Job is Set Free
But you brought us to a place of abundance."
—Ps. 66:12
OK, everything is settled concerning Job, so now the Lord turns to Eliphaz and his two friends.
Job had said that his Redeemer would vindicate him in the final day, but the Lord is not going to wait until then. His servant was ridiculed and misjudged, so He is going to vindicate him now and "bring forth his righteousness as the light, and his judgment as the noonday!"
The Lord singles out Eliphaz and says, "I'm fed up with you and your two friends" because he had assumed spiritual authority, and most emphatically asserted that his knowledge came directly from God. "You have not spoken of me what is right."
Remember when Eliphaz told Job what the "spirit form" told him, but the Lord said, "Phaz, it wasn't me, you never spoke anything that I said to you."
That rather confirms the idea that the vision Eliphaz had was not the Lord at all but the adversary who had set his heart against Job.
"You have not spoken of Me what is right, as my servant Job has," the Lord clarified for Bildad and Zophar as well as for Eliphaz. That shoots a big hole in Phaz's vision and in all the reasoning, arguments and ideas of suffering that all three men had.
The Lord emphatically declares that Job was "right on" in saying that the "hand of God had touched him," that he was simply dealing with him as gold, and removing the dross and other impurities.
Now the Lord had just finished correcting Job. So what He is saying is that everything Job had said about his integrity and righteousness was true. Although Job said it was wrong; he had no right to say it. On the other hand, the three friends were wrong all the way through.
I think it is obvious from the story we should refuse to dwell on the second causes in our lives. The adversary may very well attack us, but we do not have to be occupied with watching for him in everything that comes our way. However, we do need to recognize the hand of God in and through everything. Just as Jesus did during the "hour and power of darkness" when he said, "The cup that the Father has given me, shall I not drink from it?"
Satan knows his time is running out, so "when the enemy comes in like a flood," know that "the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him and put him to flight, because that standard (the Messiah) will come in like a rushing stream which the breath of the Lord drives" (Isa. 59:19 Amp.).
Through our triumphant Lord we have been given "power over all the power of the enemy" as we look beyond all the second causes, whether they are demonic or human, and look to the "One who sits on the throne."
"We went through fire and through flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever. The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses his people with peace" (Ps. 29:10, 11).
Job's friends had said that God was angry with Job and was punishing him for transgression. When in truth it was proved that God was just leading him on to a fuller knowledge of Himself. He was also breaking him down on every side to make room to receive the Divine abundance.
The Lord was also proclaiming in front of Job's friends, just like he did before His council, that Job was His "servant" and at no time was He ever ashamed to be called his God!
Although Job had become an outcast by everyone else, including his friends, and had tasted the depths of sorrow—The Lord declares him to be "My servant Job."
The Lord's Command
So the friends were to offer to God a sacrifice of seven bulls and seven rams as a confession and acknowledgment of their sin. Not only that, they also had to humble themselves and go to Job that he might pray for them; thus admitting that they had wronged him.
It was true they had never known God like Job had. It is true that their intentions were probably honorable in their desire to help him. Nevertheless, the Lord's severe rebuke shows that He considered them guilty of hardness to their brother in affliction. The Lord makes it very plain that it would only be for Job's sake that they could escape some severe dealings. Why? Because of their foolish and shortsighted judgment of a man whose character should have commanded their absolute confidence, even if they didn't understand his path. Also, for their self-complacent assumption of knowledge of God's way.
If you've come to the same point in your trial as Job, listen: "The Lord says, 'See, I have taken out of your hand the cup that made you stagger . . . tormentors, who said to you, 'Fall prostrate that we may walk over you'; and you made your back . . . like a street to be walked over" (Isa. 51:21-23).
This same story has been replayed many, many times, as God dealt with His people throughout history. Look at Joseph and his brothers. Remember how his brothers had used him and abused him but eventually had to bow down before him and receive bread from his hands? Jesus himself was rejected and yet, eventually, every knee will bend before Him.
Remember how Job's three friends stated that God was giving him less than his iniquity deserved? Well, the Lord said "My servant Job will pray for you and for his sake I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly."
Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar "did what the Lord commanded them to do," and "the Lord pardoned their sin for the sake of Job" (Septuagint version).
Job's Deliverance
Then we read that "after Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again . . ." Now, isn't that interesting? Humanly speaking, you would think that he should have been delivered from his distress and then he would be expected to pray for his friends. Although the Lord had acknowledged him as His "servant" and rebuked his would-be comforters, Job's outward circumstances had not changed one bit!
This should not be too surprising, though. When the Israelites came out of
What a test of his inner spirit! Although outwardly he may still be a beggar, he acts like a prince! Just as Jesus had prayed in the midst of His own suffering for those who were crucifying him, Job prays for his friends.
