After the Lord challenges Job, Job responds saying “I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know… I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” 

This is what it is like walking with God. His word exposes our sin and our need for a Savior which leads us to repentance, which leads to restoration, which ultimately leads to closer fellowship with the Lord. 

The story ends as it began, with Job at the altar. This time Job is interceding for his three friends who spoke incorrectly about God. So Job lays down his anger and frustration toward his friends and prays for them. Then the Lord restores Job and “the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning… After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. So Job died, old and full of days.” 

And that’s a wrap on the Patriarch Era! Next up – Exodus Era. Remember we left the Israelites (Jacob’s descendants) in Egypt multiplying into the great nation the Lord promised they would become. The story picks up there tomorrow, so keep reading.  (Job 40:6-42:17)

14 Eras: 

Creation Era (Genesis 1:1-11:26) ✔️ 

Patriarch Era (Genesis 11:27-50:26 and Job) ✔️ 

Exodus Era (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) up now!

Eras to follow: Conquest, Judges, Kingdom, Divided Kingdom, Captivity, Return, Silent, Gospel, Church, Missions, and EndTimes/New Beginnings

The Lord appears in a whirlwind and says to Job, “Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you and you shall answer Me.” The Lord’s questions reveal that He is the God of all creation and He is sovereign over all things. God inquires of Job, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know!” The Lord ends His challenge to Job by saying “Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it.”

Job, no longer boasting in all of his good deeds, responds, “Behold, I am vile.” 

The closer you draw to God through His word, the more magnificent He becomes and the more you become aware of your brokenness and your need for a Savior. Basically, when up against His holiness, we look pretty disgusting. But this is what makes the Good News such Good News! The more we see our sin problem, the more we see our need for a Savior, and the more deeply we fall in love with the Lord.

Throughout this story, whenever man is confronted with the Lord, he is overwhelmed with the Lord’s holiness. We are about to see another example in the Exodus Era with the life of Moses, when God appears to him at the burning bush. And later in the story, during the Divided Kingdom Era, we will meet a man named Isaiah. When Isaiah encounters the Lord, he says he is a man of unclean lips. However, a seraphim will touch his lips with coal and say, “Behold, this has touched your lips, your guilt is taken away, and your sin is atoned for” (Isaiah 6:7). 

This is what God does for repentant sinners – He restores them. And that’s exactly what the Lord is doing by sending His Son Jesus. Jesus’ bloodshed will atone for the sins of those who trust Him as Lord and Savior. Jesus will lay down His life as the final atoning sacrifice so that we may be declared righteous and have a relationship with the Lord through faith in His Son.  

Tomorrow, we will see the Lord restore Job, a repentant sinner, bringing an end to the book of Job and the Patriarch Era. So keep reading! (Job 38:1-40:5)

“Behold, God is mighty, but despises no one; He is mighty in strength of understanding. He does not preserve the life of the wicked, But gives justice to the oppressed. He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous; But they are on the throne with kings, For He has seated them forever, And they are exalted.” Elihu continues to remind Job of God’s greatness – “Behold, God is exalted by His power… Behold, God is great and we don’t know Him… God thunders marvelously with His voice… With God is awesome majesty.” 

It is because of God’s greatness that He despises no one. We will see this clearly when Jesus arrives on the scene and makes His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The people will cheer for Him, but Jesus will weep. Why? Because Jesus knows that the people cheering for him that day will days later yell for His crucifixion. He weeps because He knows that the city of Jerusalem will be destroyed by the Roman Empire in forty years. He weeps because He came to give them eternal life and the majority rejected Him. He weeps because He despises no one but is broken hearted over the people’s unbelief. He weeps because He knows the consequences of their unbelief. 

There will be a day of judgment for each person and that judgment will be based on your relationship with Jesus Christ. Paul will write about this coming judgment – “But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds’” (Romans 2:5-6, Psalms 62:12). And John will tell us that Jesus will be the final Judge – “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him” (John 5:21-23).

So how do we escape the wrath of God? It is through trusting in Jesus Christ as our Savior – “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:1-4).

We can have hope during our trials knowing that God is for us and that one day we will be in the presence of His greatness for eternity, “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

Tomorrow Job will stand in the presence of God, so keep reading. (Job 35:1-37:24)

Today Job’s young friend, Elihu, comes forward with some words of wisdom. Elihu is angry at Job for justifying “himself rather than God,” and he is angry at the three friends because “they had found no answer and yet had condemned Job.” 

Elihu confronts Job saying, “Surely you have spoken in my hearing, and I have heard the sound of your words, saying, ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am innocent, and there is no iniquity in me. Yet He finds occasions against me, He counts me as His enemy; He puts my feet in the stocks, He watches all my paths.’ Look, in this you are not righteous.” Elihu is correct! Job is not without sin, and Scriptures support Elihu’s claim:

– “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).

– “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24).

