Job 29
-Job’s glorious past was recounted in detail here in chapter 29. This is a wonderful recollection of good times gone by, but it also presents us with a Christian model for leadership, which was demonstrated by King Jesus Himself. As Job takes up his discourse again, he reflects on months and years gone by when God watched over him with great blessing. His lamp shone over Job’s head, and by His light Job walked through darkness unafraid and confident. He was in the prime of days, and God’s friendship was over his tent. The Almighty was with him, and his children were around him. Now they were gone. He was a grieving father of deceased children (Job 1:18-20). Job uses colloquial language of the time to demonstrate his favor saying, “My steps were bathed in butter, and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!” He had incredible respect from others in his domain. When he went out to the gate of the city and took his seat in the square among the elite, young men hid themselves and old men arose and stood in reverence. Princes stopped talking and put their hands to their mouth. The voice of nobles hushed and their tongue stuck to their palate when Job came in their presence. Job remembers, “When the ear heard, it called me blessed, and when the eye saw, it gave witness of me.” Why was he so blessed? He reveals the righteous things he did as a leader. He delivered the poor who cried for help and the orphan who had no helper. He blessed the ones ready to perish and took extremely good care of them. He made the widow’s heart sing for joy. He put on righteousness, and it clothed him. His justice was like a robe and a turban (complete covering). He was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. He was a father to the needy and investigated, as a sovereign, cases he didn’t know. He broke the jaw of the wicked and snatched the prey from his mouth. In other words, he was a hero for the good. He really had faith that his death would be in the security of his nest, which he had built with righteous acts of love and purity. He felt his days would be multiplied as the sand. He had an ongoing optimism of good fortune. His root was spread out to the waters and dew lay all night on his branch. He thought his glory was ever new and that his bow was always going to be renewed in his hand for power (Job 29:1-20).
-Those who he spoke to listened and waited keeping silent for his counsel. After he spoke, they did not speak again. His word was the final say. People would wait on him like they waited for rain and opened up to him as for the spring rain. He was patient with them, smiling on them when they didn’t believe him, and they did not cast down the light of his face. He chose a way for them and sat as chief. He dwelt as a king among the troops as one who comforted the mourners (Job 29:21-25)
-*Application* We’ve all had good times and bad times. In those times of distress, it is easy to look back at the good ole days when things seemed to work more in our favor. Sometimes we as humans forget about the difficulties along the way even when we were more victorious. What strikes me about this discourse is all the righteous things that Job noted himself for in the past. Here was a true man of God, even called blameless, upright, fearing God, and turning away from evil in the first chapter (Job 1:1). If God could put a man like this through the crucible, surely we can expect the same at certain points of our Christian walk. Bear up under the fire and persist in righteousness.
Verse to Memorize: Job 29:14
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