God Speaks
29 Job continued speaking:
2 “I long for the years gone by
when God took care of me,
3 when he lit up the way before me
and I walked safely through the darkness.
4 When I was in my prime,
God’s friendship was felt in my home.
5 The Almighty was still with me,
and my children were around me.
6 My steps were awash in cream,
and the rocks gushed olive oil for me.
7 “Those were the days when I went to the city gate
and took my place among the honored leaders.
8 The young stepped aside when they saw me,
and even the aged rose in respect at my coming.
9 The princes stood in silence
and put their hands over their mouths.
10 The highest officials of the city stood quietly,
holding their tongues in respect.
11 “All who heard me praised me.
All who saw me spoke well of me.
12 For I assisted the poor in their need
and the orphans who required help.
13 I helped those without hope, and they blessed me.
And I caused the widows’ hearts to sing for joy.
14 Everything I did was honest.
Righteousness covered me like a robe,
and I wore justice like a turban.
15 I served as eyes for the blind
and feet for the lame.
16 I was a father to the poor
and assisted strangers who needed help.
17 I broke the jaws of godless oppressors
and plucked their victims from their teeth.
18 “I thought, ‘Surely I will die surrounded by my family
after a long, good life.
19 For I am like a tree whose roots reach the water,
whose branches are refreshed with the dew.
20 New honors are constantly bestowed on me,
and my strength is continually renewed.’
21 “Everyone listened to my advice.
They were silent as they waited for me to speak.
22 And after I spoke, they had nothing to add,
for my counsel satisfied them.
23 They longed for me to speak as people long for rain.
They drank my words like a refreshing spring rain.
24 When they were discouraged, I smiled at them.
My look of approval was precious to them.
25 Like a chief, I told them what to do.
I lived like a king among his troops
and comforted those who mourned.
30 “But now I am mocked by people younger than I,
by young men whose fathers are not worthy to run with my sheepdogs.
2 A lot of good they are to me—
those worn-out wretches!
3 They are gaunt from poverty and hunger.
They claw the dry ground in desolate wastelands.
4 They pluck wild greens from among the bushes
and eat from the roots of broom trees.
5 They are driven from human society,
and people shout at them as if they were thieves.
6 So now they live in frightening ravines,
in caves and among the rocks.
7 They sound like animals howling among the bushes,
huddled together beneath the nettles.
8 They are nameless fools,
outcasts from society.
9 “And now they mock me with vulgar songs!
They taunt me!
10 They despise me and won’t come near me,
except to spit in my face.
11 For God has cut my bowstring.
He has humbled me,
so they have thrown off all restraint.
12 These outcasts oppose me to my face.
They send me sprawling
and lay traps in my path.
13 They block my road
and do everything they can to destroy me.
They know I have no one to help me.
14 They come at me from all directions.
They jump on me when I am down.
15 I live in terror now.
My honor has blown away in the wind,
and my prosperity has vanished like a cloud.
16 “And now my life seeps away.
Depression haunts my days.
17 At night my bones are filled with pain,
which gnaws at me relentlessly.
18 With a strong hand, God grabs my shirt.
He grips me by the collar of my coat.
19 He has thrown me into the mud.
I’m nothing more than dust and ashes.
20 “I cry to you, O God, but you don’t answer.
I stand before you, but you don’t even look.
21 You have become cruel toward me.
You use your power to persecute me.
22 You throw me into the whirlwind
and destroy me in the storm.
23 And I know you are sending me to my death—
the destination of all who live.
24 “Surely no one would turn against the needy
when they cry for help in their trouble.
25 Did I not weep for those in trouble?
Was I not deeply grieved for the needy?
26 So I looked for good, but evil came instead.
I waited for the light, but darkness fell.
27 My heart is troubled and restless.
Days of suffering torment me.
28 I walk in gloom, without sunlight.
I stand in the public square and cry for help.
29 Instead, I am considered a brother to jackals
and a companion to owls.
30 My skin has turned dark,
and my bones burn with fever.
31 My harp plays sad music,
and my flute accompanies those who weep.
31 “I made a covenant with my eyes
not to look with lust at a young woman.
2 For what has God above chosen for us?
What is our inheritance from the Almighty on high?
3 Isn’t it calamity for the wicked
and misfortune for those who do evil?
4 Doesn’t he see everything I do
and every step I take?
5 “Have I lied to anyone
or deceived anyone?
6 Let God weigh me on the scales of justice,
for he knows my integrity.
7 If I have strayed from his pathway,
or if my heart has lusted for what my eyes have seen,
or if I am guilty of any other sin,
8 then let someone else eat the crops I have planted.
Let all that I have planted be uprooted.
9 “If my heart has been seduced by a woman,
or if I have lusted for my neighbor’s wife,
10 then let my wife serve another man;
let other men sleep with her.
11 For lust is a shameful sin,
a crime that should be punished.
12 It is a fire that burns all the way to hell.
It would wipe out everything I own.
13 “If I have been unfair to my male or female servants
when they brought their complaints to me,
14 how could I face God?
What could I say when he questioned me?
15 For God created both me and my servants.
He created us both in the womb.
16 “Have I refused to help the poor,
or crushed the hopes of widows?
