Job, Lord, losses, prayed, friends, twice, restored

Job 42:10
And the Lord restored Job’s losses[a] when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. 

We know the story of Job of how he lost everything, and Job persevered and refused to curse God. Finally God restored more to Job more than what he originally had. But the interesting thing from the verse above is that God restored Job's losses after he started praying for His friends. God had intended to bless Job. However, God's timing was that the blessings would be released only after Job prayed for his friends who had been critical of him. Praying for others have absolutely no disadvantage to us, and the time we spend doing so, will be more than recompensed by God. 

Job’s Repentance and Restoration

In all the book of Job, most of it was about Job or his friends arguing or lamenting. It is not until this final chapter that we see the full restoration of Job and in fact he had greater blessings than before. A few points to note that when God at last spoke to him, Job realised he had spoken without understanding and in the process said wrong things about God. He admitted the sovereignty of God, and repented of his complaints.

In this short chapter, it is easy to gloss over the blessings upon Job after his repentance. Looking at the details, we see Job's restoration to the point that he became an intercessor / priest where God chosen him to present the burnt offerings from his friends to God. This shows God's deep relationship with Job. This spiritual restoration would have pleased and satisfied anyone, but God also chose to bless and restore Job materially.

To be specific, Job was blessed with more than he had before the disasters. His farm business thrived. Being older, he still was able to have another seven sons and three daughters, exactly the same number before the disasters. No doubt it was still painful for him to lost the first 10 children, he had the pleasure to raise another ten. Also note that the new ten children did not seem to indulge in themselves as much as the first ten. Job got to see his children for four generations. Another unusual aspect was his three daughters getting an inheritance in a time when it was usually given to males only.

Job 42

 1 Then Job answered the LORD and said:
 2 “I know that You can do everything,      And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.
 3 You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
      Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
 4 Listen, please, and let me speak;      You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’
 5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,      But now my eye sees You.
 6 Therefore I abhor myself,      And repent in dust and ashes.”
7 And so it was, after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.
8 Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.”
9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the LORD commanded them; for the LORD had accepted Job.
10 And the LORD restored Job’s losses[a] when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
11 Then all his brothers, all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances before, came to him and ate food with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that the LORD had brought upon him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and each a ring of gold.
12 Now the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys.
13 He also had seven sons and three daughters.
14 And he called the name of the first Jemimah, the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-Happuch.
15 In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.
16 After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations.
17 So Job died, old and full of days.

God describes the Leviathan

God continues speaking to Job by describing another great beast - the Leviathan. Some believe this can be a legendary sea monster. In any case, the Leviathan is an awesome creature which no man can control. The point is God made the Leviathan and how much more powerful God is - v11 "Everything under heaven is Mine." From v14-v20, one can easily identify his creature as the legendary fire-breathing dragon of many cultures.

Why is God in his infinite wisdom choose to describe two awesome animals in response to Job's whinging and whining? No doubt God is rebuking Job, but almost in a manner of a Father telling a story to His children. Rather than direct rebuke, God lovingly points out the limited power of man not so much physically, but rather is position relative to the Creator of all things. And perhaps ultimately, as seen in v34, it is to put our pride in check should we think we know enough to tell God what is right or wrong, or question God's justice.


Job 41

 1 “Can you draw out Leviathan[a] with a hook,     Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower?
 2 Can you put a reed through his nose,      Or pierce his jaw with a hook?
 3 Will he make many supplications to you?      Will he speak softly to you?
 4 Will he make a covenant with you?      Will you take him as a servant forever?
 5 Will you play with him as with a bird,      Or will you leash him for your maidens?
 6 Will your companions make a banquet[b] of him?      Will they apportion him among the merchants?
 7 Can you fill his skin with harpoons,      Or his head with fishing spears?
 8 Lay your hand on him;      Remember the battle—       Never do it again!
 9 Indeed, any hope of overcoming him is false;      Shall one not be overwhelmed at the sight of him?
 10 No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up.      Who then is able to stand against Me?

