April 18, 2024

Don't you wish you could go back to the glory days?

Job 29

Eric Field
Thursday's Devo

April 18, 2024

Thursday's Devo

April 18, 2024

Thursday's Devo

April 18, 2024

Thursday's Devo

April 18, 2024

Big Book Idea

God is at work even when we can't see it.

Key Verse | Job 29:2

"Oh, that I were as in the months of old,
as in the days when God watched over me."

Job 29

Job's Summary Defense

1 And Job again took up his discourse, and said:

2  “Oh, that I were as in the months of old,
    as in the days when God watched over me,
3  when his lamp shone upon my head,
    and by his light I walked through darkness,
4  as I was in my prime, 1 29:4 Hebrew my autumn days
    when the friendship of God was upon my tent,
5  when the Almighty was yet with me,
    when my children were all around me,
6  when my steps were washed with butter,
    and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
7  When I went out to the gate of the city,
    when I prepared my seat in the square,
8  the young men saw me and withdrew,
    and the aged rose and stood;
9  the princes refrained from talking
    and laid their hand on their mouth;
10  the voice of the nobles was hushed,
    and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.
11  When the ear heard, it called me blessed,
    and when the eye saw, it approved,
12  because I delivered the poor who cried for help,
    and the fatherless who had none to help him.
13  The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me,
    and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.
14  I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
    my justice was like a robe and a turban.
15  I was eyes to the blind
    and feet to the lame.
16  I was a father to the needy,
    and I searched out the cause of him whom I did not know.
17  I broke the fangs of the unrighteous
    and made him drop his prey from his teeth.
18  Then I thought, ‘I shall die in my nest,
    and I shall multiply my days as the sand,
19  my roots spread out to the waters,
    with the dew all night on my branches,
20  my glory fresh with me,
    and my bow ever new in my hand.’

21  Men listened to me and waited
    and kept silence for my counsel.
22  After I spoke they did not speak again,
    and my word dropped upon them.
23  They waited for me as for the rain,
    and they opened their mouths as for the spring rain.
24  I smiled on them when they had no confidence,
    and the light of my face they did not cast down.
25  I chose their way and sat as chief,
    and I lived like a king among his troops,
    like one who comforts mourners.

Footnotes

[1] 29:4 Hebrew my autumn days
Table of Contents
Introduction to Job

Introduction to Job

Timeline

Author and Date

The unknown Israelite author of this book presents Job as a person living in Uz (see note on 1:1). Job’s godliness (1:1) matches the ideals of Israelite wisdom literature. He clearly knows Yahweh (1:21). The events of the book seem to be set in the times of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob).

Theological Themes

The book of Job concerns itself with the question of faith in a sovereign God. Can God be trusted? Is he good and just in his rule of the world? The book shows that the reasons for human suffering often remain a secret to human beings.

In the book of Job, God seems both too close and too far away. On the one hand, Job complains that God is watching him every moment so that he cannot even swallow his spit (7:19). On the other hand, Job finds God elusive (9:11). Though God is greatly concerned about humans, he does not always answer their most agonizing questions.

At the same time, Job’s friends offer no real help. They come to “comfort” him (2:11), but Job ends up declaring them “miserable comforters” who would console him “with empty nothings” (21:34). These friends represent an oversimplified view of faith. They think that all human troubles are divine punishments for wrongdoing. Their “comfort” consists largely of urging Job to identify his sin and repent of it. These friends are negative examples of how to comfort those who are suffering.

The book illustrates that one does not need to fully understand God’s will in order to be faithful while suffering. Those who suffer need not be afraid to express to God their confusion and questions.

Purpose

The book of Job was written to those who struggle with the question of how God can be good when the world is filled with suffering.

The author does not provide a formal defense of God’s justice. Rather, as Job’s friends offer their inadequate answers, the author shows how their reasoning fails. Then, in chs. 38–41, the Lord speaks in his own defense, bringing Job to fuller understanding (ch. 42).

Even during his suffering and confusion, before God finally speaks, Job can triumphantly declare, “I know that my Redeemer lives” (19:25).

