Job 42:10–17

"And Jehovah turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends" — a beautiful expression of the work of grace. It was not merely that He turned their punishment away when Job prayed, but He turned Job's own captivity when his heart went out on their behalf. Job himself was now consciously set free. Until this moment he had felt like a captive held in a tight grip; but Jehovah turned his captivity when he prayed for his friends. His heart was active in grace; he had seen grace, and now he expressed grace, and this too for the very people who had wounded him most.

So we find that when Job got right about God and himself, he soon got right about his friends, for he learned to pray for them. Yes, he could pray for the "miserable comforters," the "worthless physicians," the very men with whom he had contended so long, so firmly, and so fiercely! "And the Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends."

It must have been an extraordinary scene. Verse 10 shows that the turn in Job's bodily condition and in his fortunes came when he had prayed for his friends, and not before. Here were the three friends, well-dressed gentlemen of the east with their sacrifices; Job, a wasted figure, covered with boils. Yet this poor physical wreck is in touch with God, and able to hold up his hands in gracious and priestly intercession. When had anything like this been seen in the east?

How good it is to see how God connects Job's intercession with his return to prosperity. Earlier, Job had offered burnt offerings for his sons, in case they had cursed God in their hearts (Job 1:5). Now he interceded with a God he had come to know in a new way, One who spoke to him, and whom he had seen.

God blessed Job abundantly, turning his captivity and giving him twice as much as he had before. He did this when Job had prayed for his friends — and not till then... Yet God did not let that tide of earthly blessing roll in upon Job again until he had been deeply changed in spirit and character. When at last he was brought near to God, he acted as a priest in a way that reflected the goodness and kindness of God; then everything outward changed. The boils disappeared, health returned, the ashes were left behind... Job, then, was not a loser but a gainer by God's dealings, even in material things.

But Jehovah also gave Job twice as much as he had before, for the book could not end without a witness to God's goodness even outwardly... But Job only held fast to God because God held fast to Job. That was the real root of the matter. It is grace after all that gives and keeps integrity. But God was not unrighteous to forget Job.

The chapter is the farmer's harvest. The words "Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord" introduce the mention of "the steadfastness of Job" and "the purpose of the Lord." The farmer works in hope, and gets his fruit at harvest. And so Job endured, till at last the one who sowed reaped. (James 5:7-11)

God blessed Job richly, restoring his fortunes and giving him twice as much as he had before. He did this when Job had prayed for his friends — and not till then. The blessings of those days were earthly and material. They stand in contrast with "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" (Eph. 1:3), which is the distinctive portion of the Christian. Yet God did not let the tide of them roll in upon Job again until he had been deeply altered in spirit and character.

But how? By what means? Was it by his own independent hard work and clever management? No; everything is changed. Job is on new moral ground. He has new thoughts of God, new thoughts of himself, new thoughts of his friends, new thoughts of his circumstances; all things have become new.

Human comfort is sometimes given generously when the trial is over and gone. In Job's case he was left alone in the hour of his grief. Only his "friends" were there, and their help irritated more than it soothed. But when the Lord "restored the fortunes of Job" and gave him "twice as much as before," then his brothers and sisters and all his old acquaintances came to comfort him. Such comfort as this may do for fine weather, but it is useless in a storm.

It was not Satan's lightning, but God's, that struck Job's property; God's whirlwind, not Satan's, that destroyed his family. Satan had demanded this — "Stretch out your hand and touch all that he has" (Job 1:11). Job sees only God's hand in his affliction — "the LORD has taken away" (v. 21). And God Himself says to Satan, "you incited me against him to destroy him without reason" (Job 2:3).

One thing is worth noticing: it was Satan, not God, who killed Job's children, destroyed his possessions, and struck him with boils. God certainly permitted it — not only to prove Satan a liar, but also to teach Job a lesson he needed.

We need not think of it as heartless or formal. God put it into their hearts to recognise His approval and acceptance of His servant. All his wealth is doubled — cattle, sheep and all the rest. What are such details to Him who is the Possessor of heaven and earth!

