Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Job+031
CHAPTER 31 (ESV)
35 Oh, that I had one to hear me!
(Here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me!)
Oh, that I had the indictment written by my adversary!
36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder;
I would bind it on me as a crown;
37 I would give him an account of all my steps;
like a prince I would approach him.
38 “If my land has cried out against me
and its furrows have wept together,
39 if I have eaten its yield without payment
and made its owners breathe their last,
40 let thorns grow instead of wheat,
and foul weeds instead of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.
REFLECTION:
In Chapter 29, Job reviews his good deeds. In this chapter, he enumerated the sins he had never committed. Job also stated that he did not try to hide his sin as ordinary people do. Job’s words were finally finished, and the end of man was the beginning of God. God led Job to such a point that all that he could say was finished, all the pain was expressed, and Job finally quieted down, waiting for God to speak to him. God spoke to Job through Elihu and prepared Job before God appeared to him and spoke directly to him. This process is painful, but this is not the end. It was not God’s final purpose for the Israelites to go out of Egypt, it was to enter Canaan; emptying was not the purpose, it was to be filled; demolishing was not the purpose, it was to rebuild; suffering was not the purpose, glory was. God doesn’t stop here because God not only wants Job to know himself, but also to reform his life so that he truly knows God. Remember, when you feel desperate and everything is hopeless, that is often the time when God wants to speak to you and rebuild your life.
PRAYER:
God, my prayers to You often consist of only me speaking and not listening to Your voice. Today’s scripture shows me that Job finally quieted down, waiting for You to speak to him. The end of man is the beginning of You. Please teach me to learn to be more quiet before You, not to seek what I want, nor to ask You to fulfill my requests, but simply to enjoy Your presence, receive Your reminders and guidance, and reshape my life to regain strength to follow You.
HYMN:
Holy, Holy, Holy – m.youtube.com/watch?v=YdbxSpJn1yQ
