Commentary on the Book of Job part one hundred eight

                                      Job 42:1-17

In Job 42:1-6, Job finally reached the absolute pinnacle of faith to which God had brought him. Job realized that God was absolutely Almighty and Omniscient, and that meant all of His judgments had to be right. God had given Job a Redeemer. God had given Job faith in his Redeemer. God had promised that He would purify Job like gold. God had promised Job that he would live with Him forever.

God's revelations to Job humbled him. Job realized that all of his negative judgments and feelings about God came from a lack of faith in Him. Job understood that God knew him better than he could know himself. Job became awestruck by his newfound comprehension of God. Job discovered that God was far more wonderful and beautiful than Job had ever imagined. Job found that God who created the universe could also have compassion on a little creature like Job.

Job also discovered that since God loved him as His child, then he could talk with God as one person to another. Job could ask God questions and expect answers, and God would not be angry with him. Job knew that he could never hope to fully understand an eternal God, but he could have confidence in the revelations that God had given to him. Job found that he could pray to God and be assured that God would answer his prayers.

Job further came to understand that before God had given him his Redeemer, Job had only heard about God as others had speculated about Him, but now Job could see God face to face, not with his physical eyes, but with his inner, spiritual eyes of faith. Job now knew God personally and far better than anyone around him.

But having now found himself in the presence of a Holy and Majestic God, Job could only become disgusted with himself and repent of his sins. But this was exactly the state of humility to which God desired to bring Job. No one can really know God as being loving and compassionate until one humbles oneself to Him and repents. Only when a person comes to a state of complete humility and dependence on God can God give that person assurance that only He can cleanse and forgive that person of his sins, only He can purify that person like gold, only He can adopt that person as His child and give him the very righteousness of his Savior so that that person can live with God in heaven forever. John 3:16; John 5:24; Luke 13:3; John 17:19; John 17:23-24; II Corinthians 5:21; Romans 8:14-17.