Job Chapter 42
Please read: Job 42 –
The book of Job began with God asking satan where he had been and satan telling God that he had been walking about the earth. What was he doing? Undoubtedly, he was “seeking who he might devour.” God mentioned the consideration of Job. He had been in communion with Job and He called Job blameless.
Job 1:8 “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”
That is where it all began, when satan was allowed to test Job. And did he ever test Job. The pain and grief that Job endured was horrendous. As the book concludes we find that Job does muster a bit of courage to answer the challenge of Almighty God, but it was not words of defense or argument, it was beautiful words of confessing and acknowledging the authority and majesty of his God.
Job had learned that he could not control God and he could not make demands of Him. Sometimes we get so desperate in our seasons of difficulties that when we pray, we can become demanding if we are not careful. But one truth remains, and that is that God is always willing to hear our prayer and to forgive us.
Let's Reflect
1. As you read Job’s confession in verses 1-6, Job admits being in a different demeanor, a different attitude towards God now. What has changed?
2. In verse 2 what does Job teach us about God’s purpose in our lives?
3. Job is clearly in awe of God as depicted in verse 3. What does he confess to God as he now is in the presence of God?
4. How does Job describe how he feels about himself when experiencing the majesty of God before him?
5. Elihu must have left after making his great long speech, but God did address the three that had come to “comfort Job.” What did God say about what they had said to Job? This teaches us that God hears those conversations we have with others!
6. The Bible tells us that after Job prayed an intercessory prayer for his friends that God began to do something special for Job. God began to restore riches to Job. How did that happen?
7. We learn that Job was blessed with great numbers of animals, more than he had previously. What other blessing came his way?
8. The Bible does not distinctly say that Job was healed of the disease that had been ravaging his body, but we know that he must have been. How do we know this?
None of us like difficult times, but we know that they will come. None of us are exempt from the pains and difficulties of life on this old sinful earth. Like Job we probably will not understand why God is allowing us to go through those difficult times. But what we know from reading this important book is that God never leaves us, He may be silent for a while, but He never leaves us. He longs for us to turn to Him continually and to ask those difficult questions. He wants us to rely on Him. We may never understand His purpose in those difficult times, but like Job, when we see Him face to face, none of that will matter.