 11 Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him?      Everything under heaven is Mine.
 12 “I will not conceal[c] his limbs,      His mighty power, or his graceful proportions.
 13 Who can remove his outer coat?      Who can approach him with a double bridle?
 14 Who can open the doors of his face,      With his terrible teeth all around?
 15 His rows of scales are his pride,      Shut up tightly as with a seal;
 16 One is so near another      That no air can come between them;
 17 They are joined one to another,      They stick together and cannot be parted.
 18 His sneezings flash forth light,      And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
 19 Out of his mouth go burning lights;      Sparks of fire shoot out.
 20 Smoke goes out of his nostrils,      As from a boiling pot and burning rushes.
 21 His breath kindles coals,      And a flame goes out of his mouth.
 22 Strength dwells in his neck,      And sorrow dances before him.

 23 The folds of his flesh are joined together;      They are firm on him and cannot be moved.
 24 His heart is as hard as stone,      Even as hard as the lower millstone.
 25 When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid;      Because of his crashings they are beside[d] themselves.
 26 Though the sword reaches him, it cannot avail;      Nor does spear, dart, or javelin.
 27 He regards iron as straw,      And bronze as rotten wood.
 28 The arrow cannot make him flee;      Slingstones become like stubble to him.
 29 Darts are regarded as straw;      He laughs at the threat of javelins.
 30 His undersides are like sharp potsherds;      He spreads pointed marks in the mire.
 31 He makes the deep boil like a pot;      He makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
 32 He leaves a shining wake behind him;      One would think the deep had white hair.
 33 On earth there is nothing like him,      Which is made without fear.
 34 He beholds every high thing;      He is king over all the children of pride.”

God challenges Job

This seems like another difficult passage. God continues His challenge to Job. Job finally answers with humility and realizing His unworthiness to have a debate with God. The it seems like God is challenging Job of whether Job can exercise justice on the wicked and the proud. God also brings the Behemoth to illustrate that only God is control of all the animals including the fearsome behemoth. Some believe the behemoth to be a hippopotamus while others think it may be the wooly mammoth. In any case, God shows his majesty and power to Job by reminding him who is really in control.

Job 40

 1 Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said:
 2 “Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him?      He who rebukes God, let him answer it.”

 3 Then Job answered the LORD and said:
 4 “ Behold, I am vile;      What shall I answer You?       I lay my hand over my mouth.
 5 Once I have spoken, but I will not answer;      Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.”

6 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:
 7 “Now prepare yourself like a man;      I will question you, and you shall answer Me:
 8 “ Would you indeed annul My judgment?      Would you condemn Me that you may be justified?
 9 Have you an arm like God?      Or can you thunder with a voice like His?
 10 Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor,      And array yourself with glory and beauty.
 11 Disperse the rage of your wrath;      Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him.
 12 Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low;      Tread down the wicked in their place.
 13 Hide them in the dust together,      Bind their faces in hidden darkness.
 14 Then I will also confess to you      That your own right hand can save you.
 15 “Look now at the behemoth,[a] which I made along with you;      He eats grass like an ox.
 16 See now, his strength is in his hips,      And his power is in his stomach muscles.
 17 He moves his tail like a cedar;      The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit.
 18 His bones are like beams of bronze,      His ribs like bars of iron.
 19 He is the first of the ways of God;      Only He who made him can bring near His sword.
 20 Surely the mountains yield food for him,      And all the beasts of the field play there.
 21 He lies under the lotus trees,      In a covert of reeds and marsh.
 22 The lotus trees cover him with their shade;      The willows by the brook surround him.
 23 Indeed the river may rage,      Yet he is not disturbed;       He is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth,
 24 Though he takes it in his eyes,      Or one pierces his nose with a snare.

