Expound the Word

The Restoration of Job and His Friends

January 29, 2024Job

The last eleven verses of Job describe God’s work of restoring first Job’s friends (vv. 7–9) and then Job (vv. 10–17). But these two restorations are different. The restoration of the three friends is to the favor of God through the forgiveness of their sins. The restoration of Job is to the prosperity he had…

Job 40:6 to 42:6 – Behemoth and Leviathan

January 22, 2024Job

God’s speech to Job in Job 38–41 has two main parts. After the first part (chapters 38–39), God challenged Job:”Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it” (Job 40:2). Job responded by confessing his insignificance and promising to say no more (40:3–5). But God was…

God to Job: Who is This?

January 15, 2024Job

The Lord’s answer to Job takes up four chapters and has two parts. In chapters 38:1–40:5 God speaks and Job responds (40:3–5), and in chapters 40:6–42:6 the Lord speaks again and again Job responds. Throughout both parts of the speech the Lord continues the theme begun by Elihu, especially in chapter 37:14–24. There Elihu asks…

Job 36 and 37: With God Might is Right

January 8, 2024Job

The last part of Elihu’s long speech, chapters 36 and 37 in Job, has four parts. In 36:1–23 Elihu addresses Job and further defends the righteousness of God. In fact, this is really the theme of all of Elihu’s argument. In 36:24–37:1 (I think we have another bad chapter break here), Elihu exhorts Job to…

Job 34 and 35: Elihu’s Accusations Against Job

January 2, 2024Job

Chapter 34 Chapter 34 is the second part of Elihu’s long (chapters 32-37) speech. In it he speaks first to wise men (vv. 1–15), then to Job (vv. 16–33, the second person pronouns are singular), and then again, it seems, to wise men (34–37). The wise men he talks to may be Job’s friends. If…

Job 32 and 33: Elihu Gets It Right

December 26, 2023Job

There is a lot of judging going on in the first few verses of chapter 34. Job’s friends judge that it is useless to continue to argue with Job because he is righteous in his own eyes. Job judges that he is righteous and his friends are unjust. Elihu judges both Job and his friends;…

Job 29 to 31: Job’s Last Words

December 18, 2023Job

Chapters 29 to 31 are the third and last part of Job’s final speech. In chapter 26 he had answered Bildad, and in chapters 27 and 28 all of his friends. But in these chapters, though he speaks in their presence, he is really engaged more in soliloquy than arguing with them. Each chapter has…

Job 27 and 28: Where Can Wisdom Be Found?

December 11, 2023Job

Job 27 and 28 make up the second of three parts in Job’s final speech. In the first part he responded directly to Bildad; he used the singular form of the pronoun you in verses 2–4. In these two chapters he responds to all the friends; he uses the plural form of the pronoun you…

Job 25 and 26: What Does the Greatness of God Mean for Men?

December 5, 2023Job

Chapters 25 and 26 are the last interchange between Job and his three friends. Eliphaz has already spoken three times, Bildad now speaks for the third time very briefly, and there is no third speech of Zophar. Clearly the friends are giving up on persuading Job that they are right, that his suffering is due…

Job 22 to 24: How Does God Deal with Oppressors of the Poor?

November 6, 2023Job

Chapters 22 to 24 of Job record the first interchange in the third round of speeches between Job and his friends. Eliphaz speaks first in this round just as in the others (chapter 22), and the length of his speech is about the same as most of the others. But Bildad’s speech in this round…