– “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

However, One is coming who has no sin to do for us what we can’t do for ourselves – “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). There is only one person who will ever walk the earth that is without sin and that is Jesus Christ! Job is a sinner in need of a Savior just like the rest of us. And once again, what makes Job righteous? His faith in the Lord, for without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).

Tomorrow we will hear more insight from Elihu about the greatness of God, and the next day the Lord speaks. So keep reading! We are in the home stretch of the book of Job! (Job 32:1-34:37)

Yesterday’s reading ended with Job talking about how he used to be well respected by the community –  “Men listened to me and waited, and kept silence for my counsel. After my words they did not speak again, and my speech settled on them as dew… I chose the way for them, and sat as chief; so I dwelt as a king in the army, as one who comforts mourners” (Job 29:21-25).

However, the public response to Job is quite different now that he isn’t prosperous. We see the contrast in today’s reading – “And now I am their taunting song; Yes, I am their byword. They abhor me, they keep far from me. They do not hesitate to spit in my face.” So the people around Job loved him when he was rich and healthy, but now they are disgusted with him because he has nothing and is suffering greatly. 

But does Job have nothing? He actually has something pretty great. He has the Lord! Also, remember how God can change people’s circumstances just like that?! I’m thinking of Joseph – And yes, He can do the same for Job!  It’s always too soon to make a call about a person. 

Job’s final words include a request to stand before the Almighty Lord, about which we will read in a couple of days. But first, we will hear from a wise young man named Elihu. Tomorrow Elihu will explain to Job, who keeps professing his innocence, that no man is without sin, so keep reading. (Job 30:1-31:40)

Job refuses to cave in to his friends’ false teachings about the Lord and suffering, but when put on the defense by his friends, Job starts justifying himself based on his own merit – “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban. I was eyes to the blind, and I was feet to the lame. I was a father to the poor, and I searched out the case that I did not know. I broke the fangs of the wicked, and plucked the victim from his teeth.” The Lord did declare Job blameless in the beginning of this story, but that wasn’t based on Job’s actions; and his suffering isn’t based on his failures.  

Job, a righteous man, is enduring extreme suffering for God’s purposes. Jesus Christ will willingly do the same. And when Jesus arrives on the scene and John the Baptist is sitting in prison wondering if Jesus is really the Messiah, Jesus will say to John’s disciples – “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me” (Matthew 11:4-6). Jesus, the final Lamb, is coming to heal the blind, the deaf, the lepers, and ultimately anyone who believes in Him. Jesus, the only perfect Man to ever live, will die a horrific death so that you and I can have hope.

“Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:18-19). These verses explain that Adam’s disobedience in the beginning of this story, in the garden of Eden, brought sin into the world. As a result, we are all born sinners in need of a Savior. Therefore, the Lord is sending His Son Jesus to make righteous and restore to His Father anyone who believes in Him. 

Job’s story points to Christ, as do all these stories within the beautiful big story of the Bible. However, we have more people to meet and stories to read before we get to Jesus—so keep reading! (Job 26:1-29:25)

Eliphaz, keeping with the theme that Job’s severe suffering is because of Job’s severe sin, says to Job, “Is not your wickedness great, and your iniquity without end?” Then Eliphaz makes a list for Job of all the potential sins Job could have committed, including taking pledges from his brother without reason, stripping the naked of their clothing, not providing water or food for the weary, neglecting the widows, etc. Job responds saying he wishes he could take his case before the Lord – “Would He contend with me in His great power? No! But He would take note of me. There the upright could reason with Him, and I would be delivered forever from my Judge.” 

The Lord is a just Judge, and Job will soon have his chance to go before Him. But when Job stands before the Lord, Job will not talk about how upright and righteous he is… no, quite the opposite. Job will quickly recognize how sinful and disgusting he is next to the Holy God. However, God will show Job mercy, but not because of anything that Job has done to earn it by his good deeds. Job’s righteousness isn’t based on Job’s performance.

Bildad asks Job about righteousness – “How then can man be righteous before God? Or how can he be pure who is born of a woman?” In Genesis 15:6, God says about Abram that “he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” So Abram was called righteous solely based on his faith in the Lord. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him.” So what pleases God? Faith. Job’s righteousness has nothing to do with his actions or prosperity but everything to do with his faith in God. We saw Job’s faith exhibited in the beginning of his story when he built an altar to the Lord. Job was approaching the Lord through the shedding of the blood of the innocent, placing his faith in the promise of the Savior to come as a substitutionary atonement for our sins. This is the promise God gave to Adam and Eve back in the garden before He killed an innocent animal to cover the guilty (Genesis 3:15, 21). There is only one Man born from a woman who is born pure in this story, and that is Jesus Christ. And the only way He is pure is that His seed comes from the outside, from the Lord. 

