Job 42:7-17

The Lord Gives

God gave Job seven sons and three daughters, great fortune, many servants, the respect of others, close friends, and a righteous character. Job was described as a very wealthy man with 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. Job was a great man, “the greatest of all the people of the east” (Job 1:3). Job is described by God Himself: “…there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil…” (Job 1:8).

The Lord Takes Away

And then, it was all gone. The wealth, his dear children, his servants, all of his animals, and finally, his own health. All that remained was discomfort, pain, deep sorrow, a broken wife who encouraged him to be bitter against God, and dust and ashes. Job sat in his sorrow for many days. His friends sat with him; at least there was this small comfort of close friends being nearby, grieving with Job. Then, this too was gone when his friends opened their mouths and spilled out judgment.

Blessed be the Name of Lord

This word of broken praise was pressed from Job’s lips when he heard that his children were all killed in a fierce, sudden wind storm. The house where they were celebrating collapsed in the storm and crushed them all.

“Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”

Job 1:20-21

Restoration and Reconciliation

At the end of Job’s written story, God doubled Job’s blessings. First, the lord brought reconciliation between Job and his friends. God confronted Eliphaz with the sin of them all, and he commanded them to have Job offer sacrifices for them and pray for them. The Lord accepted Job’s prayer for his three friends.

“My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.”

“And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly.”

Job 42:7-8

Second, the Lord brought Job’s fortune back to him. He doubled it – 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, 1,000 female donkeys. Now that is no simple homestead, friends! If Job was a great man before all of his suffering, he was even more so after.

Third, the Lord restored Job’s family to him. No, his children who had died in that terrible storm were not returned to life to sit around Job’s table with him. Job had to wait to see them again in Heaven. But God restored his family relationships, beginning with Job’s relationship with his family of origin – his brothers and sisters.

“Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the disaster that the LORD had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold.”

Job 42:11

This is such a comforting verse in the story of Job. Relationships matter. Time together around the table, breaking bread together, matters. Job had previously lamented that everyone he loved and cared about had abandoned him including his relatives and closest friends (Job 19:13-19). But the Lord restored those relationships and brought healing to Job. He is done with the active attack against him at this point, but he still had sorrow over what was lost. It was meaningful mourning. And God allowed his family to come around him and comfort him.

Finally, the Lord restored Job’s immediate family by blessing him and his wife with ten more children, seven sons and three daughters, Jemimah, Keziah, and Keren-happuch. They were considered the most beautiful daughters in the land. Job blessed his daughters with an inheritance alongside their brothers.

“And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, four generations. And Job died, an old man, and full of days.”

Job 42:16-17

Job Points to Jesus

This is the end of the written story of Job. But the story isn’t just about Job. Do you see the connection to Jesus in the character and story of Job? We know Job’s story must point to Christ in some way because Jesus, after His resurrection, reminded two of His followers on the road to Emmaus that all of Scripture tells about Him (Luke 24).

Do you see the connection to our Heavenly Father? He points to His beloved Son, proclaiming Him as His very own (Matthew 3:17) and commanding us to listen to Him (Matthew 17:5). See how the Lord points to Job as a righteous man (Job 1:8)? “Have you considered my servant Job?”

Do you see how Job remains upright in suffering, even in losing almost everything? See also how Jesus suffered for us though there was no sin in Him at all (Isaiah 53), giving up His own life, and leaving us His perfect example (Isaiah 53, I Peter 2).

Can you trace the connection between the final end of Job – a double blessing and full restoration – and Jesus’ victory over death and the grave? Consider Philippians 2 where Christ is highly exalted after laying down His own life for us. Let your heart burn (Luke 24:32) when you read Scripture – every part of it – as it points you to the Savior. It is HIS story.