Heritage Reformed Baptist Mission
Job
Chapter 42
Job 42:1-17
1v. 1 - Now, following JEHOVAH’S final words to him, Job comes to the place of fully realizing his folly and repents without holding anything back.
v. 2 - Job acknowledges God’s omnipotence and omniscience.
v. 3 - Job repeats the words God spoke to him in 38:2, and confesses he is the one who has done so.
v. 4 - “beseech” = a humble prayer
“demand” = Heb = to ask; enquire
“declare . . .” = Job is now ready with a humble heart to hear all God has to teach him.
v. 5 - Heretofore, Job’s knowledge of God had been only what he had been told by others. Now, he had heard JEHOVAH Himself speaking (cf. Mat 7:28-29), had seen His glory in the whirlwind and had come to perceive spiritually what he had not known before.
This is exactly what happens to anyone who knows about God and then comes into a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ through the new birth. cf. John 4:39-42
v. 6 - Having come face to face with God, Job sees himself as he really is and is no longer enamored with his own righteousness which he proclaimed in defending himself against the false accusations of being a hypocrite.
“dust and ashes” = symbolic of the deepest and most humble grief; in Job’s case, deep sorrow for what he had said against God. cf. 2 Cor 7:9-10
v. 7 - Now God deals with Job’s three friends, speaking to Eliphaz who was perhaps the eldest. He was the one who led the accusations against Job.
“ye have not . . . as my servant Job hath” = Job had spoken harsh and ignorant things against God. But the three had spoken falsely for God and had made false accusations against Job. Therefore, Job was more right than they, plus he had now repented of his sin and was now in a completely right relationship with God.
v. 8 - God appoints Job a priest on behalf of Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar and commands those three to offer a sacrifice to Him through Job. Therefore, they must come to him whom they had falsely accused. cf. Mat 5:23-24
“shall pray for you” = an evidence Job would forgive them for demeaning him, which is the attitude each of us must live in as believers. cf. Eph 4:32
“him will I accept” = cf. Eph 1:6
v. 9 - “accepted Job” = i.e., “his prayers and offerings on behalf of his friends “ - Barnes Notes
In this, Job is a type of Christ who is our High Priest ever living to make intercession for us (Heb 7:25). See also John 17:20
v. 10 - Job was healed of his affliction and his former prosperity restored double after he had prayed for his friends.
“when” = “after,” indicating the sequence of events, not necessarily that Job’s praying for his friends must have taken place beforehand. Of course, if Job had had an unforgiving spirit, then his repentance would not have been complete and God would have had more to say to him.
v. 11 - In his affliction, Job’s kinsfolk and friends had stayed far from him (see Job 19:13-14), some probably because they were ‘fair-weather’ friends (cf. Pro 14:20; 19:4,7), others perhaps because they considered Job to be in some way cursed by God and thought it was their duty to stay away from him. Now that his prosperity is restored and he is once again in favor with God, they return with many condolences and gifts.
Whatever the reason these stayed away from Job, it is an example for us of what not to do. It is true we are commanded in Scripture to withdraw ourselves from disobedient and divisive brethren (cf. Rom 16:17; 2 Th 3:6). However, we are not to be fair-weather friends, or suppose that because someone is having great difficulty he or she is out-of-favor-with-God and stay away from them because we believe ourselves more-holy-than-they and will be contaminated if we associate with them. Rather, we are to seek their welfare and do what we can to comfort and encourage them in their afflictions.
v. 14 - Jemima = affectionate; dove
Kezia = cassia; a spice made from the inner bark of a tree similar to cinnamon.
Karen-happuch = the horn or child of beauty
v. 15 - “inheritance . . .” = very unusual, since such was the right of the sons. Among the Hebrews, daughters were given inheritance only if there were no sons. (cf. Num 27:1-11) In doing this, Job is a type of Christ in whom all who believe on Him are joint-heirs with Him. cf. Rom 8:17
v. 16 - Since it is not written how old Job was when the afflictions came upon him, it is not possible to know how old he was when he died. However, to consider he was about 70 at the beginning of his affliction (which most commentators do) is not improbable. That would mean he lived a total of 210 years.
v. 17 - “full of days” = a full life, the total God determined for him, not being cut off prematurely.
At the conclusion of our study, I cannot give a better summary of the book than that given by Matthew Henry. Therefore, for your edification, here it is:
Solomon says, “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof,” Ecc 7:8. It was so here in the story of Job; at the evening-time it was light. Three things we have met with in this book which, I confess , have troubled me very much; but we find all the three grievances redressed, thoroughly redressed, in this chapter, everything set to-rights. I. It has been a great trouble to us to see such a holy man as Job was so fretful, and peevish, and uneasy to himself, and especially to hear him quarrel with God and speak indecently to him; but, though he thus fall, he is not utterly cast down, for here he recovers his temper, comes to himself and to his right mind again by repentance, is sorry for what he has said amiss, unsays it, and humbles himself before God (Job 42:1-6). II. It has been likewise a great trouble to us to see Job and his friends so much at variance, not only differing in their opinions, but giving one another a great many hard words, and passing severe censures one upon another, though they were all very wise and good men; but here we have this grievance redressed likewise, the differences between them happily adjusted, the quarrel taken up, all the peevish reflections they had cast upon one another forgiven and forgotten, and all joining in sacrifices and prayers, mutually accepted of God (Job 42:7-9). III. It has troubled us to see a man of such eminent piety and usefulness as Job was so grievously afflicted, so pained, so sick, so poor, so reproached, so slighted, and made the very centre of all the calamities of human life; but here we have this grievance redressed too, Job healed of all his ailments, more honoured and beloved than ever, enriched with an estate double to what he had before, surrounded with all the comforts of life, and as great an instance of prosperity as ever he had been of affliction and patience (Job 42:10-17). All this is written for our learning, that we, under these and the like discouragements that we meet with, through patience and comfort of this scripture may have hope.