June
13
Job 39:21–Job
42:17
A
CONVERSATION WITH GOD
Job 42:10
"The Lord turned
the captivity of Job, . ."
God continues his
questions and answers to his servant Job in our reading
today. He affirms who He is. He relates his great
power and the intricacies of his creation. He
tells of the beauty of the peacocks and the foolishness
of the ostrich. They bury their eggs in the sand,
forgetting them, and seemingly not caring if someone
tramples on them. Today expectant mothers kill their
babies in the womb, caring nothing about the death of
human life either, just like the Ostrich.
The LORD asks,
"Shall he that contendeth with the ALMIGHTY instruct
Him?" It was God who let Satan attack Job. It was
Job’s friends who "contended" the attacks were
because of Job’s sin. Job admitted he was "vile."
How could he admit to anything less when talking mouth
to mouth with God? If only we would see ourselves in the
light of God’s presence we would act differently. God
asks Job, "Can you speak with a voice of thunder as
God speaks?" Of course, the answer was"NO!"
God instructed Job to throw off his rage and cause the
proud to be humble. Perhaps Job was expressing anger
because of his judgmental friends’ attitudes. It must
have been a humiliating thing to face God in a
"whirlwind!" One could barely stand up at all.
Perhaps the wind knocked Job to the ground. In that
precarious position, God explained life to his servant.
He blew words of great depth and understanding. Job
could do nothing but try to maintain his equilibrium and
listen.
Job admits that all
God had shown him was too wonderful for him to
understand. He was overwhelmed at "seeing"
God–THE ALMIGHTY--about Whom, he had only heard. The
more Job heard God, the more he abhorred himself.
The LORD’S holiness is greater than all!
It is interesting that
the LORD did not let Job’s friends "off the hook."
They had sinned greatly by their faulty judgements. They
had to confess and forsake their unbelief. Job would
pray for them, and offer burnt sacrifices for their sin.
What a man of God was Job! The LORD HIMSELF would choose
him to intercede for his mocking men. The LORD accepted
Job’s offerings; therefore, God forgave Job’s friends.
The Bible says in Job
42:10 that "the lord turned the captivity of Job,
when he prayed for his friends!" This teaches us
something about "praying" for others. It is a
spiritual refreshment for the praying person, as it is a
spiritual relief for the one who was prayed for. It is
an act of worship! It is a selfless act for the care and
nurturing of another.
Much of our praying
today is for ourselves. It behooves the Christian to
intercede for others instead of "Me, Me, Me" all
the time. It was as Job prayed for his friends, the ones
who had so maligned him, that God released Job of his
sickness. That’s what I think that verse means. I may be
wrong.
Remember–Job had lost
everything–his property, his livestock, his servants,
and his children. All he had of that "old life"
was his wife. She had grieved over his illnesses. His
family and friends came to his side and sympathized
with Job over his losses. I suppose he had been
suffering from his illness to such an extent that he
himself had no time to grieve. People must have
"grieving" time after death or destruction. The
human spirit must be able to take it all in eventually.
The unbelievable can not always be believed–at first.
The LORD did a
remarkable thing in the life of His servant, Job. He
blessed his later years more than his former years prior
to the tragedies. He lived to be one hundred and forty
years old. Seven sons and three beautiful daughters were
born to him. I assume it was the same wife who was their
mother. His cattle and property was doubled. God could
not bless Job enough! When Job died, he died old and
full of years. His children lived on for four
generations. Who would have thought! (ysw)
"BE
READY"
(Ruth 3:18)
"The tests of
character is what it will take to stop you"
FEAR OF RIDICULE
FEAR OF HEART
FRAILTY OF BODY
FERVOR GONE
Be ready for
TOMORROW, Sanctify yourself TODAY
for what God
will do!
To Ruth who
wondered, Naomi said,
"Sit still m
daugher- - -until!"
(GGS)
