REMEMBERING TIMES OF GOD’S BLESSING

Passage: Job 29:1-25

Key verse: 4

NIV

Job’s Final Defense

29 Job continued his discourse:(A)

2 “How I long for the months gone by,(B)
    for the days when God watched over me,(C)
3 when his lamp shone on my head
    and by his light I walked through darkness!(D)
4 Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,
    when God’s intimate friendship(E) blessed my house,(F)
5 when the Almighty was still with me
    and my children(G) were around me,(H)
6 when my path was drenched with cream(I)
    and the rock(J) poured out for me streams of olive oil.(K)

7 “When I went to the gate(L) of the city
    and took my seat in the public square,
8 the young men saw me and stepped aside(M)
    and the old men rose to their feet;(N)
9 the chief men refrained from speaking(O)
    and covered their mouths with their hands;(P)
10 the voices of the nobles were hushed,(Q)
    and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.(R)
11 Whoever heard me spoke well of me,
    and those who saw me commended me,(S)
12 because I rescued the poor(T) who cried for help,
    and the fatherless(U) who had none to assist them.(V)
13 The one who was dying blessed me;(W)
    I made the widow’s(X) heart sing.
14 I put on righteousness(Y) as my clothing;
    justice was my robe and my turban.(Z)
15 I was eyes(AA) to the blind
    and feet to the lame.(AB)
16 I was a father to the needy;(AC)
    I took up the case(AD) of the stranger.(AE)
17 I broke the fangs of the wicked
    and snatched the victims(AF) from their teeth.(AG)

18 “I thought, ‘I will die in my own house,
    my days as numerous as the grains of sand.(AH)
19 My roots will reach to the water,(AI)
    and the dew will lie all night on my branches.(AJ)
20 My glory will not fade;(AK)
    the bow(AL) will be ever new in my hand.’(AM)

21 “People listened to me expectantly,
    waiting in silence for my counsel.(AN)
22 After I had spoken, they spoke no more;(AO)
    my words fell gently on their ears.(AP)
23 They waited for me as for showers
    and drank in my words as the spring rain.(AQ)
24 When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it;
    the light of my face(AR) was precious to them.[a](AS)
25 I chose the way for them and sat as their chief;(AT)
    I dwelt as a king(AU) among his troops;
    I was like one who comforts mourners.(AV)

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Footnotes
  1. Job 29:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Job's Summary Defense

29 And Job again (A)took up his discourse, and said:

2 “Oh, that I were as in the months of old,
    as in the days when God watched over me,
3 when his (B)lamp shone upon my head,
    and by his light I walked through darkness,
4 as I was in my prime,[a]
    when the (C)friendship of God was upon my tent,
5 when the Almighty was yet with me,
    when my (D)children were all around me,
6 when my steps were (E)washed with (F)butter,
    and (G)the rock poured out for me streams of (H)oil!
7 When I went out to (I)the gate of the city,
    when I prepared my seat in the square,
8 the young men saw me and withdrew,
    and the aged rose and stood;
9 the princes refrained from talking
    and (J)laid their hand on their mouth;
10 the voice of the nobles was hushed,
    and their (K)tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.
11 When the ear heard, it called me blessed,
    and when the eye saw, it approved,
12 because I (L)delivered the poor who cried for help,
    and the fatherless who had none to help him.
13 (M)The blessing of him who was (N)about to perish came upon me,
    and I caused (O)the widow's heart to sing for joy.
14 I (P)put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
    my justice was like a robe and (Q)a turban.
15 I was (R)eyes to the blind
    and feet to the lame.
16 I was a father to the needy,
    and I searched out (S)the cause of him whom I did not know.
17 I (T)broke (U)the fangs of the unrighteous
    and made him drop his prey from his teeth.
18 (V)Then I thought, ‘I shall die in my (W)nest,
    and I shall multiply my days as (X)the sand,
19 my (Y)roots spread out to (Z)the waters,
    with the dew all night on my (AA)branches,
20 my glory fresh with me,
    and my (AB)bow ever (AC)new in my hand.’

21 “Men listened to me and waited
    and kept silence for my counsel.
22 After I spoke they did not speak again,
    and my word (AD)dropped upon them.
23 They waited for me as for the rain,
    and they (AE)opened their mouths as for the (AF)spring rain.
24 I smiled on them when they had no confidence,
    and (AG)the light of my (AH)face they did not cast down.
25 I chose their way and sat as chief,
    and I lived like (AI)a king among his troops,
    like one who comforts mourners.

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Footnotes
  1. Job 29:4 Hebrew my autumn days
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

Job returns to expressing the suffering he has experienced since Satan’s testing began. He thinks about the joy of his past life, when he was visibly blessed. He calls it a time of God’s intimate friendship (4). He was blessed to have his children around him (5), and he was honored and respected by all his neighbors (7-11, 21-25). Job did not use his blessings selfishly. He was genuinely worthy of the respect he received because he took care of the poor and needy (12-17).

Job thought these good circumstances would continue until his death, but they did not (18-20). In the next chapter, Job will contrast these days of blessing to his current suffering and misery.

If we feel we have lost God’s blessing compared to earlier times in our life, it may be good to examine ourselves to find the spiritual cause. But we should not fall into unspiritual nostalgia or self-pity. In all circumstances, let us be thankful because of how God has blessed us and used us so far, not because of our own goodness but because of his grace in Jesus. In Jesus we can be friends of God.

Prayer: Father, thank you for all the ways you have blessed me and used me. Help me not compare these times to the past too much, but just keep myself pure before you.

One Word: Thank God for his friendship.