Beloved, I am pleased to share with you today the above theme from Job 29:1 onwards. Indeed, at the beginning of the book, God had briefly told us about Job’s first state. These verses complete the picture. But this time it’s Job who makes his own portrait. Everything he says about his works is certainly accurate. Thus, the accusations of Tsophar (Jb 20:18-19) and Eliphaz (Jb 22:5-10) were pure slander (vs. 12-13). Who could still today align so many titles with God’s approval and the consideration of men? However, the complacency with which Job describes his previous condition shows that he put his heart into it and glorified himself in it. He had not yet learned like the apostle “to be satisfied” in the circumstances in which he found himself; he tolerated much less well being “lowered” or “in deprivation” than being “in abundance” (Phil 4:10-13). In addition, we were able to notice the “I”, “me”, “me” that follow one another in these verses – about 100 times. Little words that betray the high opinion that Job has of his own person. He had hitherto hidden in his heart, under an apparent modesty, this feeling that now bursts into the open. This will allow God to deliver him, but only when Job has confessed it.
What do we find in Job’s answer in chapter 26? After giving an ironic compliment to Bildad for the power and wisdom of the speech he had just given, in order to conclude the debate raised between them, he shows that, despite all his misery, he can also talk about the power of God and in a much more extensive and eloquent way than his friends. It adds reflections on the solemn realities of the invisible world. In chapter 27, Job examines another subject, not the glory of God, but the misery of the hypocrite and his terrible end in more striking terms than his friends had done. In drawing this picture, he firmly maintains his integrity, although God had not yet done him justice and his friends had wronged him.
This portion is followed by an even more remarkable one (chapter 28) in which Job depicts man in the fiery pursuit of the rare things of this world, his incessant search for gold, silver, and precious stones of all kinds. But where is the wisdom? Man can probably make his way through the waters; he can dig a road in the rocks. In his intense desire to achieve the goal he proposes, he can not only upset the mountains and fill the valleys, but reach places that the bird of prey does not know and that the eye of the vulture has not seen. It can happen where no wild beast has ever penetrated; he digs a well in the bowels of the earth and, in search of what he values, he enters places where no beast has ever made his shelter and where the wildest would fear to follow him. But where do you have to go to find wisdom? The finest gold cannot provide it, the most precious stones and the most beautiful works of art cannot be given in exchange; the treasures of the abyss, even pearls, are worthless in comparison.
From the pain and desolation to which he became accustomed as a second pitiful state of existence, Job remembers the years of prosperity and health he enjoyed a long pursuit of. This parable or review of the past puts an end to his thesis. Honor and beatitude are apparently denied to him forever. With what has been, he compares his present misery and proceeds to a bold and noble justification of his character both of secrecy and blatant sins. In the whole circle of Job’s lamentations, this song is perhaps the most touching. The language is very beautiful, in the most beautiful style of the poet, and the minor cadences of the music are such that many of us can sympathize. When the youthful years pass and the strength diminishes, the Eden in which we once lived seems just fleeting. Of those in their fifties, few don’t put their first memories in stark contrast to the way they travel now, looking back to a happy valley and long, bright summers that are left behind. And even by opening up manhood and femininity, the troubles of life often fall, as one might think, prematurely, interposing themselves between the spirit and the joy that one remembers from an existence without burden. How many are they changed! – what have I changed!
First, in past years, Job sees in the light of memory the bliss he had when the Almighty was felt as his savior and strength. Although now God seems to have become an enemy, He will not deny that once He has had a very different experience. Then nature was friendly, no harm came to him; he was not afraid of the plague that walks in darkness or of the destruction that withers away at noon, for the Almighty was his refuge and fortress. Refusing this tribute of gratitude is far from Job’s spirit, and job’s expression is a sign that now he has finally returned to a better spirit. He seems to be on the verge of fully regaining his trust. The elements of his past happiness are told in detail. God watched over him with constant care, the lamp of divine love shone above and illuminated the darkness, so that even at night he could travel by a path he did not know and feel safe. The days of strength and pleasure were those when God’s secret, the sense of intimate communion with God, was on his tent, when his children were around him, that beautiful band of sons and daughters who were his pride. Then his footsteps were bathed in abundance, butter provided by countless fruits, rivers of oil that seemed to flow from the rock, where terrace on terrace the olives grew abundantly and gave without fail their fruits.
Primarily, Job remembers with gratitude to God the esteem in which he was held by all that surrounded him. The nature was friendly and the men were no less friendly. When he entered the city and sat in the “wide square” inside the gate, he was recognized as head of the council and the court of judgment. The young men withdrew and stood aside, yes the elders, already seated in the place of the assembly, rose to receive him as their superior in position and wisdom. The discussion was suspended so that he could hear and decide. And the reasons for this respect are given. In the society thus represented with idyllic touches, two qualities were highly esteemed: respect for the poor and wisdom in counseling. Then as now, the problem of poverty was of great concern to the elders of the cities. Although the population of an Arab city could not be large, there were many widows and orphaned children, families reduced to begging by disease or the failure of their poor livelihoods, blind and lame people totally dependent on charity, in addition to wandering foreigners and desert vagrants.
