Job 42
After hearing God speak about various subjects, Job answers God with enlightenment. Job has nothing further to say, the matter is concluded for Job. What is clear is that God does not have an overwhelming issue with Job. Twice God commends Job for putting forth truth concerning the ways of God. In the end, Job will be blessed with a new family and twice what he previously had. It seems that people’s attitudes have changed as well. No longer do people avoid and look down upon Job, they honor him. If this chapter was all there was to the story, one would think it would be enough for people to quit condemning Job. And then one would start to look deeply into the words of Job for wisdom. Job gave an example to live by, not perfect, but better than most. Many could benefit if they would more closely examine the life of Job.
Job 42:1-2
1Then Job answered Yehovah, and said, 2I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.
Job, as in the beginning, gives deference to God. Job stated, as he did earlier in the book, God can do all and knows all. God does as He chooses. This was never questioned by Job. Job’s error was that although he was a faithful servant, he desired that his life would end.
Unfortunately, there is a breaking point for all of us. Our best outside of God is never good enough. Without the hedge of protection that God affords, we are all easy targets for the devil, believer and non-believer alike. If one does not have that hedge or they allow it to deteriorate, life becomes difficult rather quickly. The world is just waiting to takedown the weak believer.
Job 42:3
3Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.
The first part of this verse is similar to what God stated in Job 38:2.
2Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?
As similar as they may seem, they are light years apart. The Hebrew words for darkeneth in Job 38:2 and hideth in Job 42:3 are completely different. In Job 38:2 it is chashak (H2821), in Job 42:3 it is alam (H5956).
In Job 38:2, God is asking who darkeneth counsel. This refers to one who has caused it to grow dim dark, darken, deprive of light. As stated by God, it is the one that obscures and confuses others of their true purpose. One who has made it almost impossible to understand clearly. The root world is likened to be placed in a dungeon. This is what Elihu had done. He had caused many to completely miss the purpose of the book of Job. Those that side with Elihu have completely overlooked the half lies he had professed. So much so, that many claim he is actually a prophet. Unless one carefully studies the Book of Job, it is easy to miss that Elihu is very similar to Satan in the way he puts forth truth.
In Job 42:3, it is Job that is stating that he hideth counsel. This refers to one that has concealed, hidden or has placed a vail over truth. For alam (H5956), the root word is likened to a mystery or unknown future. Unfortunately, this is what Job had inadvertently caused to happen. Because Job did not joyfully walk in the situation and preferred death over life, it has damaged his witness. Job did not live out and fulfill Romans 12:1-2.
1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Job was an unwilling participant in his suffering. The pain became so much so, and because of his lack of understanding resulting from the confusing circumstances, he was ready to check out. Job opted for a path one would take in the world as opposed to serving God. Thereby, he did not demonstrate the perfect will of God. This, in itself, has resulted in many doubting his witness. Which has lead people to completely discount what he has stated in the Book. Although God will state twice that Job spoke correctly, most do not believe Job’s words. And instead of looking for wisdom, many look for a sin that does not even exist.
Job 38:2 and Job 42:3, are completely opposite statements. Elihu was intentional in what he did, whereas Job was unintentional.
As for the second half of Job 42:2, and throughout the Book of Job, Job admitted to not knowing certain subjects, Job 9:9-10.
9Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south. 10Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number.
Job 26:14
14Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? But the thunder of his power who can understand?
The issue in Job 42 is more in alignment with the previous four chapters. When one compares their life with the overall plan of God, it is insignificant and of little consequence. None of us are essential to bringing forth the minutest part of God’s plan. God had partially revealed to Job some of what was occurring. When given the opportunity to be a participant in God’s overall plan, one should willingly comply. Job was no longer a willing participant. Job discovered that outside of God, one fails miserably. Yet as the apostles stated in Acts 5:41.
41And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name
It is a great honor to suffer for His sake, so that God’s plan would come to pass. Whether we participate or not, there are always those that are willing. Job became unwilling when he would have preferred to never have been born or when he was looking forward to death. When one is a servant of God as Job was, they will be called upon to suffer for the purposes of God. It is not time to go into retirement. There is always a purpose to fulfill in the kingdom of God. There is always something more that one can do to serve in God’s kingdom.
