#677 Pray For Me Job

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.”

Epilogue

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 42 NIV

I know You can do all things - This sounds similar to Christ when He says, "let this cup pass from me," He says it before the great trial of the cross, and here Job says it after his trials. Faith is not blind to harsh circumstances, it may even flirt with doubt for a moment, but in the end it is "nevertheless not my will but Yours be done." No one gets one over on God, and I should have known that this was to your purpose and end. 

Surely I spoke of things I did not understand - I thought I knew what I was talking about, I thought I knew your purpose, your MO, but I misspoke. Those who find it hard to relate to Job here are without doubt disconnected from reality. There are things too wonderful, beyond our comprehension, I have heard of many things that I cannot wrap my head around, but Job is finding that this is ok, that he is not God, but God has spoken to Him.

Therefore I despise myself - I said some stupid and ignorant things. I spoke out of my pain and loss, but it was wrong. I despised the day of my birth, and that was not my right. I started to doubt your intentions, and for a moment I thought You owed me an answer, but again I was wrong. For this Job repents, not from the secret sin that his friends assumed, but for those wrong thoughts and words that came after the loss of his children and during his physical affliction. 

I am angry with you - God confronts Job's friends but what is curious here is that Elihu, who ranted quite a bit, is left out. Some of what he said and Job's friends said was correct by way of some proverbial cliché, but the premise and application were all wrong. I think God does not address Elihu because of his pride, he claimed to speak on behalf of God, yet God is not here acknowledging him. He desired the spotlight, yet God has left him to stand here in silence. Some say it is because Elihu was correct in his address, but he regurgitated much of the same as the others, things Job knew and things based upon Job being punished for some great sin. I don't think he was left out for being God's prophet, but rather shunned for speaking beyond what he knew. 

The anger of the LORD will not diminish until He has fully accomplished the purposes of His heart. In the days to come you will understand it clearly. 21I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied. 22But if they had stood in My council, they would have proclaimed My words to My people and turned them back from their evil ways and evil deeds.”…Jeremiah 23: 20-22

It is interesting that this started out with Job's great calamity, and his friends coming to comfort him. This quickly turned to debate, and Job's friends became more his tormentors, his false accusers, the mosquitos that seemed to have no end of appetite, round after round of draining conversation. Now, God offers them forgiveness through Job, that they make a sacrifice and Job pray for them, when oddly they should have been praying for Job all along, admitting that they could not see. They thought it was a particular evil in Job, for why else would he suffer this way? They were wrong and misrepresented God. Job, in praying for his tormentors, his false accusers, in forgiveness is set free. Sometimes our words are not enough, and the only thing that will vindicate both us and our enemies is an encounter with God. God please open our hearts, let us understand Your word, let us be humble and slow to speak. 

33When they came to the place called The Skull, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals, one on His right and the other on His left. 34Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up His garments by casting lots. 35The people stood watching, and the rulers sneered at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.”…Luke 23: 33-35

While they were stoning him, Stephen appealed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60Falling on his knees, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7: 59-60