Conclustion of Job

For those of you that keep up with my three year study of Job, we finally come to the conclusion.
Though Job’s patience had not its perfect work, his repentance for his impatience had. He is thoroughly humbled for his folly and unadvised speaking, and it was forgiven him. Good men will see and own their faults at last, though it may be some difficulty to bring them to do this.
Although G-d did not choose to tell Job the reason for his suffering, He did give him a way of escape (1 Cor. 10:13), that way of escape was to recognize and reaffirm G-d’s right, as Creator, to do what He wills with His creatures (Gen. 18:25), whether our time-bound minds can understand His ways or not.
After the tremendous revelation he received of the glory of the L-rd, of His great creation, and of His loving care for His creation, Job no longer thought of his own problems. No longer did he plead for an understanding of his sufferings, or even seek relief from them. He had seen and heard the L-rd, and nothing else was of any consequence. So he had only this response humbly acknowledged G-d and confess his own impotence and ignorance.
Whenever and however the infinite Father has manifested Himself to human eyes or ears, it has been in the person of the Son, whose ministry it is to declare the Father to His creatures. Thus Job actually saw his redeemer, his Daysman, while still in his suffering body.
It concerns us to be deeply humbled for the sins we are convinced of, and not to rest in a slight superficial displeasure against ourselves for them by the afflicted in soul; for the workings and breakings out of pride, passion, peevishness, and discontent, and all their hasty unadvised speeches; for these we must be pricked to the heart till the enemy is effectually humbled, the peace will be insecure.
Judgment given against Job's three friends, upon the controversy between them and Job are finally coming to light. Elihu is not censured here, for he distinguished himself from the rest in the management of the dispute, and acted, not as a party, but as a moderator; and moderation will have its praise with G-d, whether it have with men or no. In the judgment Job is magnified and his three friends are mortified. While examining the discourses on both sides one can not separate, and determine, who was in the right; something of truth they both had on their side, lest we should have determined wrong. But it is well that the judgment is the L-rd's, and we are sure that His judgment is according to truth; to it we will refer ourselves, and by it we will abide.
When Job prayed forgiving them for their grievous slanders, notice that mercy did not return when he was disputing with his friends, no, not though he had right on his side, but when he was praying for them; for G-d is better served and pleased with our warm devotions than with our warm disputations. When Job completed his repentance by this instance of his forgiving men their trespasses, then G-d completed his remission by turning his captivity.
The Father not only healed and fully restored Job’s dying body so he could live to 140 fruitful years; whence some conjecture that he was 70 when he was in his troubles, and that so his age was doubled, as his other possessions.
The L-rd comforted him now according to the days wherein he had afflicted him, and blessed his latter end more than his beginning. The extraordinary prosperity which Job was crowned with after his afflictions was intended to be to us Christians a type and figure of the glory and happiness of heaven, which the afflictions of this present time are working for us, and in which they will issue at last; this will be more than double to all the delights and satisfactions we now enjoy.
After his restoration he eventually had another seven sons and three daughters making a total of twenty children, all evidently faithful to G-d. How many parents can say that?
The names of his daughters are here registered, because, in the significations of them, they seemed designed to perpetuate the remembrance of G-d's great goodness to him in the surprising change of his condition.
1. He called the first Jemima--The day because of the shining forth of his prosperity after a dark night of affliction.
2. The next Kezia, a spice of a very fragrant smell, because G-d had healed his ulcers, the smell of which was offensive.
3. The third Keren-happuch (that is Plenty restored, or A horn of paint), because (says he) G-d had wiped away the tears which fouled his face.
Concerning these daughters we are here told:
1. That G-d adorned them with great beauty.
2. That he supplied them with great fortunes, made them co-heirs with their brethren.
His total age was probably 140 years or so being capped off with a long period of peace, prosperity, and honor.
The purpose underlying the book of Job seems to be twofold:
1. Directed heavenward, it was a marvelous testimony - not only to satan but also to the entire hose of heaven - of the glorious effectiveness of G-d’s great plan
2. The other earthward - dealt with G-d’s great creation and His providential care over it. G-d indicated the need for a much stronger emphasis to keep the still-believing remnant from drifting into pagan evolutionism.
The need for a worldwide revival of the doctrine of real creation and a personal Creator G-d is great and is more vital now than ever before.
With G-d’s detailed reminder of how he cares for His creation, especially the animal, there is also a gentle rebuke to Job for thinking that G-d might have forgotten him! Therefore, His central message to Job, and to us, is not an explanation of why the righteous suffer, but rather a call to sound belief in creation and an emphasis on our stewardship over that creation, under G-d.
Afflictions that come our way can then be placed in proper context. We belong to Him, both by creation and by redemption, and He has the right to do with us whatever He will. We can trust Him, no matter what comes our way in this life, knowing that in the balances of eternity the Judge of all the earth will do right.