Job 42

In Job 42, we see the conclusion of Job’s long trial and his final response to God’s speeches. Job humbly repents, recognizing God’s sovereignty and infinite wisdom. God then rebukes Job’s friends for their incorrect understanding of His ways and vindicates Job. In the end, God restores Job’s fortunes, blessing him with more than he had before. This chapter highlights the themes of humility, divine justice, and restoration.

Job 42:1-5 (NKJV)
1 Then 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.

Job humbly acknowledges God’s omnipotence, admitting that no plan of God can be thwarted. He reflects on how he spoke without full understanding, realizing now the depth of God’s wisdom. Job confesses that while he had known God in theory, through this trial, he has come to a deeper, personal understanding of who God truly is. This profound experience transforms Job’s perspective, deepening his reverence for God.

Job 42:6 (NKJV)
6 Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes.”

Job expresses his deep remorse and repentance for questioning God’s justice. His reaction is not one of self-loathing, but rather a humble acknowledgment of his limited perspective in comparison to God’s infinite wisdom. By repenting “in dust and ashes,” Job displays a posture of total humility and surrender before God.

Job 42:7-9 (NKJV)
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.”
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.

God turns His attention to Job’s friends, rebuking them for their faulty understanding of His justice. They had wrongly accused Job and misrepresented God’s character. God instructs them to offer a sacrifice and have Job pray on their behalf, which shows Job’s restoration to a position of favor with God. The friends obey, and God accepts Job’s intercession, highlighting the power of repentance and reconciliation.

Job 42:10-11 (NKJV)
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.

God’s restoration of Job begins after Job prays for his friends. This act of intercession not only brings reconciliation but also signals the beginning of God’s blessing upon Job. Job’s family and acquaintances return to comfort him, and they give him gifts, signifying their support. This restoration of relationships mirrors Job’s spiritual restoration.

Job 42:12-17 (NKJV)
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.
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.

God’s blessings on Job’s latter years surpass his former prosperity. Job’s wealth is doubled, and he is given a new family, with his daughters noted for their exceptional beauty. Interestingly, Job breaks with tradition by giving his daughters an inheritance alongside their brothers, reflecting his renewed understanding of justice and fairness. Job lives to see many generations of his descendants, and his life ends in peace and fulfillment.