Calvary Baptist Church

The Power of “Beginning Again” is a story told repeatedly in the pages of Scripture.  God is a gracious God who starts again with His people.

Job has endured and unimaginable season.  He has lost everything except his wife and his life.  His struggle is intense.  But now it is over.  He has endured the pain and learned the lesson of God’s greatness.

In the last chapter of the book, we find the restoration of Job in three areas.

The Restoration of Humble Worship (42:1-6)

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.”

In the beginning of the book Job worshipped the Lord in a sincere and simple way.  He trusted God.  He made sacrifices to His Lord.  He even went so far in his commitment that he even sacrificed for his children on the chance that they may have sinned.

But after the intense losses Job’s worship life was interrupted.  He tried to make his argument before God.  He had wanted to control the narrative.  The blind, dependent creature dared to challenge the infinite creator. 

Then God spoke.  God demanded submission, and Job gives it.  Job confessed God’s might.  He, further, confessed that God’s revelation is too great for Job.  He admits that God’s plans are incredible and that we will never understand them. 

Job’s arrogant claims melted away.  His defiant ego is tamed.  His self-righteousness caused him to sin.  Now he repents.  This is an important Biblical word which means to breathe heavily, to sigh, to grieve, or to lament.

Job breathes deeply and waives the white flag.  He has determined that he could not resist God’s power.  With this attitude his heart is now yielded, and he is ready to worship again.

The lesson for us is simple.  After the most intense struggles God restores our worship.  It may have been a long time, but God will bring you back to worship.

The Restoration of Ministry (42:7-9)

To understand the second part of Job’s restoration we must briefly review the journey Job has endured in seeking for and understanding the presence of a mediator. 

In 9:33 Job cried out “³³ If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to bring us together.”^[1]

From the depth of his soul Job longed for someone to take up his cause.  He cried out for just one person to stand him.  How often people would make such a cry.  If they only had one person to stand in the gap.  If only there was someone.

As we learned in previous sections of this study there were times when Job’s faith ebbed and other times when it flowed.   At times he stood strong, at other times he wallowed in self-pity.

On one occasion Job spoke of just such a mediator, believing God for an intercessor who would come.  In 16:19-21 Job spoke of Jesus.

Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. ²⁰ My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; ²¹ on behalf of a man he pleads with God as one pleads for a friend. ^[2]

 

Before Jesus was known, before He was born on earth Job believed for Him and His ministry.  Jesus is our mediator, our great high priest.  He is given four titles: witness, advocate, intercessor, and friend. 

Now in an amazing twist Job is vindicated by God. He is called God’s servant four times and given a ministry.

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.

Job’s unfaithful friends are given the task of bringing an enormous animal sacrifice because they are found to have not spoken truthfully about God. 

Don’t miss this part.  They are to bring the sacrifice to Job who would talk to God for them.  That’s right Job would serve in the role that he longed for someone to fill.  No one talked to God on his behalf, but now Job would talk to God for them.  Job would stand in the gap.

The lesson for us is powerful.  If you have a personal relationship with Jesus, you are priests in the kingdom.  YOU get to serve in that middle ground.  You bring the needs of people to God, touching both man’s hurts and God’s grace.   Stand there for them.

The Restoration of Job’s Family and Fortune (42:10-17)

Finally, Job’s family and fortune are given back to him.

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’s faith is vindicated. God gives him back all that he lost and more.  Job emerges triumphant, standing tall.

God does not wait for Job’s work to catch up to Him.  He gives him a gift and restores him.  Job’s possessions are doubled.  He is given new children and a long life. He lives a long-life span, twice as long as normal. 

Permit a couple of thoughts.  First, notice that Job’s extended family comes back.  Doubtless they enjoyed Job’s vast wealth before this struggle.  Throughout the book of Job, we don’t see them.   Where were they?  Why were they silent?  We must guard against standing with someone only when times are good.

Second, please avoid thinking that because someone has a new person in their life (another child, another spouse) the pain is somehow lessened.  Job, no doubt, mourned his children even after the new children are born.  We add hurt to their unimaginable pain if we assume their grief is lessened.  Do not do it.

Finally, God did NOT promise us that our lives will be filled with health and wealth in this world.  Yes, Job was restored but others were not.  We cannot follow the false teachers who promise us money and wellness.

Jesus promised us that nothing we sacrifice to follow Him in this world will go unnoticed.  No loss will escape His omniscient gaze.  When we reach our heavenly home, we will be rewarded for what we have given.

Which would you rather have wealth in this world that fades or wealth in the next that endures forever?  Recovery from an illness in this world leaves us waiting the next illness. 

No, God will restore us permanently in the new heaven and the new earth.  Wealth in that world endures forever.

• • God doubles down.
  • God grants him a long life.
  • Question: Do you wonder what Satan would have to say

LESSONS AS WE LEAVE JOB

• We never know ahead of time the plans God has for us.
• A vertical perspective will keep us from a horizontal panic.  We may have pain beyond description.  Keep your eyes on God and you can endure.
• Discernment is needed to detect wrong advice from well-meaning people.  Some of their words were wrong.  His wife urged him to curse God and die.  That was not the plan of God.  He has a plan.
• Sound theology helps us remain strong and stable.
• Caring and sensitive friends know when to come and how to respond.  Love brought them.  At least initially, compassion flowed from them.  Yes, they made errors in their speech, but they came.  Do the same.
• Obedient endurance is the crowning mark of maturity.  We, like them, are in the heat of battle.   Growing old does not equal growing up.  We must develop a maturity that enables us to stand no matter what.