As he prays, the Word of power is spoken from the throne, "Deliver him . . . I have found a Ransom." Job is free! How he is delivered, we are not really told. Possibly because it is not important for us to know. Or maybe, the Lord knows that when we are in the midst of our own trials, we might be tempted to set our minds on the outward and visible signs of blessing, rather than on the inward grace that is much more important.
The main thing for us to realize is that his deliverance came when he got his eyes off himself and prayed for his friends! We will see the joy of our deliverance when we can quit our moaning and bellyaching. When we stop fussing over our own needs and leave them in the hands of the Lord. When we give ourselves to the ministry of others and desire with our whole heart the blessing of others more than ourselves.
The Double Portion
" . . . and the Lord gave him twice as much as he had before." It is easy to pass over the significance of that statement if it is left all by itself. In the Law given to
Later in II Kings 2:9 and 10 we learn that Elijah asked Elisha what he should do for him before he was taken away. Elisha replied, "Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit." The Revised Standard Version margin says that he asked for the portion of the first-born!
Elijah's reply was a strange one! He said that Elisha had asked a "hard thing," but if he saw him as he was caught away then his request would be fulfilled. As you may remember, Elisha did indeed see him taken away in a chariot of fire, and it says that Elisha "took hold of his clothes and tore them in two" (II Kings
But why did Elijah say that Elisha's request was a "hard thing," when the portion of the first-born was the right of the oldest son?
The "double portion" or the fullness of the Holy Spirit is a birthright for anyone born of God, but it is a hard thing to your flesh because you have to be truly broken enough to receive it.
It said that Elisha took hold of his clothes and tore them in half! In one sense, this action is in keeping with the Jewish custom of rending one's clothing in grief when news of a death arrives. In another sense, this outward action by Elisha represents the way in which we need to be broken, separated from sin, in every area before we can experience the full reality of the double portion in our own lives.
Job's path to the double portion was certainly a hard thing. It had cost him many tears and struggles. Also, his tenacity of faith in God had been a hard thing. In Hebrews, we are told that it is through "faith and patience that we inherit the promises." It is hard when you are standing "against all hope, to believe in hope." Especially as in Job's case when he was stripped of everything that once gave him authority and power. On top of that, he was expected to take the place of intercession with God for the others while he was still outwardly suffering.
Job had known the power of the Spirit in his life, which was evident in his service. However, through his time of testing and trial, he was led from faith to faith. Also during this trial, his heart was deepened and prepared to receive "twice as much as he had before." This was a foreshadowing of our resurrection life in union with the Risen Lord.
Elisha's hard thing was his fixed vision on Elijah, followed by the tearing of his clothes and receiving the falling mantle of the prophet. Think of it. Elijah told him that if he saw him as he was caught away then his request would be fulfilled. In the requirement was seeing Elijah taken up, by necessity, he had to be with, study, watch every movement Elijah made day-in and day-out. He could never leave the guy!
Jesus' hard thing was his obedience in everything including His death on the cross, which was followed by receiving the Anointing Spirit and His place on the Father's throne.
The Lord's Blessing
In the same way, each one of us will have to choose the hard thing of fellowship with him in His cross. That is if we are to experience our union with Him as the firstborn from the dead and share in the anointing that He received and sit together with Him on His Father's throne.
After everything was said and done, "the Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first." Job had said that the Lord had put all of his acquaintances far from him, and now the Lord brings them back! "All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house." They evidently are not afraid of partaking with an evildoer anymore.
Now Job was given the sympathy that was so manifestly absent during his time of suffering so that his recent self-renunciation is put to the test. The Lord chose the very ones who had forsaken him in his hour of need to minister to him.
All of his wealth, sheep, cattle and camels were not only restored, but also doubled in numbers. He also received sons and daughters again.
Obviously, this time of restoration took many months and years, (I mean the kids didn't just "appear," did they), although his trial only lasted a few months (see 7:3). The details of the restoration are brief although every sentence conveys the fact of the unclouded favor of God.
I am sure Job must have sat back and thought, "What can I say? He has spoken to me, and he Himself has done this. I will walk humbly all my years because of this anguish of my soul . . . Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish" (Isa. 38:15-17).
I am also convinced that Job walked with the Lord after all this with a deeper sense of awe and a greater sensitivity to the sinfulness of sin. During this time, he has learned to know himself. From this time on, his heart was softened and his attitude tamed as he carried in his spirit the same marks that Jacob carried in his body after he wrestled with God at Peniel.
Job lived another 140 years "being old and full of days," even living to see his "children and their children to the fourth generation," which, according to his culture was another special mark of Divine favor. He had passed through the fire, and had only lost the things that could not survive the heat, while everything that was worth keeping survived into eternal life.
We also have not been told anything else about the adversary. However, we know that he is still "going back and forth in the earth, walking up and down in it" attacking with unceasing subtlety the servants of the Lord. Yet, again and again, he is over-reaching himself in that God's people are being brought through the trials of their faith into a deeper and richer knowledge of God. And that my friends, is well worth any hassles from the devil.
