By Job 42:10-17 And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold.
And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. He had also seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first daughter Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch. And in all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job’s daughters. And their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, four generations. And Job died, an old man, and full of days.
We come now to the conclusion of the suffering of this servant of God. His trial is over, he did not curse God in the way in which Satan said he would. God was proved true, faithful, and the love of Job’s life. The Lord is glorified on earth and in the throne room of heaven. Satan on the other hand is shamed.
Most times when people suffer like Job did, they are not restored and blessed following the trial. There are a myriad of reasons why you or I might suffer. I am guessing that this account we read about in the book of Job is not the normative thing that happens with each saint of God that suffers. This trial of Job was a test of sorts, and points to the ultimate defeater of the devil, namely Jesus Christ. So it seems fitting that God would restore and even bless a bit extra this Saint who suffered for a much greater purpose than he could ever imagined. I think he was pretty amazed when he finally arrived in heaven to find out that a book of the Bible was named after him, and he was the center of discussion between his Lord and his enemy.
Job’s family members and friends had all but forsaken him in his trial. After Job prayed for his supposed counsellors, the Lord changes the minds and hearts of these family members so that now they desire to gather around Job and not scatter from him. When we receive favor or distain from those around us, it is God’s doing. It is good for us to be praying for the favor of God from those around us. I pray often that I would find favor in the eyes of my employer. The Lord has thus far granted me that request, and I don’t want to take it for granted if he ever decides to allow the opposite.
One last thing that I think is neat about this last section of Job. The author singles out the fact that Job’s daughters were beautiful. Their beauty was a sign of the blessing of God. When you read through the Old Testament, most of the children which are named are the sons. Many times the daughters are not even named in the record. Seldom if mentioned, are they acknowledged by name. In this section, the three daughters are mentioned by personal and specific name:
And he called the name of the first daughter Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch.
The sons on the other hand are just asserted in the category of seven sons. I think it is sweet that these girls are given such honor in these last verses of Job.
Thanks for hanging in there as I trudged through the messy life of Job. I hope you were at least a little blessed through this effort.
In Christ,
Scott
Leading Family Devotions 