Page 160 - Job
P. 160

Before, when he wanted them to know something, he argued with them.
           But now he wants them to see something and he prays for them. He now
           knows  the  difference  between  hearsay  and  revelation,  between  what  is
           heard with the ear and what is seen with the eye of faith. And, all of a
           sudden, Job becomes priest and mediator. Verse 8,
          “Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams,  and
           go to my servant Job.”

           Isn’t  that  marvelous?  Job  was  not  only  blessed  himself,  but  now  he
           becomes the channel of blessing for others. He becomes a mediator; he
           becomes a priest. He becomes the one who intercedes for his friends. And
           how did that all come about? Through his suffering. You see, suffering
           not  only  means  enlarged  blessing  for  Job,  but  it  also  means  enlarged
           blessing through the sufferer for others. Job 19:13 – 21,

          “He has removed my brothers far from me, and my acquaintances are
           completely  estranged  from  me.  My  relatives  have  failed,  and  my
           intimate friends have forgotten me. Those who live in my house and
           my maids consider me a stranger. I am a foreigner in their sight. I
           call to my servant, but he does not answer; I have to implore him
           with  my  mouth.  My  breath  is  offensive  to  my  wife,  And  I  am
           loathsome to my own brothers.”

          “Even young children despise me; I rise up and they speak against
           me. All my associates abhor me, and those I love have turned against
           me, my bone clings to my skin and my flesh, and I have escaped only
           by the skin of my teeth. Pity me, pity me, O you my friends, for the
           hand of God has struck me.”

           Now listen to 42:11,
          “Then all his brothers and all his sisters and all who had known him
           before came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house; and
           they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversities that the
           LORD  had  brought  on  him.  And  each  one  gave  him  one  piece  of
           money, and each a ring of gold.”

           Where were they when he needed them? In Job 19: “Everyone has turned
           against  me,  my  whole  family”.  You  would  expect  Job  to  be  bitter,
           wouldn’t you? You would expect Job to carry a little chip on his shoulder,
           a vendetta. You would think he would have animosity in his heart and
           vindictiveness in his spirit. But he saw God. And seeing God, he is not


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