Lenten Study Job Ch 29
Job laments his previous life. He remembers the time when he was happy. He recalls his life, and he misses it.
"There was a man in the land of Uz" by andrevanb is marked with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.Caption
1 And Job again took up his discourse and said,
2 “Oh that I were as in months gone by, As in the days when God watched over me;
3 When His lamp shone over my head, And by His light I walked through darkness;
4 As I was in the prime of my days, When the friendship of God was over my tent;
5 When the Almighty was yet with me, And my children were around me;
6 When my steps were bathed in butter, And the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
Job 29:1-6 (NASB)
The last verse sums it up. Everything Job did turned out to be good. He could do the difficult things, and they were wildly successful. He longs for the time before all the troubles when his life was still intact and enjoyable.
7 “When I went out to the gate of the city, When I took my seat in the square,
8 The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the old men arose and stood.
Job 29:7-8 (NASB)
Job was well respected by everyone.
9 “The princes stopped talking And put their hands on their mouths;
10 The voice of the nobles was hushed, And their tongue stuck to their palate.
11 “For when the ear heard, it called me blessed, And when the eye saw, it gave witness of me,
12 Because I delivered the poor who cried for help, And the orphan who had no helper.
Job 29:9-12 (NASB)
Everyone wanted to hear what Job had to say because what he suggested would be good. His advice would be good, but if it were followed, people would receive the beneficial outcomes Job would have received. People who did what Job suggested profited in both spiritual and material ways.
13 “The blessing of the one ready to perish came upon me, And I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.
14 “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban.
Job 29:13-14 (NASB)
Everyone could see what Job stood for. They agreed with him, and they followed his suggestions.
15 “I was eyes to the blind And feet to the lame.
16 “I was a father to the needy, And I investigated the case which I did not know.
Job 29:15-16 (NASB)
Job’s advice could help anyone find their way out of situations from which they could see no way out. There was no answer to any question Job could not find a suitable answer.
17 “I broke the jaws of the wicked And snatched the prey from his teeth.
Job 29:17 (NASB)
Job wasn’t afraid to stand up to anyone if he thought the cause was righteous.
18 “Then I thought, ‘I shall die in my nest, And I shall multiply my days as the sand.
Job 29:18 (NASB)
He was dying in the nest, meaning he would pass away from old age in his home.
19 ‘My root is spread out to the waters, And dew lies all night on my branch.
Job 29:19 (NASB)
A plant or tree’s root that reaches the water means the plant or tree stays alive, as does the moisture of the dew settling on outstretched branches.
20 ‘My glory is ever new with me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.’
Job 29:20 (NASB)
Nothing is old and tired, boring, or the same old same old. Job has strength for whatever task is at hand, able to reach whatever target he sets his sites on.
21 “To me they listened and waited, And kept silent for my counsel.
22 “After my words they did not speak again, And my speech dropped on them.
Job 29:21-22 (NASB)
What Job had to say was filled with deep meaning, thought-provoking, and prescient to the problem or situation at hand. What he said caused people to think rather than talk.
23 “They waited for me as for the rain, And opened their mouth as for the spring rain.
Job 29:23 (NASB)
If you’ve ever run out into a snowfall to catch snowflakes in your mouth or out into a spring rain to catch the rain, you understand Job’s statement here. It is a refreshing and fun encounter. People waited to hear what Job had to say in the same fashion we tried to catch the snowflake or spring rain.
24 “I smiled on them when they did not believe, And the light of my face they did not cast down.
Job 29:24 (NASB)
Not everyone believed what Job had to say. He took it in stride and did not force anything on the listeners. However, the point is important. As obviously righteous, prosperous, and correct as everything Job did and said was, still people wouldn’t believe he was right. This is a point for all of us. No matter how right we might be, there will always be people who do not accept us as correct. We need to smile at them and not let them dim the light within us as we move on about our lives. Your and my happiness does not depend on everyone agreeing with you or me on everything we say and do.
25 “I chose a way for them and sat as chief, And dwelt as a king among the troops, As one who comforted the mourners.
Job 29:25 (NASB)
Job offered those people a way out of the problems they were in. They chose to ignore that advice much as someone mourning the death of a loved one. No matter what we say to a mourner, they will still be sad for a time. We simply need to be there for them knowing their pain is something they are enduring. Our hope is that they will come to their senses and follow sound advice at some point.