Elihu Condemns Self-Righteousness

Elihu rants on based on the simple assumption that since Job proclaims his righteousness and theologically, no one is righteous before God, therefore, Job must be self-righteous. Of course, self-righteousness is not a good thing at all. But how often is it that when someone shares their difficulties and explains that it was through no fault of their own, how often do we feel that the person is self-justifying or worse, self-righteous. There can be many lessons in this, but two that come to mind is that:
i) We should not rush to judge others, especially if they are opening up to us. Instead, let us give them the benefit of the doubt.
ii) Jesus may see through the person's real intent but we cannot see that. So the best we can do to emulate our Lord is to show compassion and be a comforter.

Job 35

 1 Moreover Elihu answered and said:
 2 “Do you think this is right?      Do you say,       ‘My righteousness is more than God’s’?
 3 For you say,      ‘What advantage will it be to You?       What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?’
 4 “I will answer you,      And your companions with you.
 5 Look to the heavens and see;      And behold the clouds—       They are higher than you.
 6 If you sin, what do you accomplish against Him?      Or, if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to Him?
 7 If you are righteous, what do you give Him?      Or what does He receive from your hand?
 8 Your wickedness affects a man such as you,      And your righteousness a son of man.
 9 “ Because of the multitude of oppressions they cry out;      They cry out for help because of the arm of the mighty.
 10 But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker,      Who gives songs in the night,
 11 Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth,      And makes us wiser than the birds of heaven?’
 12 There they cry out, but He does not answer,      Because of the pride of evil men.
 13 Surely God will not listen to empty talk,      Nor will the Almighty regard it.
 14 Although you say you do not see Him,      Yet justice is before Him, and you must wait for Him.
 15 And now, because He has not punished in His anger,      Nor taken much notice of folly,
 16 Therefore Job opens his mouth in vain;      He multiplies words without knowledge.”

Job describing justice and iniquity

In this passage, Job describes what he sees as the way justice, nicely summed up in v11.
An from v13-21 Job shows he understands the compassion that God expects from each one of his followers.
Then in v24-27 Job describes the "iniquity deserving judgement" if he had placed other things like wealth above God.
Job continues to describe other examples of wickedness towards fellow man, almost challenging God that if he had committed any of these, then he would expect full judgement from God. So we see Job still waiting for God for an answer. How long can we wait?

Job 31

 1 “I have made a covenant with my eyes;      Why then should I look upon a young woman?
 2 For what is the allotment of God from above,      And the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?
 3 Is it not destruction for the wicked,      And disaster for the workers of iniquity?
 4 Does He not see my ways,      And count all my steps?
 5 “If I have walked with falsehood,      Or if my foot has hastened to deceit,
 6 Let me be weighed on honest scales,      That God may know my integrity.
 7 If my step has turned from the way,      Or my heart walked after my eyes,       Or if any spot adheres to my hands,
 8 Then let me sow, and another eat;      Yes, let my harvest be rooted out.
 9 “If my heart has been enticed by a woman,      Or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
 10 Then let my wife grind for another,      And let others bow down over her.
 11 For that would be wickedness;      Yes, it would be iniquity deserving of judgment.
 12 For that would be a fire that consumes to destruction,      And would root out all my increase.
 13 “If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant      When they complained against me,
 14 What then shall I do when God rises up?      When He punishes, how shall I answer Him?
 15 Did not He who made me in the womb make them?      Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?
 16 “If I have kept the poor from their desire,      Or caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
 17 Or eaten my morsel by myself,      So that the fatherless could not eat of it
 18 (But from my youth I reared him as a father,      And from my mother’s womb I guided the widow[a]);
 19 If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,      Or any poor man without covering;
 20 If his heart[b] has not blessed me,      And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;
 21 If I have raised my hand against the fatherless,      When I saw I had help in the gate;
 22 Then let my arm fall from my shoulder,      Let my arm be torn from the socket.
 23 For destruction from God is a terror to me,      And because of His magnificence I cannot endure.
 24 “If I have made gold my hope,      Or said to fine gold, ‘You are my confidence’;
 25 If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great,      And because my hand had gained much;
 26 If I have observed the sun[c] when it shines,      Or the moon moving in brightness,
 27 So that my heart has been secretly enticed,      And my mouth has kissed my hand;
 28 This also would be an iniquity deserving of judgment,      For I would have denied God who is above.
 29 “If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me,      Or lifted myself up when evil found him
 30 (Indeed I have not allowed my mouth to sin      By asking for a curse on his soul);
 31 If the men of my tent have not said,      ‘Who is there that has not been satisfied with his meat?’
 32 (But no sojourner had to lodge in the street,      For I have opened my doors to the traveler[d]);
 33 If I have covered my transgressions as Adam,      By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,
 34 Because I feared the great multitude,      And dreaded the contempt of families,       So that I kept silence      And did not go out of the door—
 35 Oh, that I had one to hear me!      Here is my mark.       Oh, that the Almighty would answer me,       That my Prosecutor had written a book!
 36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder,      And bind it on me like a crown;
 37 I would declare to Him the number of my steps;      Like a prince I would approach Him.
 38 “If my land cries out against me,      And its furrows weep together;
 39 If I have eaten its fruit[e] without money,      Or caused its owners to lose their lives;
 40 Then let thistles grow instead of wheat,      And weeds instead of barley.”   The words of Job are ended.

