The Restoration of Job and His Friends

January 29, 2024Posted inJob
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 29 to 31: Job’s Last Words

December 18, 2023Posted inJob
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 20 and 21: The Wicked Prosper

October 30, 2023Posted inJob
In these two chapters we have the second interchange between Zophar and Job, and the third interchange in the second round between Job and his friends. Both speeches differ somewhat from the earlier speeches in the book. Zophar, for the first time among the friends, indirectly accuses Job of specific sin—oppression of the poor. Job’s…

Job 16 and 17: O Earth, Do Not Cover My Blood

October 16, 2023Posted inJob
Chapters 15 to 17 in the book of Job record the second interchange between Eliphaz and Job. In chapter 15 Eliphaz is much more severe with Job than he had been in his first speech. After listening to Job’s protestations of innocence and complaints against God, he became convinced that Job had sinned and even…

Job 9-10: How Can I Contend with God?

September 21, 2023Posted inJob
In chapter 8 Bildad, who had pretty bluntly accused both Job and his sons of sin (8:4), called Job to repentance (8:5), and promised blessings if Job became pure and upright (8:6f). In chapters 9 and 10 Job answers him by asking the question, “How can a man be righteous before God (9:2)?” I believe…

Job 6 and 7: No Help in Friends, Self, or God

September 15, 2023Posted inJob
When Eliphaz spoke to Job the first time (Job 5) he gave him good advice (“Do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds but His hands make whole,” 5:17–18), but showed no compassion. In his response (chapters 6–7) Job focused on three things: 1) that his…

Leaving All for Christ

June 28, 2023Posted inSuffering
Let's consider for a few minutes the words of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 19:29. In the context of the verse, a rich young ruler had come to Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus had said, “Keep the commandments.” The young man’s reply was, “I’ve done that from my…