Slices
Prepare
Think back on a happy memory. Recall the joy of that moment or season. Thank God for his past blessings to you.
Bible passage
Job’s final defence
29 Job continued his discourse:
2 ‘How I long for the months gone by,
for the days when God watched over me,
3 when his lamp shone on my head
and by his light I walked through darkness!
4 Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,
when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house,
5 when the Almighty was still with me
and my children were around me,
6 when my path was drenched with cream
and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil.
7 ‘When I went to the gate of the city
and took my seat in the public square,
8 the young men saw me and stepped aside
and the old men rose to their feet;
9 the chief men refrained from speaking
and covered their mouths with their hands;
10 the voices of the nobles were hushed,
and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.
11 Whoever heard me spoke well of me,
and those who saw me commended me,
12 because I rescued the poor who cried for help,
and the fatherless who had none to assist them.
13 The one who was dying blessed me;
I made the widow’s heart sing.
14 I put on righteousness as my clothing;
justice was my robe and my turban.
15 I was eyes to the blind
and feet to the lame.
16 I was a father to the needy;
I took up the case of the stranger.
17 I broke the fangs of the wicked
and snatched the victims from their teeth.
18 ‘I thought, “I shall die in my own house,
my days as numerous as the grains of sand.
19 My roots will reach to the water,
and the dew will lie all night on my branches.
20 My glory will not fade;
the bow will be ever new in my hand.”
21 ‘People listened to me expectantly,
waiting in silence for my counsel.
22 After I had spoken, they spoke no more;
my words fell gently on their ears.
23 They waited for me as for showers
and drank in my words as the spring rain.
24 When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it;
the light of my face was precious to them.
25 I chose the way for them and sat as their chief;
I dwelt as a king among his troops;
I was like one who comforts mourners.
Explore
‘Oh, for the days when I was in my prime!’ I suspect many of us can sympathise with Job’s heart-cry in verse 4 of today’s reading. Maybe we weren’t all as highly respected or abundantly blessed as Job goes on to describe, but it is natural when we face difficulties or failing health to look back and long for happier, easier times. We may even have a nostalgia for past eras of history, when life was simpler (ignoring the fact that it was also usually more hazardous!).
How should we as believers think about the past? The Bible often commands God’s people to recall their past. The Israelites were told to tell, year after year, the story of their rescue from Egypt and God’s miraculous provision and protection. Jesus told us to break bread and drink wine in remembrance of him.
The purpose is not to make us nostalgic for ‘the good old days’, ‘when the Almighty was still with [us]’ (29:5). Rather, the idea is that remembering what God did then will give us faith and hope for what he is doing now.
Respond
‘Father, thank you for giving us your Word that reveals your power and love at work in your people. Please help me to remember that you are still at work, just as you always have been. Help me to trust you for the future. Amen.’
Deeper Bible study
‘The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your right hand’.1 Thank you, Lord, for your protection over my life until now.
Job recalls his life before he was laid low. This is all the fruit of the fear of the Lord.2 Beginning with a vivid account of his walk with God (vs 2–6), he testifies to God’s protective care (vs 2,3) and how he felt equipped with a lamp for his feet and a light on his path.3 The word ‘friendship’ is important in verse 4; some prefer ‘protection’,4 but both are implied. Friends take care of one another; Jesus said that we are God’s friends if we follow his commands.5
Job’s testimony was marked by generosity. Not the self-righteous, showy giving of the Pharisees, but the practical mercy shown in rescuing the poor who cried for help and caring for the widow and orphans (vs 12,13). This is the heart of true religion.6 We know from chapters 1 and 2 that Job is not boasting in a self-righteous way. There was a generous, caring side to his wealth and wisdom; this was part of his walk with God.
We sometimes question whether wealthy people truly have integrity. We suspect the whiff of corruption, perhaps growing from our own envy. Job, however, enjoyed the esteem of his contemporaries, apparently without reserve. His speech, integrity and demeanour all commanded respect for him, even in the heart of public life. While he was still young, others had seen this and honoured him. As with Joseph and Daniel, his lifestyle equipped him for leadership and public service – as should be expected of those who love God. Job, however, was going to be tested to the core. It is a mark of the strength of his faith that he survived the stripping away of all this – although at times just by a whisker.
Recall the early days of your testimony, thanking God for his faithfulness to you over the years. Pray for strength to face whatever trials may lie ahead.
1 Ps 121:5 2 Job 28:28 3 Ps 119:105 4 Francis I Andersen, Job, Tyndale OT Commentaries, IVP, 1976, p250 5 John 15:14 6 James 1:27
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Numbers 26,27; Acts 22
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray that God will give Faith Guides vision to start new grow communities around the country and that the 95 will come with open hearts to these grow communities to connect and hear the good news of Jesus.