Job shows injustice on Earth

Job talks about the injustice on Earth in this pasaage. From verse 2-12 Job describes how the oppresor violently treat the feeble. He describes how the they take food from the hungry, and clothing from the poor. Finally in verse 12, Job mentions how it appears that God does not execute justice on them just yet. Job goes on to describe the murderer, thief, adulterer and how they think they get away with it. Interestingly Job describes such people as "those who rebel against the light;  They do not know its ways Nor abide in its paths". Clearly, we who live in the post Christ era, know that this is a clear reference to Jesus - being the light. In other words, those wicked people are those that either do not know the way of Christ or obey Christ.

So what is Job doing? Simply pointing out that there are wicked people and deeds on Earth that are blatantly against God's principle - yet no all of them are punished in this lifetime. Sounds unfair - but also shows how realistically Scripture describes the real world.


1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Job 24

Job Complains of Violence on the Earth

 1 “Since times are not hidden from the Almighty, Why do those who know Him see not His days?
 2 “Some remove landmarks; They seize flocks violently and feed on them;
 3 They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; They take the widow’s ox as a pledge.
 4 They push the needy off the road; All the poor of the land are forced to hide.
 5 Indeed, like wild donkeys in the desert, They go out to their work, searching for food. The wilderness yields food for them and for their children.

 6 They gather their fodder in the field And glean in the vineyard of the wicked.
 7 They spend the night naked, without clothing, And have no covering in the cold.
 8 They are wet with the showers of the mountains, And huddle around the rock for want of shelter.
 9 “Some snatch the fatherless from the breast, And take a pledge from the poor.
 10 They cause the poor to go naked, without clothing; And they take away the sheaves from the hungry.

 11 They press out oil within their walls, And tread winepresses, yet suffer thirst.
 12 The dying groan in the city, And the souls of the wounded cry out; Yet God does not charge them with wrong.
 13 “There are those who rebel against the light; They do not know its ways Nor abide in its paths.
 14 The murderer rises with the light;  He kills the poor and needy; And in the night he is like a thief.
 15 The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight, Saying, ‘No eye will see me’;  And he disguises his face.

 16 In the dark they break into houses Which they marked for themselves in the daytime; They do not know the light.
 17 For the morning is the same to them as the shadow of death; If someone recognizes them, They are in the terrors of the shadow of death.
 18 “They should be swift on the face of the waters,  Their portion should be cursed in the earth, So that no one would turn into the way of their vineyards.
 19 As drought and heat consume the snow waters, So the grave[a]consumes those who have sinned.
 20 The womb should forget him, The worm should feed sweetly on him; He should be remembered no more, And wickedness should be broken like a tree.

 21 For he preys on the barren who do not bear, And does no good for the widow.
 22 “But God draws the mighty away with His power; He rises up, but no man is sure of life.
 23 He gives them security, and they rely on it; Yet His eyes are on their ways.
 24 They are exalted for a little while, Then they are gone. They are brought low; They are taken out of the way like all others; They dry out like the heads of grain.
 25 “Now if it is not so, who will prove me a liar, And make my speech worth nothing?”