The time has not yet come to set right everything that is crooked, or to remember every good and righteous deed. Even so, the LORD does not let His saint go without a proof of His interest and His blessing. Job therefore received even then this testimony of what God is. He did not forget the man who had passed through such a storm of trial, and who had held on to Him when He seemed to be against His servant... But Job only held fast to God because God held fast to Job. That was the real root of the matter. It is grace after all that gives and keeps integrity. He showed what He thought of it all, even before the day of reward came. The fullest testimony of respect and confidence poured in from all his relatives and even his acquaintances.

God restored the fortunes of Job. Just as surely, He will bring every suffering child of God into the inheritance that is "imperishable, undefiled, and unfading."

God blessed Job abundantly, turning his captivity and giving him twice as much as he had before. He did this when Job had prayed for his friends — and not till then. The blessings of those days were earthly and material. The Christian's distinctive portion is different: "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Yet God did not let that tide roll in upon Job again until Job had changed deeply in spirit and character. When at last he came near to God and acted as a priest, reflecting the goodness and kindness of God, everything outward changed.

But how? By what means? Was it by his own independent hard work and clever management? No; everything is changed. Job is on new moral ground. He has new thoughts of God, new thoughts of himself, new thoughts of his friends, new thoughts of his circumstances; all things have become new.

What a change this was for Job, when the lesson was learned that there was nothing in himself but vileness... If he had lost seven thousand sheep, now he has fourteen thousand; and so with the camels, the oxen, and the donkeys.

But the Lord also gave Job twice as much as he had before, for the book could not end without a witness to God's goodness even outwardly. It is not yet the time for setting right all that is crooked, or for remembering every good and righteous deed. Even so, the Lord does not let His saint go without a proof of His interest and His blessing... But Job only held fast to God because God held fast to Job. That was the real root of the matter. It is grace, after all, that gives and keeps integrity. But God was not unrighteous to forget Job.

Is this an exception to the double gift? Or is it a hint that those other children, seven sons and three daughters, are not lost? Will he one day have them restored, and in resurrection find that everything has been doubled?

This does not mean, as some suppose, that they were not new sons and daughters, but that the restoration is one of resurrection. Such a view cannot be held. The sons and daughters were born to him. The names of the three daughters are given: Jemimah (a dove), Keziah (cassia), Keren-happuch (flashes of glory). Such were the blessed results of Job's experience, expressed by these names: purified and humble like the dove; cassia, which means fragrance, worship and adoration; and the flashes and splendour of glory.

But at the close of the action, the scene is set in "the world to come." It is God's world and not man's, the world which His power is to form and His principles are to fill. It is the time of refreshing and restoring. In Job 42 we are, in spirit, in the Millennium... The farmer works in hope and gets his fruit at harvest, or in resurrection. And so Job endured, until at last the one who sowed reaped. This chapter is the farmer's harvest.

This too is one great purpose God always has in all His discipline. Today the blessings given are spiritual and not material, as we have seen. But many an aged believer would testify that God used their very trials and sorrows to lead them into an enjoyment of His spiritual gifts twice as great as the one they started with.

But the Lord also gave Job twice as much as he had before, because the book could not end without a witness to God's goodness even in outward things. It is not yet the time for carefully setting right all that is crooked, or for remembering every good and righteous deed. Still, the Lord does not let His saint go without a proof of His interest and His blessing. Job therefore received even then this testimony of what God is. He did not forget the man who had passed through such a storm of trial... But Job only held fast to God because God held fast to Job. That was the real root of the matter. It is grace after all that gives and keeps integrity.

The names of the daughters are given, no doubt with divine significance. Jemima, "a dove"; Keziah, "cassia"; Keren-happuch, "a horn of paint," or adornment. These are the fruit of Job's trials. The dove, suggesting the gentleness and love of the bird of sorrow. Cassia, telling of the fragrance that has come from his bruising; and the horn of cosmetic, of the "beauty for ashes" that is now his. Love, fragrance, beauty — these come out of our sorrows. Truly there are no daughters so fair as these.