Outline

  1. Prologue: Job’s Character and the Circumstances of His Test (1:1–2:13)
  2. Dialogue: Job, His Suffering, and His Standing before God (3:1–42:6)
    1. Job: despair for the day of his birth (3:1–26)
    2. The friends and Job: can Job be right before God? (4:1–25:6)
      1. First cycle (4:1–14:22)
      2. Second cycle (15:1–21:34)
      3. Third cycle (22:1–25:6)
    3. Job: the power of God, place of wisdom, and path of integrity (26:1–31:40)
    4. Elihu: suffering as a discipline (32:1–37:24)
    5. Challenge: the Lord answers Job (38:1–42:6)
  3. Epilogue: The Vindication, Intercession, and Restoration of Job (42:7–17)
The Global Message of Job

The Global Message of Job

Universal Questions

With its story of one man’s life and suffering, the book of Job raises universal questions. Why do people suffer, especially godly people? Where is God in suffering? Can God be trusted amid suffering? Job’s friends try to answer such questions with superficial and simplistic solutions, eventually earning God’s rebuke (Job 42:7–9).

Ultimately we learn from Job that we can hope steadfastly in our sovereign God. Instead of providing easy answers to hard questions, this incomparably glorious, all-knowing, and almighty God presents to people in all places and in all times the simplest, most powerful, and most universal answer to these questions. God’s answer to human suffering has everything to do with his own infinite goodness and care for his creation.

Suffering in a Fallen World

In the life of Job we see the breadth and depth of human suffering. We see suffering in health (Job 2:7), suffering in the loss of property (1:14–17), and suffering in the tragic death of family members (1:18–19). In Job we also listen in on a discussion in the heavenly courtroom between God and Satan (1:6–12; 2:1–7), in which God delights in the upright life of Job. There we are given a window into the normally invisible reasons for our trials and suffering.

Sin and suffering. Suffering is universal, though the kind of suffering differs from circumstance to circumstance. Sometimes we suffer because of our own sin. There is no such thing as sin without consequences. Sometimes God himself directly chastises his people for their sins. However, Job’s friends are wrong to assume that his suffering is a direct result of disobedience (Job 8:4), and it would likewise be wrong to conclude that all or even most suffering in the world today is divine punishment for specific sins. The speeches of Eliphaz (chs. 4; 5; 15; 22), Bildad (chs. 8; 18; 25), and Zophar (chs. 11; 20) reflect such wrong assumptions.

Common suffering. Another type of suffering is what we might call “common suffering.” This is suffering that affects all people without distinction. It is simply the result of living in a fallen world. It includes health problems from colds to cancer. It includes bad weather, earthquakes, and typhoons. It includes financial struggles, and even death itself. Each tragic incident in Job’s life includes an element of this common suffering.

Godliness and suffering. Not only are godly people afflicted with suffering just as others are, but the godly experience some kinds of suffering due specifically to their godliness (Matt. 10:24–33; Acts 14:22; 2 Tim. 3:12). Faithfulness to Christ will bring insult and at times persecution—suffering that could be avoided if we were not disciples of Christ. We see this principle in Job, for it was precisely Job’s uprightness that prompted God to single him out to Satan and then led Satan to seek to afflict him (Job 1:8–12).

Devastating suffering. Job’s suffering is uniquely profound and painful. Some suffering, we learn, defies any category. We discover in Job that Satan has a hand in some of the suffering of God’s people (Job 1:6–12; 2:1–7; compare 2 Cor. 12:1–10). But even such demonically instigated suffering is not outside of God’s sovereignty. Nor should our focus be on Satan when we suffer but rather on persisting in steadfast faith amid such God-ordained pain. At the very least a lesson to be learned from Job is that our vision and insight into suffering is severely limited. What is not limited, however, is God’s perfect understanding and sovereign control over every event in our lives. In the “Yahweh speeches” of Job (chs. 38–41), God does not engage Job in the details of his questions and complaints. Rather, God reminds Job that God is God and Job is not. God laid the foundation of the earth (38:4); he is God over the seas (38:8, 16), over the stars (38:31–33), and over every creature (39:1–30; 40:15–41:34).

A Global Message of Comfort and Hope

The almighty, all-good God. Despite its focus on challenges and sufferings, the book of Job speaks a message of great hope to the world. We live in a world longing for comfort and hope, and such hope is found in the sovereign God who sees, who is good, and who is faithful. We are not victims of random fate or uncontrolled circumstances. We are loved faithfully and passionately by a sovereign God who works all things for our good (Rom. 8:28). The suffering global church can take comfort amid suffering, knowing that God is pleased with our faithfulness to him, even as God expressed delight in “my servant Job” (Job 1:6–8; 2:3). James 5:11 reminds us that God will fulfill his good purposes and is indeed compassionate and merciful toward his people.