Job's counter examples against wickedness as cause of sufferings

Here is Job's response to his friend's suggestions that the wicked will be punished in this life and implying that Job was wicked as shown by the evidence of his punishment. Job starts of by warning his friends, saying Prepare to be Astonished - v3 "Put your hand over your mouth".

So Job begins to explain:

v7 - wicked people live to old age and become powerful.

v8 - they see their grandchildren mature, or even great grandchildren.

v9 - their homes are safe and secure

v10 - their lifestock or business prosper

v11-13 - the wicked enjoy wealth and pleasure

v14 - 15 - the wicked reject God

v19-21 So some believe that the wicked, although are not punished immediately, they will see the punishment on their children.
v25-26 - both the wicked who enjoyed pleasures and perhaps the non-wicked who did not enjoy pleasures, they will come to the same end in their lives.


So Job is saying that there are many examples in life that the wicked appear to enjoy a pleasurable life. Some even die happy. And if their punishment is reserved for their children, then the wicked ones escapes the punishment - clearly there is no justice and truth in that. The last verses, Job emphasize further that even when they die, sometimes the wicked are being honored, they have big funeral processions, they are buried in expensive grounds. These are clear evidence of Job's friends incorrect theories about wickedness as the cause of Job's or anyone else's sufferings.

Job 21

Job’s Discourse on the Wicked

 ¹ Then Job answered and said: ² “Listen carefully to my speech,
      And let this be your consolation.
 ³ Bear with me that I may speak,
      And after I have spoken, keep mocking.
 ⁴ “As for me, is my complaint against man?
      And if it were, why should I not be impatient?
 ⁵ Look at me and be astonished;
      Put your hand over your mouth.
 ⁶ Even when I remember I am terrified,
      And trembling takes hold of my flesh.
 ⁷ Why do the wicked live and become old,
      Yes, become mighty in power?
 ⁸ Their descendants are established with them in their sight,
      And their offspring before their eyes.
 ⁹ Their houses are safe from fear,
      Neither is the rod of God upon them.
 ¹⁰ Their bull breeds without failure;
      Their cow calves without miscarriage.
 ¹¹ They send forth their little ones like a flock,
      And their children dance.
 ¹² They sing to the tambourine and harp,
      And rejoice to the sound of the flute.
 ¹³ They spend their days in wealth,
      And in a moment go down to the grave.^[a]
 14 Yet they say to God, ‘Depart from us,
      For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways.
 ¹⁵ Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him?
      And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?’
 ¹⁶ Indeed their prosperity is not in their hand;
      The counsel of the wicked is far from me.
 ¹⁷ “How often is the lamp of the wicked put out?
      How often does their destruction come upon them,
      The sorrows God distributes in His anger?
 ¹⁸ They are like straw before the wind,
      And like chaff that a storm carries away.
 ¹⁹ They say, ‘God lays up one’s^[b] iniquity for his children’;
      Let Him recompense him, that he may know it.
 ²⁰ Let his eyes see his destruction,
      And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
 ²¹ For what does he care about his household after him,
      When the number of his months is cut in half?
 ²² “Can anyone teach God knowledge,
      Since He judges those on high?
 ²³ One dies in his full strength,
      Being wholly at ease and secure;
 ²⁴ His pails^[c] are full of milk,
      And the marrow of his bones is moist.
 ²⁵ Another man dies in the bitterness of his soul,
      Never having eaten with pleasure.
 ²⁶ They lie down alike in the dust,
      And worms cover them.
 ²⁷ “Look, I know your thoughts,
      And the schemes with which you would wrong me.
 ²⁸ For you say,
‘ Where is the house of the prince?
      And where is the tent,^[d]
      The dwelling place of the wicked?’
 ²⁹ Have you not asked those who travel the road?
      And do you not know their signs?
 ³⁰ For the wicked are reserved for the day of doom;
      They shall be brought out on the day of wrath.
 ³¹ Who condemns his way to his face?
      And who repays him for what he has done?
 ³² Yet he shall be brought to the grave,
      And a vigil kept over the tomb.
 ³³ The clods of the valley shall be sweet to him;
      Everyone shall follow him,
      As countless have gone before him.
 ³⁴ How then can you comfort me with empty words,
      Since falsehood remains in your answers?”

