Now My Eyes See
Job 40-42

Now My Eyes See, Job 40-42. What did we learn from the book of Job? Here are a few things that I thought of; perhaps you can think of some others.

1 And the Lord said to Job:
2 “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?

He who argues with God, let him answer it.”
3 Then Job answered the Lord and said:
4 “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?
I lay my hand on my mouth.
5 I have spoken once, and I will not answer;
twice, but I will proceed no further.”
Job 40:1-5, ESV

1 Then Job answered the Lord and said:
2 “I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?
’Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
4 ‘Hear, and I will speak;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.’
5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you;
6 therefore I despise myself,
and repent in dust and ashes.”

10 And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. 11 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.

12 And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He had also seven sons and three daughters. 14 And he called the name of the first daughter Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch. 15 And in all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job's daughters. And their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. 16 And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, four generations. 17 And Job died, an old man, and full of days.
Job 42:1-6 & 10-17, ESV

Now My Eyes See
Job 40-42

In today's reading we come to the last three chapters of Job. It was an unbelievably trying time for Job, but in the end he said, "Now my eyes see.!" The key verses for this section are found in Job 42:5-6:

I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you;
therefore I despise myself,
and repent in dust and ashes.

The book of Job has a happy ending; actually, the life of every Christian has a happy ending as well, for all believers will end their lives on this earth and then enter the eternal abode where they will live forever! God rebuked Job for his self-righteous spirit; but, how did Job respond to God?

“Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?
I lay my hand on my mouth.
I have spoken once, and I will not answer.
twice, but I will proceed no further.”

There lies the true heart of a Christian!

What did we learn from the book of Job? Here are a few things that I thought of; perhaps you can think of some others:

1. No man is perfectly righteous before God.
2. Health and fortunes do not make a man a Christian; neither do they condemn him if they are taken away.
3. God is righteous and just-the creator of all things and the only Redeemer for man.
4. Even in affliction, we are to rejoice in God for His safekeeping and nearness to us.
5. God will resolve everything in the end for the Christian.
6. Job showed his true spirit in two ways: 1) When rebuked by God, he totally humbled himself before Him; and 2) He did not hold his friends' comments against them, but rather prayed that God would forgive them for what they had said.

Pray today that you can proclaim with Job, Now my eyes see! This reminds me of a very familiar hymn:

Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou has for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready, my God, Thy will to see;
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit Divine!