No neat formulas. Living an upright life of faith in God does not exempt us from suffering. This was the fundamental misunderstanding of Job’s friends (Job 8:6) and the reason that their “comfort” was so “miserable” (16:2). Indeed, in Job and in all of Scripture we see that suffering is a part of the experience of godly people, and that suffering is also a means for our sanctification. Suffering is a blessing as through it we learn that God’s ways and purposes are much greater than we can know (chs. 40–41). His purposes and faithfulness are much greater than the achievement of ease and a comfortable life; the global church must not make an idol out of worldly comfort and earthly abundance.

The sufferings of the Savior. Job confessed faith in the living Redeemer (Job 19:25). That Redeemer would one day come and suffer for us on a cross. Here we have yet another kind of suffering, the atoning sufferings of Christ. He suffered for our salvation, bearing the penalty for our sin. It is also our great privilege to share in his suffering (2 Cor. 1:5; 2 Tim. 1:8; 2:3; 1 Pet. 4:13). These are not the sufferings of health problems or bad weather or the consequences of our own folly. These are sufferings that flow from our union with and loyalty to Christ. There is a global attack on the righteous, but God will continue to provide sufficient grace to his people (2 Cor. 12:9).He will grow both his people and his kingdom through such suffering as it is endured in faith.

Our Intercession and Mission of Hope

Though God’s righteous anger burned against the three friends of Job, their folly was forgiven in response to the righteous intervention of Job’s prayers (Job 42:7–9). What then is the Christian response to those who suffer—and to those who cause suffering?

We are to intercede for the world, both in prayer and in life. We are to “comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Cor. 1:4). This comfort must find expression in our ministry and service to those in need both where we live as well as around the world—to orphans, widows, and all those who suffer.

This comfort is most gloriously and eternally known as the church ministers the gospel of new hope in Christ to the world—to the lost, to the downtrodden, and even to our enemies (Matt. 5:44). For the greatest suffering in this world is not the loss of property or even family; it is to be lost in sin, without the living Redeemer.

Proverbs Fact #1: Wisdom

Fact: Wisdom

Wisdom is a key term in Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. The word can mean “skilled at making sound decisions in life.” Proverbs 9:10 states that “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.”

Job Fact #1: Comfort

Fact: Comfort

Comfort is a key word in the book of Job. When faced with personal tragedies, Job receives no comfort from his friends (16:2). But when God answers him (see chs. 38–41), he finds the comfort he needs.

Job Fact #7: Three cycles of conversations

Fact: Three cycles of conversations

The book of Job includes three cycles of conversations in which the friends of Job offer their comfort and advice, and then listen as Job responds. The first cycle covers chs. 4–14.

Job Fact #15: Elihu

Fact: Elihu

Elihu is the only character in the book of Job with a Hebrew name.

Job Fact #14: Rocks pouring out streams of oil

Fact: Rocks pouring out streams of oil

Rocks pouring out streams of oil (29:6) is a reference to olive trees. They are one of the few trees that thrive in rocky soil. It can be 10 years or more before an olive tree yields fruit, but then it can produce olives for hundreds of years. Some olive trees are more than a thousand years old.

Study Notes

Job 29:2–6 Job recalls a time when he felt as if he were in his prime, as the friendship of God was evident on his household (v. 5) as well as his flocks and fields (v. 6).

Job 29:6 washed with butter. Job was renowned for his cattle and his olive groves.

Job Fact #14: Rocks pouring out streams of oil

Fact: Rocks pouring out streams of oil

Rocks pouring out streams of oil (29:6) is a reference to olive trees. They are one of the few trees that thrive in rocky soil. It can be 10 years or more before an olive tree yields fruit, but then it can produce olives for hundreds of years. Some olive trees are more than a thousand years old.

Study Notes

Job 29:11–13 The blessing that Job received from others reflected the blessing he had been to those who had no one to help them and who needed to be delivered.

Study Notes

Job 29:14–16 Job used his possessions and influence to provide what others could not provide for themselves.

Job 29:16 searched out the cause. Job took up legal cases even when there could be no possible benefit for him in doing so.

Study Notes

Job 29:17 Job describes his actions on behalf of the needy as breaking the fangs of the unrighteous. He uncovered the traps of the wicked for their prey, the poor.

Study Notes

Job 29:20 The life of wisdom brings internal strength (my glory) and external vigor (my bow).

Study Notes

Job 29:21–22 Unlike the present, when his three friends challenge his every word, there was a time when people recognized Job’s wisdom and after he spoke they did not speak again.

Study Notes

Job 29:24 As one who worked for righteousness and justice (vv. 12–17), the smile and light of Job’s face encouraged those without hope and reflected God’s character and presence (see “lamp” and “light” in v. 3).

