Job’s Former Blessings
And Job continued his discourse: “How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me, when His lamp shone above my head, and by His light I walked through the darkness,
when I was in my prime, when the friendship of God rested on my tent, when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me, when my steps were bathed in cream and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
When I went out to the city gate and took my seat in the public square, the young men saw me and withdrew, and the old men rose to their feet. The princes refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands. The voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roofs of their mouths. For those who heard me called me blessed, and those who saw me commended me, because I rescued the poor who cried out and the fatherless who had no helper. The dying man blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; justice was my robe and my turban. I served as eyes to the blind and as feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy, and I took up the case of the stranger. I shattered the fangs of the unjust and snatched the prey from his teeth.
So I thought: ‘I will die in my nest and multiply my days as the sand. My roots will spread out to the waters, and the dew will rest nightly on my branches. My glory is ever new within me, and my bow is renewed in my hand.’ Men listened to me with expectation, waiting silently for my counsel. After my words, they spoke no more; my speech settled on them like dew. They waited for me as for rain and drank in my words like spring showers. If I smiled at them, they did not believe it; the light of my countenance was precious. I chose their course and presided as chief. So I dwelt as a king among his troops, as a comforter of the mourners.”
Forget all the insults Job’s friends have been heaping on him, before all the disasters, Job was THE MAN! “And Job continued his discourse: “How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me, when His lamp shone above my head, and by His light I walked through the darkness, when I was in my prime, when the friendship of God rested on my tent, when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me, when my steps were bathed in cream and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!”
Now Job goes on to detail just how great he actually was. Job was one of the most respected men in town. The young men retreated when Job appeared, the elders rose to their feet in a show of respect, and even the princes refused to speak until Job had spoken. Why did Job command such respect? “me commended me, because I rescued the poor who cried out and the fatherless who had no helper. The dying man blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; justice was my robe and my turban. I served as eyes to the blind and as feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy, and I took up the case of the stranger. I shattered the fangs of the unjust and snatched the prey from his teeth.”
After all this, Job was sure that the rest of his life was going to be smooth; after all, he was righteous. “So I thought: ‘I will die in my nest and multiply my days as the sand. My roots will spread out to the waters, and the dew will rest nightly on my branches. My glory is ever new within me, and my bow is renewed in my hand.’ So this was the way things were going, right up until the day that God withdrew His protection, allowing Satan to attack Job, his family, and everything he owned.
Now Job’s health is broken, his wealth has evaporated, his family is devastated, and he is forced to sit listening to acquaintances accusing him of incredible crimes. Little wonder if Job might be bitter about his life falling apart. But is reflecting on past glory really helping Job? Probably not.
APPLICATION: If anybody could identify with Job, it might have been Horatio Gates Spafford. “Spafford was a lawyer and a senior partner in a large law firm. Spafford invested in real estate north of Chicago in the spring of 1871. However, in October 1871, the Great Fire of Chicago reduced the city to ashes, destroying most of Spafford’s investment.
Two years after the devastation of the Great Chicago Fire, the family planned a trip to Europe. Late business demands (zoning issues arising from the conflagration) kept Spafford from joining his wife and four daughters on a family vacation in England, where his friend D. L. Moody would be preaching.
On November 22, 1873, while crossing the Atlantic on the steamship Ville du Havre, the ship was struck by an iron sailing vessel, killing 226 people, including all four of Spafford’s daughters: Annie, age 12; Maggie, 7; Bessie, 4; and an 18-month old baby. His wife, Anna, survived the tragedy. Upon arriving in Cardiff, Wales, she sent a telegram to Spafford that read “Saved alone.” Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write It Is Well with My Soul as his ship passed near where his daughters had died.” (Information from Wikipedia.)
After this horrific loss, Spafford and his wife had three more children and turned their attentions away from material success. Eventually, they moved to Jerusalem, where they helped found the American Colony and joined a ministry that helped Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Although Spafford left a legacy in Jerusalem, his biggest gift to the world was the hymn he wrote while crossing the part of the ocean where his children had died.
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
(Refrain:) It is well (it is well),
with my soul (with my soul),
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
(Refrain)
My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
(Refrain)
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pain shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
(Refrain)
And Lord haste the day, when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
(Refrain)
Lot’s wife died because she hesitated and looked back as Sodom and Gomorrah were being destroyed. When disaster strikes, it is far better to look forward than back, because reflecting on past glories may sour us so much that we become nearly unable to move forward at all. If we allow grief to capture us, we may find ourselves sinking in emotional quicksand.
PRAYER: Father God, there are many people whose lives have been torn apart by disasters and who are tempted to look back. Help all of us to leave the past with You and to move forward. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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