The last few chapters of Job are about God’s reveal to Job. Many have heard of the Doctrine of Revelation at church. God not only reveals himself to Job but He does to us. There are so many people that hear others say “I have a relationship with the Lord”, and have no idea what that person is talking about. Relationship? What do you mean you hear from God? When you read this story, there is that voice inside of you that is telling you something over and over. Open you heart and listen to it. That is God. This Bible is one major way He chooses to communicate with us. I know for some they think it is a book written by men to explain stuff or History, but know this: it’s not. He will choose this Book to speak directly to you. I could say this story is about a number of things, trials, suffering, repentance, God’s sovereignty, God’s character, restoration…but it is also a personal theme for each that read it and it may change EVERY time you go back to it. It is personal and it may not even be part of the “theme” .
So if you have not read the conclusion of God’s story with Job. Read it, because what I may comment on, may have NOTHING to do with what God is saying to you.
Where to begin? This is from me for me.
Chapter 40: The conversation. God has conversation with us. Back and Forth. We say something in Prayer, He Speaks back. This conversation will last as long as HE chooses before something changes in our lives.
Chapter 41: I researched the Leviathan, and read different commentaries on it. I read everything from a Crocodile to the 7 Headed Sea Monster that was very much a part of their culture in this time period. ( you should research the Sea, it has great meaning from the beginning of time all the way to Revelation, fascinating stuff, you will see in heaven there is no more SEA…and it will all make sense.) But basically what I came away with was, if we cannot even come close to conquering the Leviathan, How much greater is God! He was the CREATOR of all things. So let us imagine the strongest creature, the largest animal…how much power they have…God could say a word and wipe it off the earth.
Chapter 42: Are you kidding me! What an awesome ending. Job shows us exactly what we need to do to be close to the Lord. Exalt Him.
Then Job replied to the LORD : “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. (verse 1 and 2)
My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes. (Verse 5 and 6)
Why are we reading the Bible?? That is it. We can hear His words, from a book, or a pastor, a friend, but when we hear it from God himself…THAT is when we change (and no other authority will do that) We know that Sin entered the World. We will have hearts like His friends, but when we read this Bible, we are hearing it straight from God, our eyes will be open DIRECTLY to him. So when Job says he repents of his old ways…that is a HUGE key. He is NOT repenting of any sin or action he may have committed. He is repenting of his attitude and lack of relationship with the Lord. Repent means to “make a u-turn” to go the other way way. HE will now go towards God.
The version o f the message takes this verse of “heard of you” and “repent” and puts it in a great text for me.
I admit I once lived by rumors of you;
now I have it all firsthand—from my own eyes and ears!
I’m sorry—forgive me. I’ll never do that again, I promise!
I’ll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor.”
I think many people probably read this story and noted the “prayer and forgiveness” of his friends after all they put him through. I think many people’s hearts jumped at the Restoration of His wealth and family. God will restore us, He is always working for His greater Glory. It is human to try to figure out what God is doing through our trials, but notice that God NEVER told Job the whole story. It was when Job saw God for who He is and what He has done and can do, that God finally restored Him.
Reading the Bible in one year 
Posted by Patricia on January 15, 2010 at 7:08 am
I am sorry that was long. I get carried away. It is Friday, take today to really examine anything the Lord may have said to you over the past 2 weeks. It may he the first time some of you are actually feeling like he is “talking” to you. (SOme of us may have not heard a single thing, He will reveal himself when He is ready, just like He did with Job) Do I think we all walk away now saying “Oh…I get it, I get why things happen” Heck no, but what we do get to see is the reality of Satan. I am still mulling over Chapter 1 when God said “where have you been”, and Satan said roaming around down there. Satan is not sitting on a big rock in hell with a pitch fork in his hands. He is down here with his team watching and roaming waiting to wisper in your ear, or use someone else to create issues for you, or just to simply tempt you. Without knowing God’s Bible we can’t really get a grip on what is “world” and what is Truth. We saw that from ALL four of Job’s friends. None of them got it right. God finally spoke and revealed a small glimpse of how Almighty He is, and NO we will never, can never fully understand all the stuff that goes on, we see that this week in Haiti, but God knows and if we just trust in Him and exault Him as the Creator of all, he will bless us, not with stuff but with Peace.
Posted by Nicolle on January 15, 2010 at 7:48 am
Questions are bouncing around in my head like a pin ball machine – What does it mean that Job saw and heard God through the eye of the storm? What EXACTLY is the behemoth and Leviathan? Why was God only mad at the friends if they were all wrong? What was the conversation like between God and Satan after the whole ordeal?
Patricia – I love your point that God never revealed the “why” to Job just the fact that He is big enoughto handle any situation.
Posted by Angie Hamstra on January 15, 2010 at 9:21 am
I picture myself in Job’s place when he responds in 40:4 “I am unworthy – how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth.” I’m complaining, God speaks and I slowing back away with my hand over my mouth. Ha!
Posted by Patricia on January 15, 2010 at 9:27 am
I don’t know and would love others input too. Whenever I picture the Lord speaking I absolutly picture the earth shaking, the thunder rolling, clouds moving…How can nature not react when God is speaking. At that moment I picture a calmness. God let everything stand still for a minute so Job can hear Him. (So much like us today, we have that moment where we are in the car, or shower, or walking, for a brief quiet moment and you just hear God ever so clearly say something).
Behemoth and the Levianthan are questionable. At the time there was thought to be many creatures (like we think og the lockness monster today) however it may have just been referring to a huge huge animal in its day like a Mammoth. We know they existed, God left us Fossils from the flood.
God was not mad at Job because Job because with all that God allowed Satan to do, Job never foresook (is that a word) God. Satan said he would and he never did. He may have honestly spoken to him about his feelings but he never abandoned the idea of exaulting Father God. Job also in the end repented from his attitude and prayed for he very ones that were causing him anguish.
God never revealed the final conversation to us. God won. He knew what Job could handle and satan didn’t it. God knows exaclty how much all of us can handle, satan only thinks he does. satan is an idiot.
I am always up for correction so if anyone wants to ass or delete from my answers above PLEASE do!
Posted by Lisa Lovins on January 15, 2010 at 10:41 am
Does anyone have anymore specifics on Jobs wife? In Chapter 2:9 it says, then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” Then in 2:10 Job says, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we not accept good from God and not accept adversity?”
In chapter 42:10 – 11 it says that the Lord restored Job’s fortunes and all his brothers and sisters who had known him before came to him. My assumption is that he was restored with his wife, however, I don’t have the facts. As I am trying to seek to be a godly wife and mother I wondered about the “husband/wife” relationship. And wondered if she lived as long as Job.?
I love reading the NIV and the Message translations. My 4th grade daughter is reading with me and the Message translation is really easy to understand. Thanks in advance for any insights.
Posted by Amanda O'Rear on January 15, 2010 at 2:39 pm
Love it…so very wonderful to see it all unfold. Gods plans are so very often not ours…and for the greater good…we just don’t get it at the time!
Posted by Lori Lafayette on January 17, 2011 at 4:38 pm
My take on the Leviathan and Behemoth. I believe those are the LARGEST, FIERCEST, most POWERFUL and intimidating sea and land creatures ever to have existed on earth. The only word that comes to my mind to attach to that description would be “dinosaurs”! Awesome. My bible suggests crocodile (leviathan), or some type of cattle/grazing animal (behemoth) people hunt and kill those animals all the time! Dinosaurs. I’m sold. 🙂
**And I love how you pulled it all together for us at the end: Job repented because not because of his sinfulness, but because of his attitude.