JOB Chapter 42 “Job has just been given a guided tour through a portion of God’s zoo. Hopefully he has learned a few lessons along the way. He should have learned that God is the Author of the universe and the animate creation; man is not. He should have noted that the Lord is not absent, but that He operates in and sustains His creation. He should have been impressed with the fact that as the heavens are higher than the earth, so Jehovah’s ways are higher than man’s (Isaiah 55:8-9). Accordingly, no one has the right to accuse God, or to criticize Him, rather man must learn to trust Him, love Him, and devoutly serve Him. Well, exactly what has been the effect upon the patriarch? That, we are now about to observe” (Jackson p. 91). 42:1 Notice that Job now speaks first, instead of God speaking and asking Job to answer. 42:2 “I know that Thou canst do all things”: Jackson reminds us that this statement means that God can do all things that are consistent with His nature. By contrast, He cannot lie (Titus 1:2). Formerly, Job had said he would say no more (40:3-5), yet there are some things that Job needs to say, such as affirming God’s power and wisdom. Man needs to learn the lesson of getting rid of the murmuring and grumbling and glorifying God instead. 42:3 “And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted”: God’s purposes cannot be altered or disrupted, thus it was really useless for Job to question God’s actions. “Note: we can learn something here. Even though Satan, angels, and man, have rebelled against the Creator, that does not in any way suggest that His plan has failed. In acknowledging Jehovah’s limitless power, Job has also implied the Lord’s moral justice, for as Prof. Davidson noted, ‘Omnipotence cannot exist apart from righteousness’. The patriarch has thus taken a giant step closer to his God” (Jackson p. 91). Job was overwhelmed by considering the strength of behemoth and leviathan and yet such creatures are mere products of the Creator’s hands. Job senses his own puny strength and must realize that if God can manage such beasts then certainly God can rule the world as well.
1
McKenna notes that God does not answer Job’s why but He does answer the question of who. Which is really the ultimate question. “When it comes down to the rub of our fears, we are afraid that some corner of creation is out of God’s control. No conundrum is greater than the suffering of the innocent. If, however, we are confident that there is no contingency or creature outside the command of God who cares, we can bear the pain of suffering and live with mystery. Unencumbered trust is God’s goal for His servant Job” (pp. 307-308). That is what chapters 3841 have been all about, God is in control of every aspect of this creation and nothing lies outside His power or jurisdiction. 42:3 “Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?” Job now quotes what God had said about him (38:2). In other words, Job completely agrees with God’s assessment of himself. Job is saying, “Who am I?” “I am weak (42:2), unwise and ignorant (42:3), wordy (42:3) and unworthy (42:6). Job has not committed the sins that his friends had accused him of (22:2-11; 8:11-18), yet he was guilty of questioning God’s wisdom and justice and trusting in his own wisdom too much. God had ended the last chapter with an expression about leviathan being king over all the sons of pride, and Job recognizes that he has become arrogant during his suffering. Job admits that he was doing exactly what God observes, that is, he was muddying the water, he was confusing the issue, and he was not helping people see God in His glory. 42:3 “Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand”: “He humbly admits that there are subjects too deep for man’s limited capacity of understanding” (Jackson p. 92). Compare with Deuteronomy 29:29. Are we humble enough to admit our own ignorance in realms in which God has not revealed any information? 42:3 “Things too wonderful for me”: Why God allows the innocent like Job to suffer is not a tragedy, rather it is a wonderful mystery. Compare with Proverbs 30:18-19. “God expects us to marvel at the mysteries of His creation. More than that, He wants us to enjoy the wonders of His creation with Him. Adults tend to fear mystery but children find glee in the unknown. So when Job speaks of ‘things too wonderful for me’ he is like a child reveling for a moment in the wonders of God” (McKenna pp. 311312). 42:4 “Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me”: Job had been challenged by God to instruct Him (38:3), and now Job admits that God had been right. Job had been completely unable to answer
2
any of God’s questions, he had flunked the science quiz and biology exam. 42:5 Formerly Job had only heard of God and His doings. Job had not been an eyewitness at the Creation, but now in this Divine confrontation Job is as one who “seeth”. No man can actually see God and live, so Job is using the word “seeth” in the sense that he is actually talking to God and hearing Him, and has seen the manifestations of His presence in the whirlwind. Notice how such a personal confrontation with God silenced this man. When Job experienced such a personal meeting with God, Job did not present his arguments, rather Job repented. 42:6 “Therefore I retract”: The term “retract” means to “despise or reject”. Job is thus rejecting what he had previous said against God. He was rejecting his former pride, and he was ashamed of how he had behaved and what he had said. “All of us need to remember that it is never right to lash out at God” (Jackson p. 92). “And I repent in dust and ashes”: Such were signs of a contrite heart. “Job, then, admitted to sinning because he suffered, not to suffering because he sinned. God’s speeches did not reveal Him to be lacking in compassion. Instead, they showed that He was interested in communicating with man, that He desires to be known personally as well as intellectually” (Zuck p. 185). Job and his friends 42:7 “That the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, ‘My wrath is kindled against you’”: God addresses Eliphaz probably because he was the oldest and thus the leader of the group. “One is reminded of Job’s earlier response to Zophar when he asked, ‘Would it turn out well if He examined you?’ (13:9) That answer is now given” (Jackson p. 93). 42:7 “And against your two friends”: Note that Elihu, the final speaker, is not condemned, for his arguments had not been in the same vein as theirs. “Because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has”: First of all, such men had sought to defend God’s justice, but the area in which they had erred was to assume that suffering is always the reward for sin. They had limited God’s power and sovereignty in denying that the righteous are allowed to suffer. They also have claimed that God was punishing Job, which was not true. Finally, Job had confessed his ignorance and pride, while these three friends had stood around and said nothing. Notice that four times in this context, God refers to Job as “My servant”, God has fully accepted Job’s repentance. “Earlier, Zophar has said that God was not giving Job half of what he deserved by way of punishment (11:6). No doubt Zophar was now grateful that God had not given him what he deserved!” (Zuck p. 187). 3
42:8 The large sacrifice commanded seems to indicate the gravity of their error. Making false theological statements about God is serious business! What is God going to say to those people who claim that He predestined people for heaven or hell, imputes original sin into babies, was going to give everyone a second chance at the judgment, will not send anyone to hell, or that Jesus, His Son, is not divine? Now is the time to repent! They had accused Job of terrible sins, but now Job is the one making atonement for them! 42:9 To their credit these men humble themselves and do exactly as commanded. And notice that Job did not hesitate to pray for them. These men had said terrible things about him and yet he willingly prays for their restoration. “He, who has so recently received the Lord’s pardon, is happily interested in the same for others” (Jackson p. 94). Compare with Matthew 18:32-35; Matthew 6:12ff. 42:10 Notice that the return of blessings did not happen until Job prayed for his friends. Various critics have complained that the ending of this book is too unrealistic, that is, it sounds too much like, “and they lived happily ever after”. Yet, the New Testament endorses this ending (James 5:11). The truth of the matter is that God’s people often do live happy lives (Psalm 127:1ff; 1 Peter 3:8ff). 42:10 “And the Lord increased all that Job had twofold”: “Did this outpouring of material blessing from God mean that the theory of the three self-appointed jurors was correct after all? They had predicted that prosperity follows repentance (5:8, 17-26; 8:5-7; 11:13-19). No, the restoration of wealth was a token of God’s grace, not an obligation of His justice. Since Job had unknowingly silenced Satan by not cursing God, and since he had repented of his pride, his suffering did not need to continue” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 775). In addition, while blessings are not an guarantee of the righteous, God does rain blessings upon both the good and the evil. God in His wisdom can give or hold back blessings in accord with His purposes. 42:11 Job’s relatives who had forsaken him in the hour of need (19:13-19), now returned once he was healthy and prosperous back in his own house. The word translated “piece of money” meant uncoined silver, a word used elsewhere only in Genesis 33:19 and Joshua 24:32. The gold ring was a common token of kindness to a person restored from calamity. The text also seems to infer that Job knew that the Lord had allowed such things to come upon him, or this became the common understanding. 42:12 This is all double of what Job had previous possessed (1:3), and like the children mentioned in 42:13, it probably did not all happen at once but was the result of gradual and fruitful production. 4
42:13 The children are the same number as Job previously possessed (1:2). Some feel that the number of children is not doubled because Job would receive all his former children back at the resurrection. 42:14 Of the twenty children that Job had only three daughters are mentioned by name. “Jemimah”: (juh MIGH muh), meaning “dove”. “Keziah”: (kih ZIE uh), meaning “cinnamon”. “Keren-happuch”: (KER uhn HAP uhk), meaning “horn of antimony). 42:15 Such daughters were extremely beautiful and Job also gave them an inheritance along with their brothers, an unusual circumstance of the time. The Law of Moses only provided an inheritance for a daughter if there were no sons in the family (Numbers 27:8). This may indicate that such daughters were not only beautiful but godly and intelligent as well. Note: Nothing is specifically said about Job’s wife. Verse 13 may infer that she equally repented and returned as Job’s helpmeet and affectionate spouse. 42:16 According to Jewish tradition, the later years of Job’s life (140), were double of what he was prior to his suffering (70). Job saw the birth of the fourth-generation from himself. His death did not come as he expected while he was suffering (3:20-26; 10:18-22), rather it came when he was full of years (42:17). Concluding Thoughts
Pure worship is possible and there are people who truly serve God because they love Him. Everyone is not a hypocrite. Man can and should trust God even when explanations are missing. We must learn to live with mystery in this life which means that some of our questions may remain unanswered. God’s silence does not mean He is absent or does not care. It is hypocritical on our part of criticize how God governs this world. Accusing God of injustice or challenging His will is sin, and even suffering does not give us the right to do this. God is God and He is not accountable to man. God is not a cosmic Santa Claus that gives good gifts only to good children and withholds them from the evil. God’s care of nature implies that He cares for us as well. Our view of the injustices in this world is very limited. God is worthy of our praise even when we are not being materially blessed. God does take note of the conduct of the righteous and is extremely proud of His people. Godliness does not exempt one from suffering. 5

Unbelief does not answer anything.
6