Job 42:4
4Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
Job recounts a statement he previously made. Now he acknowledges the error of his understanding. As a servant one does not question, one fulfills the will of he master. For most of Job’s life this is what he had done; that is why he was called a servant. However, he failed to do this in the Book of Job. When one walks with God, He reveals His truth to them. God’s truth comes first by obedience to Him. Then through that obedience, truth is revealed, as Yeshua explained in John 8:31-32.
31Then said Yeshua to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Yeshua stated that if one continues in His word that makes them an adherent follower, a disciple. It is a disciple that would know the truth. That truth would set people free. Although many will state that knowing the truth will set them free, that is not necessarily true. It is important to have a proper understanding of exactly what is being said or else one will not be free. John 8:30-31 is a conditional statement. If one wants to be set free, one must meet the condition.
Job 42:5-6
5I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. 6Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.
At this time, one cannot know for sure what Job had heard. One can read the words, but what God had enlightened Job with is different. It is clear from Exodus 33:20 that Job did not see God’s face.
20And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live
Whatever Job saw of God, had a profound effect on him. It caused Job to repent of his desire to question God.
Often as humans, there are various questions one would like to ask God. However, when that time comes, the so-called issues will become meaninglessness. Their complaints and questions will fall to the wayside and fade forever from their minds. When one is before God whether in the spirit or in the future to come, God’s presence will overshadow their miniscule issues of life. And if God so chooses, He can enlighten one with understanding that will more than fulfill their personal desires. For Job, that had occurred and all prior issues became unimportant except what God put forth.
This very thing happened to Moses, when he was before God, Exodus 33:12-13.
12And Moses said unto Yehovah, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. 13Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.
Moses had some questions here. For him, they were important. Moses wanted to know who would go with them. Further Moses wanted to know God’s ways, customs and manners for life. God told Moses in Exodus 33:14.
14And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
God told Moses that He would go with them and they would have rest. God was prepared to make the journey light and easy for the Children of Israel. This was a new thing to happen, it had never occurred prior to this. Yet Moses was not satisfied with God’s answer. Moses continues to ask in Exodus 33:15-16.
15And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. 16For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
Moses continues to question and doubt that God will do such a thing. Do not be hard on Moses, most are not much better. Moses is questioning about something that has never been done before. Something that would literally change the region forever, that would forever establish a people of God. Moses is speaking about bringing over three million people into the land and displacing millions more. This is not a small thing. When faced with much smaller circumstances, we question and many times literally give up. God tells Moses in Exodus 33:17.
17And Yehovah said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.
God stated that He will do for Moses what he has asked. What follows is that God tells Moses that he cannot see God’s face, His presence. God will make provision for him by covering Moses’ face. When God passes before Moses in Exodus 34, Moses responds in Exodus 34:8-9.
8And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped. 9And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.
After the presence of God passes by, there is no longer any questioning. Moses bowed, worshiped God and pleaded with Him for the repentance of the people. God did not speak one word of how He was to accomplish the task, just that He would. Now Moses is satisfied and all questioning ends. It will be the same for us, when we come before His total presence in the future to come.
Why wait, God assures us in the present, Ephesians 1:17-19
17That the God of our Lord Yeshua Messiah, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us- ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power
God is willing to reveal truth and enlightenment to us in this present time. But we must be serious about walking in God’s truth. When we are, God will give us the ministry of the Holy Spirit to help us understand the Bible. Study is insufficient to guarantee understanding. Only through God’s Spirit can understanding come.
Job 42:7
7And it was so, that after Yehovah had spoken these words unto Job, Yehovah said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.
God now addresses Eliphaz. What is stated here is something one should never want to hear, unless one is as Job. Eliphaz and his friends spoke of God; however, God makes it clear that their words were filled with error. He juxtaposes this with Job, who spoke correctly. As one continues to the end of the book, there is something obviously missing. Elihu who spoke for six chapters, slightly less than Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar combined, is not even mentioned. God is silent concerning Elihu, who many seem to think was sent by God to straighten out Job. One would think that this is enough of a confirmation that Elihu was way out of bounds in his rhetoric. Yet many are confused on this subject. It was Elihu who darkened counsel.
Job 42:8-9
8Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job. 9So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as Yehovah commanded them: Yehovah also accepted Job.