Later Paul will explain that we are justified and our sins and penalty of sin are removed by the blood of Christ – “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him” (Romans 5:8-9). Our righteousness is found under the blood of Christ. Jesus, the ultimate Sacrifice, will arrive on the scene soon, but for now, more animals will be killed pointing to the One to come, so keep reading. (Job 22:1-25:6)

Today Job says “How long will you torment my soul, and break me in pieces with words? These ten times you have reproached me.” Job’s friends’ further attempts at explaining Job’s suffering only add additional pain to the already suffering Job. 

Later in the story, Jesus’ half-brother James will provide some good advice on how to respond to one’s suffering – “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms… Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (James 5:13,16). Praying for Job would be way more beneficial than trying to rationalize suffering which is sometimes unexplainable. But that’s not the approach that Job’s friends took. 

Job’s deep wounds lead him to cry out, “Oh, that my words were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book! That they were engraved on a rock with an iron pen and lead, forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another, How my heart yearns within me!” 

At this point in Job’s life, could Job have known that his words would be written in a book that lasts forever? A book that we can read today and learn more about the Lord, the spiritual realm, Satan, suffering, waiting on God, origin of righteousness, etc. Could Job have known that? No. But what Job does know is that the day will come when his suffering will end and he will stand face to face with the Lord — and we can have that same assurance. At the end of the story, in the book of Revelation, the Lord explains that the ones who are saved by grace through faith will one day stand before the Lord and our faith will become sight – “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). But in the meantime, we must trust the Lord with our pain and suffering, just like Job. I’m sure Job couldn’t even imagine the magnitude of the impact that his life would have on the world, but we see that God wastes nothing, and He uses all things, even suffering, for our good and His glory.

Eventually the Lord is going to appear and guess what? God is going to ask Job to pray for his friends so that they may be healed, just as James said we should do for one another. But first, Eliphaz feels the need to list for Job all the possible ways he may have sinned, resulting in his afflictions. That’s up tomorrow, so keep reading. (Job 19:1-21:34)

Today Job’s friend Eliphaz continues to try to convince Job that his suffering is a direct result of his wickedness. He accuses Job of being a hypocrite, briber, troublemaker, and liar – “For the company of hypocrites will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of bribery. They conceive trouble and bring forth futility; their womb prepares deceit.”  

Job is suffering greatly and is surrounded by people who add to his misery. His friends don’t understand Job’s suffering nor do they understand the Lord. So Job says to his friends “miserable comforters are you all!” Job could use an encouraging word from his friends, which he will not receive. Job says if he were in their place he could heap up words against them but he wouldn’t. Job would strengthen them with his mouth, and the comfort of his lips would relieve their grief. However, the constant berating from Job’s friends leads Job to cry out – “My friends scorn me; My eyes pour out tears to God.”

Although Job’s friends don’t understand his suffering and are terrible comforters, God always understands and always provides comfort. The hard part is waiting on the Lord to act on our behalf – “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him” (Isaiah 64:4). We have seen through studying the lives of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as the life of Joseph, that God doesn’t always act quickly, but He does act on behalf of His people and His timing is always perfect! 

Soon we will see the Lord act on Job’s behalf, but in the meantime we have to wait it out with suffering Job, so keep reading. (Job 15:1-18:21)

After Job responds to Zophar’s unhelpful input, he cries out “You are all worthless physicians. Oh, that you would be silent.” Job understands that God is the Great Physician. And although Job is suffering greatly, he still puts his trust in the Lord saying, “Though He slay me, yet I will trust Him.” Job doesn’t understand that it’s Satan at work, but Job does understand enough to know that he can trust God regardless of his afflictions.

Then Job says, “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one!” Job is aware that he is a sinner in need of a Savior. But in the midst of his pain, Job is longing for death and wrestling with the thought of afterlife – “Oh, that You would hide me in the grave, that You would conceal me until Your wrath is past, that You would appoint me a set time, and remember me! If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, till my change comes. You shall call, and I will answer You.” Job doesn’t understand the reason for his pain nor does he understand all about life after death; however, he longs for a change, and he trusts that the Lord will somehow, someway bring that change. 

God is sending a Savior, the Mediator Jesus Christ, who will make unclean things clean, who will provide a way for eternal life, and who will offer the change that Job is waiting for. Remember, Job only has a few stories from Scriptures from where he gains his hope. We have the privilege of reading all of God’s promises laid out for us in the Bible from the beginning in Genesis till the end in Revelation. Therefore, we know that the Savior has come and lived a life we can’t live, died a death we deserve, and risen from the grave, giving us assurance that we will one day rise again. Those who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ will live forever in heaven where there will be no more pain and suffering; and one day we will receive new bodies that are not affected by illness and decay. Paul writes about this change that Job is longing for, the day we will be made whole for eternity – “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’” 

For those in Christ, there is a guaranteed expiration date to all suffering. And for Job, who trusts in the Lord and in His promises, there is an expiration date for his suffering as well, so keep reading. (Job 12:1-14:22)