Study Notes

Job 29:7–25 Job looks back on what he had thought the course of his life would be. He had seen it as a well-rooted tree that would continue to bear fruit, benefiting himself and others (vv. 18–20). For similar images of the benefits of a faithful life, see Ps. 1:3; Prov. 3:13–18; Jer. 17:7–8.

Job 29:25 While Job had once been like one who comforts mourners, his three friends had set out to comfort him (2:11) but ended up accusing him instead.

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Dive Deeper | Job 29

Life has a way of taking us on a journey through both joy and suffering. There are moments when we long for the past, those "glory days" when everything seemed to be in our favor. Here in the book of Job, we find a man who knows this longing all too well. Job had been through unimaginable suffering, and in Job 29 he reminisces about the days when he seemed to have it all, including God's watchful protection.

Many of us can relate to Job's desire to return to better days, when life seemed easier and blessings abounded. We all have moments when we wish to rewind the clock. Yet, it's essential to remember that life's seasons, both the peaks and valleys, are part of God's trustworthy plan. Even in our most challenging times, God is at work, though we may not always see it or understand His purpose. 

Job says, "Oh, that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me . . . ."

We read this and say, "But, Job, God was and is there the whole time!" 

Well, reader, I want to remind you today that this is true in your life as well. God is always with you and always watching over you. He is always near, even when the smoke screen of life's hardships and worries makes it hard to see. Our God is always right there with us and wants us to trust Him and remain faithful to Him even when chaos tries to pull us into feeling like we are alone. We are never alone. The Lord says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5; Joshua 1:5; see Deuteronomy 31:6)

We can find comfort in knowing that God is at work in our lives, even when we can't see it. The "glory days" of the past may hold cherished memories, but our current circumstances are part of a greater narrative written by the Author of our faith. Trust in God's unchanging character; and hold on to the promise that He is working all things together for good, even when it's not immediately evident.

This month's memory verse

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

– Galatians 5:22-23

Discussion Questions

1. The key idea of the devotional is that "God is at work even when we can't see it." Can you share a personal experience when you later realized that God was at work in a situation that initially seemed challenging or difficult?

2. Job 29 encourages us to remember that our current circumstances are part of a greater narrative written by God. How can we actively seek God's guidance and purpose in our current situations, even when we may not fully understand His plan? What practical steps can we take to trust in His sovereignty?

3. What are some hard things that you are currently going through? What do you need from God right now? What do you need from friends right now?

Respond to Today's Passage

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MS

Michael Scaman

Marie Durand would also suffer long and hard. The phrase "I resist" is commonly associated with Marie Durand, a French Protestant who became a symbol of resistance during the persecution of Protestants in 18th-century France. Marie Durand was imprisoned for her Protestant beliefs in the Tower of Constance from 1730 to 1768. Legend has it that when her jailer demanded she renounce her faith, she defiantly replied, "I resist" ("Je résiste" in French). This phrase became emblematic of her steadfast commitment to her religious convictions despite years of imprisonment and persecution. In response to the two chapters of Job in chapters 29 and 30, Marie Durand might offer words of solidarity, empathy, and encouragement. Here's a hypothetical statement she might make: "My dear friends, as I reflect on the trials and tribulations recounted in the book of Job, my heart is stirred with a deep sense of empathy and understanding. Like Job, many of us have experienced the anguish of suffering, the sting of injustice, and the weight of despair. In our darkest moments, it can feel as though we are alone in our pain, abandoned by God and forsaken by those around us. Yet, as we journey through the passages of Job's lamentations, we are reminded of the enduring power of faith, resilience, and hope. Despite his suffering, Job clung to his faith in God, refusing to surrender to despair or bitterness. His unwavering trust in the midst of adversity serves as a beacon of light in the darkness, a testament to the indomitable spirit of the human soul. My friends, let us take heart from Job's example and find strength in our shared faith and solidarity. Though the road may be long and the trials may be great, we are not alone in our struggles. Together, let us lift one another up, offering comfort, compassion, and support to those in need. And let us never lose sight of the promise of hope that lies on the horizon, knowing that God's love and grace will sustain us through every trial and tribulation. So, my dear friends, in the face of adversity, let us echo the words of Job and declare with unwavering conviction: 'Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him' (Job 13:15). For in our trust and our faith, we find the strength to endure, the courage to persevere, and the hope to overcome. May God bless you and keep you always, now and forevermore. Amen."
SB