By his princely generosity towards the latter, Job had won the recognition of the whole region. The need has been met, poverty has been alleviated, justice has been done in all cases. He recounts what he did, not out of bragging, but as someone who rejoiced in the ability God had given him to help his suffering fellow men. It was indeed a royal era for the man with a generous heart. Full of public spirit, his ear and hand always open, giving freely of his abundance, he recommended himself to the affectionate gaze of the whole valley. The easy way to give alms was the only way in which relief was brought to the destitute, and Job was never invoked in vain. “The ear that heard me blessed me, the eye that saw me witness, Because I delivered the poor who cried, And the orphan who had no assistant. Regarded with this great esteem, a leader recognized by virtue of his goodness and boundless cheerfulness, he seemed to make sunshine for the whole community. That was the past. Everything that had been left, seemingly forever.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
Last line of Job: ah, the beautiful days of yesteryear:
- Providence sustains, it preserves the faithful
Dt 6:24 Jehovah commanded us to put all these laws into practice, and to fear Jehovah, our God, that we might always be happy, and that He would keep our lives, as He does today. Ps 31:24 Love the Lord, you who have godliness! The Lord guards the faithful, and He severely punishes the proud. Ps 37:28 For the Lord loves righteousness, and he does not abandon his faithful; They are still in his custody, but the seed of the wicked is entrenched. 2 Tim 4:18 The Lord will deliver me from all evil work, and He will save me to bring me into His celestial kingdom. To him be the glory to the centuries of the centuries! Amen!
- God, a light
Ps 27:1 of David. Jehovah is my light and salvation: Who would I fear? Jehovah is the support of my life: Who would I be afraid of? Isa 60:20 Your sun will no longer set, and your moon will no longer darken; For the Lord will be your light forever, and the days of your mourning will be over. 1 John 1:5 The news that we have learned from Him, and that we are announcing to you, is that God is light, and that there is no darkness in Him. Rev 22:5 There will be no more night; and they will need neither a lamp nor a light, because the Lord God will enlighten them. And they will reign in centuries of centuries.
- Friendship of Christ
John 11:5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. John 11:35-36 Jesus wept. 36 On which the Jews said: See how he loved him. John 13:23 One of the disciples, the one Jesus loved, was lying on Jesus’ womb. John 15:15 I no longer call you servants, because the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you all that I have learned from my Father.
- True human sympathy, characteristics of
-Benevolence Isa 58:7 Share your bread with the hungry, and bring into your house the unfortunate without asylum; If you see a naked man, cover him, and do not turn away from your fellow man.
-Help Acts 20:35 I have shown you in every way that it is by working in this way that one must sustain the weak, and remember the words of the Lord, who said himself: There is more happiness in giving than in receiving.
-Bearing burdens Rom 15:1 Paul, servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, except to proclaim the Gospel of God, –
-Interest in the unfortunate Hb 13.3 Remember the prisoners, as if you were also prisoners; those who are mistreated, as also being yourselves in a body.
-To visit the needy Jas 1:27 Pure and spotless religion, before God our Father, consists in visiting orphans and widows in their afflictions, and in protecting oneself from the defilements of the world.
From all the above, we note that aswild donkeys, they bawled in the brush and threw themselves among the nettles. As children, they were fools, vile men, who had dishonored their humanity and had been driven out of the country. Such are those whose song and speech have become Job. Those, even those hate him and spit in his face. For good there is evil, for light and order there is darkness. Does God desire it, does He command it? One is inclined to wonder if the abundant compassion and humanity of the Book of Job fail at this point. These wretched creatures who make their lair like ferocious beasts among nettles, outcasts, stigmatized as thieves, a native wandering race, are still men. Their fathers may have fallen into the vices of abject poverty. But why would Job have said that he would have disdained to put them with the dogs in his flock? In a previous speech (chapter 24), he described victims of oppression who had no cover in the cold and were soaked by the rain of the mountains, clinging to the rock for shelter; and of them he spoke softly, sympathetically. But here he seems to go beyond compassion. Perhaps it could be said that the tone he is taking now is forgivable, or almost, because these miserable beings, whom he may have treated with kindness in the past, have seized the opportunity of his misery and illness to insult him in the face. While the words seem harsh, the uselessness of the outcast may be the critical point. Yet some of the pride of birth clings to Job. In this respect, it is not perfect; here his prosperous life needs control. The Almighty must speak to him out of the storm so that he can feel and find “the blessing of being small.” These outcasts get rid of all restraint and behave with shameful rudeness in his presence. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom as I walk in your ways.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow “Job’s last reply(continued): what now? (Jb 30)
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.