Youngest daughter of Job after his restoration to prosperity. Job 42:14. The meaning of the name is disputed. The Septuagint renders it "horn of plenty."

The names of the three daughters are given. Jemimah (a dove); Keziah (cassia); Keren-happuch (flashes of glory). Such were the blessed results of Job's experience, expressed by these names. Purified and humble like the dove; cassia, which is fragrance, worship and adoration; and the flashes and splendour of glory.

The bark of an aromatic plant resembling cinnamon, the Arabian cassia. It was used in the holy anointing oil; and, with myrrh and aloes, will perfume the garments of Christ as King. It was one of the articles of merchandise of Tyre. Ex. 30:24; Ps. 45:8; Ezek. 27:19.

The cinnamon, calamus and cassia are all products from the bark of a tree or from a plant that were ground to a very fine powder. This painful process produces rich fragrances. All speak of the sufferings of our Lord and to a lesser degree of our deep experiences with Him in life's pathway.

As far as temporal things were concerned, Job in the end received, under God's good hand, double what he had lost. Seven sons and three daughters came to lighten his home — surely an implication that the ones he had lost did not die like the beasts of the field. In the end he had double: ten in heaven and ten on earth. But spiritually and morally, what a triumph for God, and what an untold blessing for Job — a blessing beyond words.

So if Job lost his sons and his daughters in death, he now received them, as it were, in resurrection. Their very names are full of meaning. The first he called Jemima, which means "handsome as the day." The second he called Kezia — cassia, one of the sweet perfumes of the sanctuary. And the name of the third, Keren-happuch, means "child of beauty."

This does not mean, as some suppose, that they were not new sons and daughters, and that the restoration was one in resurrection. Such a view cannot stand. The sons and daughters were born to him.

The names of the daughters are given, no doubt with divine meaning. Jemima, "a dove"; Keziah, "cassia"; Keren-happuch, "a horn of paint," or adornment. These are the fruit of Job's trials. The dove suggests the gentleness and love of the bird of sorrow. Cassia tells of the fragrance that has come from his bruising. The horn of cosmetic speaks of the "beauty for ashes" that is now his. Love, fragrance, beauty — these come out of our sorrows. Truly there are no daughters so fair as these.

I also find it instructive that the daughters are singled out by name. This was a place, and a time long before ours, where men were everything and women were only playthings or upper slaves. That was not God's mind, even for those who feared Him outside the privileges and government of Israel.

Was it a mistake? Not at all. It was a gracious hint to Job which his faith no doubt knew how to read. Suppose God had given him fourteen sons and six daughters. The conclusion would then have been that his first children were lost to him for good, just like his old sheep, camels, oxen and donkeys. Instead God gave him only seven sons and three daughters again. In effect God was telling him that the first family was not lost for good. His prayers and intercessions had been heard. There is a resurrection world where he and they will meet again.

God blessed Job richly. He restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. He did this when Job had prayed for his friends — and not till then. … Yet God held back that tide of blessing. It rolled in on Job again only after he had been changed deeply in spirit and character. At last God brought him near, and he acted as a priest in a way that reflected God's goodness and kindness. Then everything outward changed.

Yet Jehovah does not allow His saint to go without a proof of His interest and of His blessing. … He did not forget the man who had passed through such a storm of trial. That man had held to Him when He seemed to be against His servant. … But Job only held fast to God because God held fast to Job. That was the real root of the matter. It is grace after all that gives and keeps integrity.

But at the close of the action, the scene moves to "the world to come." That is God's world and not man's — the world which His energies are to form and His principles are to fill. It is the time of refreshing and restoration. In Job 42 we are, in spirit, in the Millennium... The words "Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord" introduce the reference to "the patience of Job" and to "the end of the Lord." The farmer works in hope. He gets his fruit at harvest, or in resurrection. And so Job endured, until at last the one who sowed reaped. Chapter 42 is the farmer's harvest. James 5:7-11.

"After this Job lived 140 years." I do not mean by that, and I do not think the words are meant to convey, that Job lived 140 years after this was over. I take the words to mean that his whole life was 140 years; a very respectable age — very. It was not as long as Abraham's or Isaac's, but it was, I think, about the same as Jacob's, and greater than Moses'.