17 Have I been stingy with my food
and refused to share it with orphans?
18 No, from childhood I have cared for orphans like a father,
and all my life I have cared for widows.
19 Whenever I saw the homeless without clothes
and the needy with nothing to wear,
20 did they not praise me
for providing wool clothing to keep them warm?
21 “If I raised my hand against an orphan,
knowing the judges would take my side,
22 then let my shoulder be wrenched out of place!
Let my arm be torn from its socket!
23 That would be better than facing God’s judgment.
For if the majesty of God opposes me, what hope is there?
24 “Have I put my trust in money
or felt secure because of my gold?
25 Have I gloated about my wealth
and all that I own?
26 “Have I looked at the sun shining in the skies,
or the moon walking down its silver pathway,
27 and been secretly enticed in my heart
to throw kisses at them in worship?
28 If so, I should be punished by the judges,
for it would mean I had denied the God of heaven.
29 “Have I ever rejoiced when disaster struck my enemies,
or become excited when harm came their way?
30 No, I have never sinned by cursing anyone
or by asking for revenge.
31 “My servants have never said,
‘He let others go hungry.’
32 I have never turned away a stranger
but have opened my doors to everyone.
33 “Have I tried to hide my sins like other people do,
concealing my guilt in my heart?
34 Have I feared the crowd
or the contempt of the masses,
so that I kept quiet and stayed indoors?
35 “If only someone would listen to me!
Look, I will sign my name to my defense.
Let the Almighty answer me.
Let my accuser write out the charges against me.
36 I would face the accusation proudly.
I would wear it like a crown.
37 For I would tell him exactly what I have done.
I would come before him like a prince.
38 “If my land accuses me
and all its furrows cry out together,
39 or if I have stolen its crops
or murdered its owners,
40 then let thistles grow on that land instead of wheat,
and weeds instead of barley.”
Job’s words are ended.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
[TBR-011: Job 29-31 (January 11, 2023)]
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Job 29-31:
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
Chapters 29-31 of the book of Job is viewed in this blog as Job’s review of his situation. His response is seen as the earthly perspective of anyone who has tried to live for God in their own human strength but has been harassed by Satan (and his forces), God’s enemy and theirs.
Job 29
Job recalled and longed for the days gone by when he was blessed by God and in turn blessed others. He had an intimate friendship with God. His children were gathered around him, and he was very prosperous. His public leadership was greatly respected. He was well spoken of and rescued the poor. He was righteous, just, and aided people with disabilities. He assisted the disadvantaged, snatching them from the grasp of the wicked. He thought that even in his death, after a long, fruitful life, he would refresh and shelter others. People paid attention when he spoke, drinking in his words and basking in his approval. People looked to him for advice, leadership, and comfort.
Job 30
In contrast, now Job was mocked by ne’er-do-wells who had been driven from human society. Nameless, worthless fools and outcasts from society taunt him, despise him, and spit in his face. They block his way at every turn and seek to destroy his honor and prosperity. Depression haunts him day and night along with his pain. It appears that even God is against Job. Yet he turns and cries out to this seemingly unresponsive God whom he views as shaking him by the collar. To Job, God seems to be cruelly persecuting him and sending him to his death, the eventual end of all life. He looked for good and light but found only evil and darkness. He looked for human help and comfort but found only wild animals, fever, and mournful music.
Job 31
In this part of his speech, like a good defense attorney, Job gives his responses to a series of possible charges against him and how they should be punished if they were true, which in his case they are not. He was committed not to lust, not to lie, not to cheat or mistreat his servants, not to abuse or neglect the poor and needy, not be enticed to worship other ‘gods’ (money or nature as examples), not to gloat or rejoice over disaster on his enemies, not to cover up any guilt or fear what other people think, and not to steal or murder. Job was committed to all this so that he could stand as a prince before God.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Job 29-31?
O LORD God, it is only by Your mercy grace and love that Job was able to experience the blessings He had earlier in his life. Thank You for using Him to bless others as well. You were so pleased by him that as chapter one showed, You commended him to Satan. It Satan to whom You gave permission to tempt, trouble, and torment Job knowing that he would pass the test and remain steadfast in his trust in You. Satan then did his best (worst), using people and circumstances to get Job down physically, financially, emotionally, mentally, and socially; however, Job continued to maintain that You were a person who could be reasoned with and appealed to. He asserted that You are the ultimate judge before whom he could plead his case, and that You would declare him innocent. He affirmed that the guilty should be punished but that he had lived in such a way that he was not one of them. There were no Ten Commandments or laws of Moses for Job to obey or break, yet Job had lived them out. Jesus had not yet come to die and remove sin, but Job knew He would come and stand upon the earth. You, Holy Spirit, had not yet come to indwell him and enable him, yet Job lived rightly related to You and to other human beings, and he interceded for his family to do the same. Job set an excellent example of how we bring You glory, LORD. May we follow it. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Job 29-31? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will write an account of how God has blessed me and used me to bless other people in my lifetime.
- I will make a list of sins that I have committed that God has forgiven because of Jesus’ death on the cross, writing over them in red ink, “Covered and removed by the blood of Jesus.”
- I will ask other people I know to join me in the above activities.
- Together with these others, I will praise God for all that He is and has done.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.