Again, God’s condemnation of Eliphaz and his friends, while God praises Job. God actually tells Eliphaz that his words were folly. Not a sterling appraisal for the three who had continuously condemned Job. It is interesting that Job, who so many have questioned, was absolutely right in his appraisal of the ways of God.
It brings a lot of credence to Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 1:27.
27But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
So often the wisdom of God seems foolish to the world. That is because the wise of the world operate in delusion to God’s truth. God’s truth cannot be understood by just anyone. It requires that one walks with God as described early in the chapter.
The condition that sets one free is not knowing the truth. The condition that sets one free is continuing in the word. If one really wants to have freedom of the word in their life and understand truth; they need to continue in Yeshua’s word. That actually means one has to walk Yeshua’s word out and not someone else’s. To do that one must know the Bible; something so few have done in this lifetime and those before us. Those that do not walk in God’s truth are suspect. Be very careful when accepting the words of another who is not walking as Yeshua walked. The world cannot understand when they do not even begin to operate in the realm of God’s truth.
God told Eliphaz and his friends to offer a sacrifice and have Job pray for them. This is because their prayers would be unacceptable. As for Job, it states in James 5:16.
16Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Again, God acknowledges Job’s righteousness. Yet many people try to pin various sins on him. Maybe what we ought to do is diligently study this book and then many would realize that they, too, have missed the wisdom of God. Throughout history, Job has been condemned by those who are less than his equal. However, that is human nature to underestimate the wisdom of God, to miss the deeper spiritual truths even when it is before us.
Job 42:10
10And Yehovah turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also Yehovah gave Job twice as much as he had before.
If Job was as bad as everyone one claimed, why would God bless him with twice as much. It would seem to be rewarding evil with good, God does not do that. The world may do that, but God certainly does not. Paul stated in Romans 3:8.
8And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.
People need to come to grips with the truth of the Book of Job. He was a righteous man. The so-called sins that everyone seems to want to accuse him of have no meaning. Job’s greatest failing was that he wanted to short circuit God’s plan. That is something many believers do every day of their lives, because many refuse to totally walk in God’s ways. No one has been able to do that or will do that with the exception of Yeshua.
Job 42:11
11Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that Yehovah had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold.
After God commends Job for speaking rightly, it seems that there is no lack of supporters. Remember what Job said in Job 19:13-19.
13He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me. 14My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me. 15They that dwell in mine house, and my maids, count me for a stranger: I am an alien in their sight. 16I called my servant, and he gave me no answer; I intreated him with my mouth. 17My breath is strange to my wife, though I intreated for the children’s sake of mine own body. 18Yea, young children despised me; I arose, and they spake against me. 19All my inward friends abhorred me: and they whom I loved are turned against me.
Earlier when things were not going well for Job, people stayed away from him. Now that Job has been exonerated, they have all returned. Sad that so many cannot see the truth. People need to learn to quit judging with their physical eyes and open their spiritual eyes. During this book nothing about Job really changed. What changed was people’s perceptions. How many times do we perceive things, because we judge based on emotions and not the spirit.
Job 42:12-15
12So Yehovah blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. 13He had also seven sons and three daughters. 14And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch. 15And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.
Job was tremendously blessed in the latter part of his life. Not only in wealth and possessions, but in family. This is just another example that God was well pleased with Job.
Job 42:16-17
16After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations. 17So Job died, being old and full of days.
After the suffering Job experienced, he lived an additional 140 years. Now it cannot be stated when Job was alive with certainty. Or how long he actually lived, nor is it clear how long he suffered.
There are not many that would fare well if they experienced the same suffering as Job. Not only to lose everything, including family, but to be rejected by so many. How would most do? Would they stand up to the onslaught of criticism or would they collapse? Would they be able to look others in the face, when for no apparent reason their lives fell apart? When evidence is contrary to their condition, would they give up hope and curse God to live without pain?
Often a picture is painted of Christianity that once you are a Christians everything works out. You have joined the club and you are one of God’s children. It is all going to be good. It does not take a lot of knowledge to understand that this not true. For most Christians, their lives are no better than that of a heathen. There will be suffering in this lifetime. The question is how will one go through it? Will it get them down or will they count it all joy? The Bible states in James 1:2-4.
2My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
All will have trials and in the trial one can either grow or stumble. If one grows, the subsequent trials becomes easier. What will it be, will one continue to criticize others or will you grow in the trials with the glory of God shining through?
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