Job must have been nearly a century old, if not more, when the Lord opened the controversy with Satan about His servant. He then had seven grown-up sons, for they had houses of their own, and three daughters. After his trial he lived a hundred and forty years (chapters 1, 42). Does this long age not point clearly to a time no later than the days of Abram, and perhaps earlier?

The names of the daughters are given, no doubt with divine significance. Jemimah, "a dove"; Keziah, "cassia"; Keren-happuch, "a horn of paint," or adornment. These are the fruit of Job's trials. The dove suggests the gentleness and love of the bird of sorrow. Cassia tells of the fragrance that has come from his bruising. The horn of cosmetic speaks of the "beauty for ashes" that is now his. Love, fragrance, beauty — these come out of our sorrows. Truly there are no daughters as fair as these. Their children gather round Job's knees to give him the joy of youth even in his old age.

God blessed Job abundantly, turning his captivity and giving him twice as much as he had before. He did this when Job had prayed for his friends — and not till then. The blessings of those days were earthly and material. They stand in contrast with the "spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3), which are the distinctive portion of the Christian. Yet God did not let the tide of blessing roll in on Job again until his spirit and character had been deeply changed.

And so the dear man passes from view "old and full of days." He would once have said, "full of nights," but the light has shone on him, and he walks in it until the "perfect day."

He sees four generations, and at the ripe old age of 140 years he is gathered to his fathers. The Septuagint version adds a long ending to the last verse. It begins with this statement: "and it is written that he will rise again with those whom the Lord raises up." ... It comes from some writing outside the Bible, but it shows that people in ancient days held the hope of the resurrection of the body. Job will surely be there "in that day." His great saying, "I know that my Redeemer lives," and his hope of seeing Him, will come true.

The plan or structure is very distinct. There is a prologue in Job 1 and 2, with a matching conclusion or epilogue in the last chapter (Job 42:7-17). God and Satan raise the question in heaven. The man on earth most concerned knows nothing about it, until grace won out and the word revealed it all.

So the Supreme Judge of all moral relationships decided in Job's favour. It was not because of his patience, famous as that was. It was because Job had at last submitted completely to God, despite the harshest and most searching trial, and had vindicated Him by owning his own worthlessness.

God blessed Job richly. He restored what Job had lost and gave him twice as much as he had before. He did this when Job had prayed for his friends — and not before. Yet God held back that tide of blessing until Job was deeply changed in spirit and character. When he was at last brought near to God and acted as a priest in a way that reflected God's own goodness, then everything external changed. The boils disappeared. Health returned. He left the ashes behind. Those who had misjudged or abandoned him now poured kindness back into him. And God prospered him, so that he ended with twice as much as he had before.

And so the dear man passes from view, "an old man, and full of days." He would once have said "full of nights." But the light has shone on him, and he walks in it until the "perfect day."

"After this Job lived 140 years." I do not think this means Job lived 140 years after his trial was over. I think his whole life was 140 years — a very respectable age. It was not as long as Abraham's or Isaac's. But it was about as long as Jacob's, and longer than Moses'... But if you suppose he lived 80 years before the 140, that would make him far older than any of the patriarchs.

After this experience of Job he lived 140 years (v. 16), so that perhaps his age at death was similar to Abraham's (175 years).

Verses 16-17. We have reached the end. It is an end of peace, a perfect day. He sees four generations, and at the ripe old age of 140 he is gathered to his fathers. The Septuagint, the ancient Greek version of the Old Testament, adds a long ending to the last verse. It begins: "and it is written that he will rise again with those whom the Lord raises up." ... That line comes from a writing outside Scripture. But it shows that people in ancient days believed in the hope of the resurrection of the body. Job will surely be there "in that day." His great statement, "I know that my Redeemer lives," and his hope of seeing Him, will come true.

Today the blessings given are spiritual and not material, as we have seen. But many an aged believer would testify to this: God used their very trials and sorrows to lead them into an enjoyment of His spiritual gifts twice as great as the one they started with.