Rounding out the final chapters of Job feels a lot like reading “and they all lived happily ever after.” Were the last forty chapters just a huge build up to God giving Job more livestock and a new batch of children? What difference was made by this whole ordeal?
1 Then Job answered the Lord and said:
Job 42:1-6, ESV
2 “I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
4 ‘Hear, and I will speak;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.’
5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you;
6 therefore I despise myself,
and repent in dust and ashes.”
We all likely know the basic story of Job. God allows Satan to bring his life crashing down around him, but Job refuses to curse God. The end of the story is that God…makes Job’s life better and gives him back his stuff? Partially, yes. Job was blessed with more children and more in general than he had before, but we also see his confession, repentance, and greater understanding of God. After much hardship and a few chapters sitting in the dirt getting bad advice from his friends, Job has a direct experience with the Lord and sees His power in a clearer way.
Where has God given and taken away in your life, and how has that called you to see our mighty God in a clearer way?
VC Devotionals 