Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold.
The Prayer That Turned the Tide
The relatives and old friends who arrive at Job's table are the same people who had kept their distance while he sat in ashes. What moved them was not Job's recovery of health alone but a change that had already happened inside him — and commentators note that God's blessing waited for that change.
Nothing outward shifted until Job stopped defending himself and started praying for the men who had wounded him.
F. B. HoleGod 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.
Restored on New Ground
Job's wealth doubled, but not because a shrewd man rebuilt it.
C. H. MackintoshBut 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.
Comfort That Came Late
The sympathy in this verse arrives only after the trial is over.
The Bible TreasuryHuman 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.
"The Evil That the LORD Had Brought"
The verse traces Job's suffering to God, not to Satan — even though chapters 1 and 2 showed Satan at work. One writer insists the text means what it says.
Samuel RidoutIt 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).
Commentators put this in different ways. Another draws a sharper line between Satan and God:
H. L. RossierOne 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.
The Money and the Gold Ring
Each visitor brought a piece of money and a gold ring. Job had his wealth back already, so these gifts met no need.
Samuel RidoutWe 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!
God Does Not Forget
The final scene is God's public verdict on a man He had seemed to abandon.
William KellyThe 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.
The ending also speaks to readers still inside their own trial.
Samuel RidoutGod 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."
Summary
- Turned — Job prayed for the friends who had wounded him. Only then did God restore his fortunes.
- Renewed — The restoration was not clever management. Job stood on new moral ground, with new thoughts of God, himself, his friends and his circumstances.
- Late — The sympathy of relatives arrived only after the storm passed. Such comfort does for fine weather and is useless in a storm.
- Traced — The text lays the evil at God's door. Job saw only God's hand; commentators differ on how much to lay at Satan's door.
- Kept — Job held fast to God because God held fast to Job. Grace both gives and keeps integrity. God restored Job, and He will as surely bring every suffering believer into the inheritance.