In the passage below, Zophar describes the judgement awaiting the wicked man both in heaven and earth. As he describes how the gain of the wicked man is quite fleeting, he goes on to describe the numerous punishments. This may not be too different to hearing various religious ideas, especially those that focusses on judgement and avoidance.

There are two major assumptions in Zophar's argument. He already assumes that Job is guilty of specific sins which brought about the disaster. The second assumption assumes a rigid and unmerciful God. We know both to be false. So although Zophar's arguments may sound like justice is being done on the wicked, it is also being applied in an incorrect context.

Job 20

 ¹ Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:
 ² “ Therefore my anxious thoughts make me answer,
      Because of the turmoil within me.
 ³ I have heard the rebuke that reproaches me,
      And the spirit of my understanding causes me to answer.
 ⁴ “Do you not know this of old,
      Since man was placed on earth,
 ⁵ That the triumphing of the wicked is short,
      And the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment?
 ⁶ Though his haughtiness mounts up to the heavens,
      And his head reaches to the clouds,
 ⁷ Yet he will perish forever like his own refuse;
      Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’
 ⁸ He will fly away like a dream, and not be found;
      Yes, he will be chased away like a vision of the night.
 ⁹ The eye that saw him will see him no more,
      Nor will his place behold him anymore.
 ¹⁰ His children will seek the favor of the poor,
      And his hands will restore his wealth.
 ¹¹ His bones are full of his youthful vigor,
      But it will lie down with him in the dust.
 ¹² “ Though evil is sweet in his mouth,
      And he hides it under his tongue,
 ¹³ Though he spares it and does not forsake it,
      But still keeps it in his mouth,
 ¹⁴ Yet his food in his stomach turns sour;
      It becomes cobra venom within him.
 ¹⁵ He swallows down riches
      And vomits them up again;
      God casts them out of his belly.
 ¹⁶ He will suck the poison of cobras;
      The viper’s tongue will slay him.
 ¹⁷ He will not see the streams,
      The rivers flowing with honey and cream.
 ¹⁸ He will restore that for which he labored,
      And will not swallow it down;
      From the proceeds of business
      He will get no enjoyment.
 ¹⁹ For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor,
      He has violently seized a house which he did not build.
 ²⁰ “ Because he knows no quietness in his heart,^[a]
      He will not save anything he desires.
 ²¹ Nothing is left for him to eat;
      Therefore his well-being will not last.
 ²² In his self-sufficiency he will be in distress;
      Every hand of misery will come against him.
 ²³ When he is about to fill his stomach,
      God will cast on him the fury of His wrath,
      And will rain it on him while he is eating.
 ²⁴ He will flee from the iron weapon;
      A bronze bow will pierce him through.
 ²⁵ It is drawn, and comes out of the body;
      Yes, the glittering point comes out of his gall.
      Terrors come upon him;
 ²⁶ Total darkness is reserved for his treasures.
      An unfanned fire will consume him;
      It shall go ill with him who is left in his tent.
 ²⁷ The heavens will reveal his iniquity,
      And the earth will rise up against him.
 ²⁸ The increase of his house will depart,
      And his goods will flow away in the day of His wrath.
 ²⁹ This is the portion from God for a wicked man,
      The heritage appointed to him by God.”

Job's Hope

The passage below again shows the great despair Job faced. What else can he look forward to than the grave? He still holds on to his innocence. He has already lost hope that his friends can be a comfort towards him.Yet he has not cursed God, something which Satan was hoping for. Also there was hope left in him v16; though Job himself may be confused by this, hence his questioning on where his hope lies. For the believers, we know for sure where or who our Hope is......Yeshua.

