Job’s Past Was Glorious
December 21, 2021
Commentary
Forgetting for a moment his own condition and the miserable comfort of his friends, Job turned his attention to the way things had been with him in the past, and manifested a longing for a return to those days (vv. 1-2), when the radiance and light of God’s presence had brought blessings untold (vv. 3-4). His fellowship with God and his children had been the greatest sources of his happiness (v. 5). During those days his life had been filled with the bountifulness of nature toward him (v 6). In the good old days when he went to the gate of the city the young, out of respect for him, had stepped out of his path, and the aged had stood to their feet upon his arrival (vv. 7-8). Even princes and nobles had remained silent until after he had spoken (vv. 9-10), and men had called him blessed (v. 11) because he had cared for the poor, the fatherless, the perishing and the widows (vv. 12-13).
Job was full of good works (v. 14). He was chairman of the board of the blind school and a benefactor of the crippled children’s home (v. 15). He supported only worth causes (v. 16). He brought to pass law and order (v. 17). He had it made for retirement (vv. 18-20) You can’t think of anything that Job did not have. Men had waited for his counsel, and when he spoke issues were settled (vv. 21-22). His words were eagerly accepted (v. 23) and even the smile on his face renewed everyones hopes (v. 24). When he pointed in a direction, they had followed without question (v. 25).
Job walked a fine line between bragging about the past accomplishments and recalling good deeds in order to answer the charges against him. Job’s one weakness throughout his conversations is that he came close to being prideful. Pride is especially deceptive when we are doing right. While it is not wrong to recount past deeds, it is far better to recount God’s blessings to us. Warren Wiersbe says, “If we focus so much on the glories of the past, we may ignore the opportunities of the present, and end up unprepared to meet the future.”
Application
As I think back over the exciting things that God has allowed me to be a part of, I want to be careful that I give God the credit and the praise for all that has been accomplished in and through my life.
Job 29:1– 25 (NET)
1 Then Job continued his speech:
2 “O that I could be as I was in the months now gone, in the days when God watched over me,
3 when he caused his lamp to shine upon my head, and by his light I walked through darkness;
4 just as I was in my most productive time, when God’s intimate friendship was experienced in my tent,
5 when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me;
6 when my steps were bathed with butter and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil!
7 When I went out to the city gate and secured my seat in the public square,
8 the young men would see me and step aside, and the old men would get up and remain standing;
9 the chief men refrained from talking and covered their mouths with their hands;
10 the voices of the nobles fell silent, and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.
11 “As soon as the ear heard these things, it blessed me, and when the eye saw them, it bore witness to me,
12 for I rescued the poor who cried out for help, and the orphan who had no one to assist him;
13 the blessing of the dying man descended on me, and I made the widow’s heart rejoice;
14 I put on righteousness and it clothed me, my just dealing was like a robe and a turban;
15 I was eyes for the blind and feet for the lame;
16 I was a father to the needy, and I investigated the case of the person I did not know;
17 I broke the fangs of the wicked, and made him drop his prey from his teeth.
18 “Then I thought, ‘I will die in my own home, my days as numerous as the grains of sand.
19 My roots reach the water, and the dew lies on my branches all night long.
20 My glory will always be fresh in me, and my bow ever new in my hand.’
21 “People listened to me and waited silently; they kept silent for my advice.
22 After I had spoken, they did not respond; my words fell on them drop by drop.
23 They waited for me as people wait for the rain, and they opened their mouths as for the spring rains.
24 If I smiled at them, they hardly believed it; and they did not cause the light of my face to darken.
25 I chose the way for them and sat as their chief; I lived like a king among his troops; I was like one who comforts mourners.
Illustration: Relax Rely on God’s Power to Float Not Sink
A man was taking a tour of the Holy Land in Israel and inadvertently fell into the Dead Sea. He began kicking and yelling, trying to keep himself above water, but the more he kicked, the deeper he sank. The tour guide yelled over to him, “Stop fighting and relax……the water is full of salt and you will sink if you keep moving. Trust me!” When the man relaxed and stopped kicking, he began to float up to the top due to the influence of the high salt content on the water. (Source unknown).