been waiting for. The Lord then addressed Job's friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, rebuking them for not speaking the truth about Him as Job had just done. He orders them to prepare a burnt offering and present it in Job's presence so that he might pray for forgiveness on their behalf. In this very brief exchange (only two verses), God referred to Job as "My servant" four times. Job had truly repented and sought God's mercy. The Lord forgave him and put his sins out of mind. Job was now God's servant once again. And because Job himself showed mercy and forgiveness to those who had so recently accused him of sins he didn't commit, immediately after he humbled himself yet again and prayed for God to forgive those who had wronged him, the rewards began. Job was given seven sons and three daughters, just as he had before, and his holdings grew to twice what they had previously been. His health was restored and he died an old man, having seen four generations of his descendants.
But Job's greatest reward was something he never really lost but finally realized. He found a great sense of contentment and comfort in learning that he enjoyed God's fellowship, and had all along. We would do well to understand this ourselves. We are never apart from God when we believe in Jesus, no matter what we may be going through. The Lord is always with us. If we build and maintain a good and true relationship with Him, we will come to find that we really don't need to know why He allows us to experience the things we do, whether good or bad. He is in full control of the universe and everything in it, including us and our lives. It is enough to know that He loves us and He is working all things toward good, in His time. We might not be able to comprehend all He does, but we can trust Him and love Him. Amen.
Lord God, Creator and Director of all that is, forgive us when we question the things You do, when we let the vagaries of life get us down, when we wonder where You are. If necessary, humble us, dear Lord, that we might remember You are always with us, no matter our circumstance. Thank You for Jesus, our Comfort and Redeemer. In His glorious name, Jesus we pray. Amen.
Job understands and repents. Truly and sincerely humbled (please reference "What Price Justification?"), he repents of both his pride and of his rebellion to God. And this is exactly what God wanted, what He had been waiting for. The Lord then addressed Job's friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, rebuking them for not speaking the truth about Him as Job had just done. He orders them to prepare a burnt offering and present it in Job's presence so that he might pray for forgiveness on their behalf. In this very brief exchange (only two verses), God referred to Job as "My servant" four times. Job had truly repented and sought God's mercy. The Lord forgave him and put his sins out of mind. Job was now God's servant once again. And because Job himself showed mercy and forgiveness to those who had so recently accused him of sins he didn't commit, immediately after he humbled himself yet again and prayed for God to forgive those who had wronged him, the rewards began. Job was given seven sons and three daughters, just as he had before, and his holdings grew to twice what they had previously been. His health was restored and he died an old man, having seen four generations of his descendants.
But Job's greatest reward was something he never really lost but finally realized. He found a great sense of contentment and comfort in learning that he enjoyed God's fellowship, and had all along. We would do well to understand this ourselves. We are never apart from God when we believe in Jesus, no matter what we may be going through. The Lord is always with us. If we build and maintain a good and true relationship with Him, we will come to find that we really don't need to know why He allows us to experience the things we do, whether good or bad. He is in full control of the universe and everything in it, including us and our lives. It is enough to know that He loves us and He is working all things toward good, in His time. We might not be able to comprehend all He does, but we can trust Him and love Him. Amen.
Lord God, Creator and Director of all that is, forgive us when we question the things You do, when we let the vagaries of life get us down, when we wonder where You are. If necessary, humble us, dear Lord, that we might remember You are always with us, no matter our circumstance. Thank You for Jesus, our Comfort and Redeemer. In His glorious name, Jesus we pray. Amen.
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