Job 17

1 “My spirit is broken,  My days are extinguished, The grave is ready for me.

2 Are not mockers with me? And does not my eye dwell on their provocation?
3 “Now put down a pledge for me with Yourself. Who is he who will shake hands with me?
4 For You have hidden their heart from understanding; Therefore You will not exalt them.
 5 He who speaks flattery to his friends,  Even the eyes of his children will fail.
 6 “But He has made me a byword of the people, And I have become one in whose face men spit.
 7 My eye has also grown dim because of sorrow, And all my members are like shadows.
 8 Upright men are astonished at this, And the innocent stirs himself up against the hypocrite.
 9 Yet the righteous will hold to his way, And he who has clean hands will be stronger and stronger.
 10 “But please, come back again, all of you,[a] For I shall not find one wise man among you.
 11 My days are past, My purposes are broken off, Even the thoughts of my heart.
 12 They change the night into day; ‘The light is near,’ they say, in the face of darkness.
 13 If I wait for the grave as my house, If I make my bed in the darkness,
 14 If I say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’ And to the worm, ‘You are my mother and my sister,’
 15 Where then is my hope? As for my hope, who can see it?
 16 Will they go down to the gates of Sheol?  Shall we have rest together in the dust?”

Job stands his ground

Here is another volley fired by Job at his friends, not so much with malice, but rather to set the record straight.   He calls them "miserable comforters" - wouldn't we like to have friends like that? 


Job says that if his position was reversed, he would act as a comforter to his friends. Then he describes how tired he is of this situation and the debate with his friends. Once again he describes God as the one punishing him. Yet in the midst of attributing such punishments to God, and knowing his innocence, he continues to cry and plead with God. This is because Job also knows that he has an advocate in Heaven (hinting at our Lord Jesus), as he says " Surely even now my witness is in heaven, And my evidence is on high."




Job 16
Job Reproaches His Pitiless Friends
 ¹ Then Job answered and said:
 ² “I have heard many such things;
      Miserable comforters are you all!
 ³ Shall words of wind have an end?
      Or what provokes you that you answer?
 ⁴ I also could speak as you do,
      If your soul were in my soul’s place.
      I could heap up words against you,
      And shake my head at you;
 ⁵ But I would strengthen you with my mouth,
      And the comfort of my lips would relieve your grief.
 ⁶ “ Though I speak, my grief is not relieved;
      And if I remain silent, how am I eased?
 ⁷ But now He has worn me out;
      You have made desolate all my company.
 ⁸ You have shriveled me up,
      And it is a witness against me;
      My leanness rises up against me
      And bears witness to my face.
 ⁹ He tears me in His wrath, and hates me;
      He gnashes at me with His teeth;
      My adversary sharpens His gaze on me.
 ¹⁰ They gape at me with their mouth,
      They strike me reproachfully on the cheek,
      They gather together against me.
 ¹¹ God has delivered me to the ungodly,
      And turned me over to the hands of the wicked.
 ¹² I was at ease, but He has shattered me;
      He also has taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces;
      He has set me up for His target,
 ¹³ His archers surround me.
      He pierces my heart^[a] and does not pity;
      He pours out my gall on the ground.
 ¹⁴ He breaks me with wound upon wound;
      He runs at me like a warrior.^[b]
 15 “I have sewn sackcloth over my skin,
      And laid my head^[c] in the dust.
 ¹⁶ My face is flushed from weeping,
      And on my eyelids is the shadow of death;
 ¹⁷ Although no violence is in my hands,
      And my prayer is pure.
 ¹⁸ “O earth, do not cover my blood,
      And let my cry have no resting place!
 ¹⁹ Surely even now my witness is in heaven,
      And my evidence is on high.
 ²⁰ My friends scorn me;
      My eyes pour out tears to God.
 ²¹ Oh, that one might plead for a man with God,
      As a man pleads for his neighbor!
 ²² For when a few years are finished,
      I shall go the way of no return.