Sue Bohlin

Super devo, Eric. How wonderful for us to be able to read Job's longing for the intimacy he had enjoyed with Yahweh, from the position of being able to wrap ourselves in the encouraging perspective that God reveals Himself as Immanuel, "God with us." Not only that, but Jesus' last promise was, "I am *with you* ALWAYS," For the past couple of months, I've been in a hard place of being judged and disbelieved by some close friends (since resolved), much of which we've been crawling through Job--who was judged and disbelieved by HIS friends. This has made me much more sensitive to Job's pain, to the point that this morning, as I read how he remembered the sweet days of when he was greatly blessed and honored, I couldn't stop the tears. Even knowing how the book ends, I hurt for Job in his huge losses.
GJ

greg jones

Good morning Eric. Really liked your deeper dive…with a slight amendment. Sure hope this comment lands as intended. This resonated with me, “Many of us can relate to Job's desire to return to better days, when life seemed easier and blessings abounded. We all have moments when we wish to rewind the clock.” I have to draw a line here. “Yet, it's essential to remember that life's seasons, both the peaks and valleys, are part of God's trustworthy plan.” For me the book of Job questions the absolute context that statements like that sit in. It’s our God talk, what we tell ourselves and others about God according to how we see God. I don’t know if God would say that what we consider our peaks and valleys are part of his “trustworthy plan”. I base that statement on a verse quoted in the devotional. Deuteronomy 31:6 Moses said to the people, “for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” If I’m counting promises in the Bible I might want to consider Deuteronomy 31:16-18 before counting 31:6 as one of them. God said to Moses: “You are going to rest with your ancestors, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them. And in that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters and calamities will come on them, and in that day they will ask, ‘Have not these disasters come on us because our God is not with us?’ And I will certainly hide my face in that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods.” If I were God I probably would have prefaced 31:16-18 with, “I probably should have something sooner, before you told all those people that I would never forsake them, because later on…” There is a tension in Deuteronomy 31. There’s the God talk of Moses “he will never leave you nor forsake you”. And there’s God talking to Moses: “And in that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed… There’s a big difference between Job and the Deuteronomy audience. Job is declared righteous by God the people of Deuteronomy are declared wicked by God. How wise was the God talk of Moses that said God would never forsake them? How wise is the God talk of Job’s friends that declares him not righteous? I answer the questions this way “is God limited to the statements that are made about him?” I think it’s wise to answer no. How wise is it to say, “yet it's essential to remember that life's seasons, both the peaks and valleys are part of God's trustworthy plan”? I answer the question this way, “who’s being talked to and what season are they experiencing?” There’s times when something like, that no matter how well intentioned, might be the last thing someone needs to hear. I’ve probably said something near to it on many occasions. Personally I believe God’s trustworthy plan has seasons. Kinda like “thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as in heaven. I don’t believe all seasons are part of God’s trustworthy plan. Otherwise there would be no reason to pray “thy kingdom come thy will…” Somehow for me that equates into God actually being bigger in my world. And me being more accountable in His world. Chapter 29 Job describes how he acted in past days and how that affected outcomes. Job hasn’t changed but that’s undetectable to his friends because their God talk hasn’t changed. So all that to say this. “Yet, it's essential to remember that life's seasons, both the peaks and valleys, are part of God's trustworthy plan” aren’t disputed. But it’s the kind of statement I can make and without some nuance can cause me to miss the reality of God’s trustworthy plan by calling something different God’s trustworthy plan. Kinda like Job’s friends-“God’s plan to deal with wickedness is to punish wickedness. His punishment looks like your life Job. Therefore…” But maybe God’s trustworthy plan for dealing with wickedness is greater than just punishment. Know what I mean Jonah, Job’s friends, and Greg.
MS

Michael Scaman

Job is thinking back using the phrase "when God was with me" but God was with him all along. "Therefore, exult in the truth that God will keep you. He will get you to the end because in Christ he is 100% for you. And therefore, getting to the end does not make God to be 100% for you. It is the effect of the fact that he is already 100% for you." John Piper
PG

Praveen Raj G

Thank you for wonderful passage, at present I see myself in the deepest valley, I'm loosing hope, Im having all negative thoughts struggling to find out positivity. I request all to pray for me.
AL

Amy Lowther

1. The workplace typically has high demands to make money and almost enough resources to get things done. God is actually in the workplace too, helping people understand goals and helping workers communicate ideas to each other so they achieve goals. 2. Praying to God and speaking to the pastor on Sunday, practicing what is preached or reading in the Bible and applying what is learned in daily life are some good steps. 3. Having friends is good and trusting God is good. Both ideas help life to currently be good. Eric - Thank you for sharing your ideas. I like your point, “Trust in God's unchanging character; and hold on to the promise that He is working all things together for good, even when it's not immediately evident”. Well said!