Job 1:1-8
Job Was Blameless and Upright
1 In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. 2 He had seven sons and three daughters, 3 and he owned seven thousand sheep, three
thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. 4 His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and
they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them,
thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.
6 One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”
8 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”
Job 9:14-20
God Has Complete Understanding
14 “How then can I dispute with him?
How can I find words to argue with him?
15 Though I were innocent, I could not answer him;
I could only plead with my Judge for mercy.
16 Even if I summoned him and he responded,
I do not believe he would give me a hearing.
17 He would crush me with a storm
and multiply my wounds for no reason.
18 He would not let me catch my breath
but would overwhelm me with misery.
19 If it is a matter of strength, he is mighty!
And if it is a matter of justice, who can challenge him?
20 Even if I were innocent, my mouth would condemn me;
if I were blameless, it would pronounce me guilty.
Job 42:1-17
The Epilogue of Job
1 Then Job replied to the Lord:
2 “I know that you can do all things;
no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.
4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.’
5 My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
6 Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.”
7 After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. 8 So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.
10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. 11 All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.
12 The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. 13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. 15 Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.
16 After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so Job died, an old man and full of years.
Job has spoken right about God...And God says this...After the LORD had said these things to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I AM angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about Me, as My servant Job has...So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to My servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves...My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly...You have not spoken the truth about Me, as my servant Job has.”...So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job’s prayer...
God tells us that His servant Job has spoken rightly of Him, while Job's friends had not...Job was blameless, but he still suffered on earth...Job had said throughout that he had not sinned, and that he wanted to hear from God Himself...Job seems mad throughout his dialogue, and seems to be mad at God...And there maybe times when we are mad at God...Job's friends keep repeating their position that Job has sinned and God is disciplining him...Their argument was that righteous living is rewarded, while the wicked and those who sin get disciplined and punished...
Sometimes it seems that God rewards the wicked...The friends accusing Job of sinning did not help him, with his problems and his suffering...And though they do not suffer as Job has suffered, we might assume they too had sinned at one point in their lives...When one is suffering as Job did, it is hard to see things clearly...And it is hard enough to argue with God when we clear headed...God has the great advantage of His Eternal Knowledge...God provides more than good health and comfort...When God talks to Job, it is like Job now understands this...But God does allow suffering to happen to good people and sometimes it seems that the wicked do prosper...Job tried to point out that good people do suffer in life, and Job told this to his friends, yet they continued with their basic argument that the wicked get punished on earth and that good people, like Job, are not treated in that way...
God says Job was right...God makes Job the mediator for his three friends...And in the end God's will does get done, many times mysteriously done, but always rightfully done...And when His will gets done, we may not always understand it...