Hello everyone! Welcome to today’s Bible study on Job 42 – Job’s repentance and restoration. According to Bible scholars, the events of the book of Job took place approximately before 2100 B.C. This is the last chapter in the book of Job.
I encourage you to turn to Job 42 in your Bible. Kindly invite the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read and study Job 42 with me. I mention this in all the Bible Studies because it is through the Holy Spirit that we get fresh revelation and knowledge to understand the word of God. I am using the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, just in case you want to know. All the scriptures that you find highlighted in purple in this post are from the NKJV.
In the Bible Study on Job 41, we read about God’s power exhibited through His creation – the Leviathan. Well, in this Bible study on Job 42, we will read about Job’s repentance and restoration.
Without any further delay, let us study together Job Chapter 42, shall we?
Job Answers The Lord And Repents
1Then Job answered the Lord and said:
2 “I know that You can do everything,
And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
4 Listen, please, and let me speak;
You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’
5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,
But now my eye sees You.
6 Therefore I abhor myself,
And repent in dust and ashes.”
In Verses 1-2 of Job 42, Job answered the Lord and said that he knew that The Lord can do everything and that He accomplishes all He purposes. In Verse 3, Job reminds the Lord that He asked ‘ Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge’ and Job confessed that he uttered (spoken) that which he did not understand and that he had spoken without knowlegde. He said that the things of the Lord are too wonderful for his comprehension.
In Verse 4, He pleads with the Lord to listen to him speak and he reminded the Lord that He said ‘ I will question you, and you shall answer Me’. In Verses 5-6 of Job 42, Job tells the Lord of how he has heard of him before only by the hearing of the ear, but now his eyes see Him (The Lord). Therefore, Job said that he abhorred himself and he repented in dust and ashes.
The Lord’s Wrath Was Aroused Against Eliphaz, Bildad And Zophar
7 And so it was, after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.8 Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.”
In Verses 7-8 of Job 42, The Lord after having spoken to Job, now said to Eliphaz that His wrath was aroused against him and his two friends (Bildad and Zophar), because unlike Job, they had not spoken what is right of the Lord. The Lord commanded them to take for themselves seven bulls and seven rams and to go to His servant, Job and offer up for themselves a burnt offering for their sinful speech. He said that Job would pray for them and He will accept Job’s prayer for his friends. If not, He would deal with Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar according to their folly, because they had not spoken what is right of The Lord as Job did.
The Lord Restored Job’s Losses Twice As Much As He Had Before
9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord commanded them; for the Lord had accepted Job. 10 And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. 11 Then all his brothers, all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances before, came to him and ate food with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that the Lord had brought upon him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and each a ring of gold.
In Verse 9 of Job 42, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar went and did as the Lord commanded them to do because the Lord had accepted Job. So they knew that they would be forgiven of their sins through the burnt offerings and when Job prayed for them. Verse 10 tells us that the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. The Lord gave to Job twice as much as he had before.
Verse 11 tells that now all his brothers, all his sisters and all those who had been Job’s acquaintances before came to him (They were all absent during Job’s affliction) and ate food with Job in his house. They consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that the Lord brought upon him. Each one who had come to comfort and dine with Job gave him a piece of silver and each one gave him a gold ring.
Note
When Job interceded on behalf of his friends, The Lord restored Job. The Verses don’t say that the Lord restored Job’s friends when he prayed for them. Instead, the Lord restored Job. And Job was not praying for his restoration. His repentance of his own sins and intercessions for his friends’ sins brought the blessing of the Lord upon Job. There is a blessing in intercession. It brings the Lord’s blessing on you when you intercede for those who have done wrong in the Lord’s sight. But, before you intercede make sure that you have repented of your sins first.
The Lord Blessed The Latter Days Of Job More Than His Beginning
12 Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. 13 He also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 And he called the name of the first Jemimah, the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-Happuch. 15 In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.
In Verses 12-15 of Job 42, The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his former days. Now, The Lord blessed Job with fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen and one thousand female donkeys. Refer Job 1:3 to see the difference in Job’s possessions. Again, he had seven sons and three daughters. Before his affliction also he had seven sons and three daughters who were all killed (Read Job 1). The names of the daughters (in the latter days of Job) in order from eldest to youngest are Jemimah, Keziah, and Keren-Happuch. The daughters of Job were the most beautiful in all the land and Job gave them as an inheritance among their brothers.
Job Lived A Long And Full Life
16 After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. 17 So Job died, old and full of days.
Verse 16 of Job 41 tells us that Job lived one hundred and forty years after his affliction and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. Now that is a huge blessing to Job. Verse 17 tells us that Job died old and full of days after having lived life to the fullest. He didn’t die of sickness or disease but only of very old age.
Conclusion
This brings us to the end of the bible study lesson on Job 42. This chapter shows us how the Lord is faithful to forgive and also restore twice as much (as He did for Job), when His people repent earnestly of their sins and also intercede for others. I hope you learnt something from this free bible study and found it helpful in your Bible study journey. Thank you for studying with me the whole book of Job. It was such a wonderful experience for me to write too. I hope you enjoyed these bible study lessons on Job as much as I did.
If you have any comments or questions for me, kindly leave them in the comments box below. I highly appreciate it. I will get back to you as soon as I can. The next bible study lesson would be a continuation of Genesis, precisely Genesis 11 (The Tower of Babbel), according to the Chronological Timeline. I’ll see you there!
Until Next Time!