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This week we tackle Job 42, and I see three points- one rather lengthy and seemingly off subject- that I wanted to work out here. First thing was, I felt a need to work out what time period we were looking at. Not especially important, and it should be noted that what I came up with is little more than guesses, but you can learn while you look.
My first thought was, you can get a pretty good estimate in this particular era of Bible history by looking at the ages of the people mentioned. For example, take Shem, son of Noah. He was born 98 years before the flood (Gen 11:10), and lived to the age of 600- 45 years longer than his 7th-great grandson Abraham, as the ages of succeeding generations dropped pretty consistently after the flood. In fact, Shem's son Arphaxad outlived both his great and great-great grandsons! So how old was Job? Well we can kinda guess he was what we would call late middle age (Job 15:10 kind of indicates that), so let's say he was 50. Add on the 140 God adds to his life in our chapter, and he lived to 190 (Note: I'm gonna challenge that in a bit). Abraham lived to 175, Isaac to 180. So maybe there? Let me go on here.
The fellows that came to comfort him. Now nowhere does it say this for sure, but Eliphaz the Temanite appears to be the same Eliphaz who was the firstborn of Esau. Esau was 40 when he married, so if we assume he got right to building a family, that would give us a definite date for Eliphaz's birth. Let's set us a 'zero' at the flood, Esau would have been born in our 'speculative year' 542. That would put Eliphaz's birth around 582- and Abraham died 15 years earlier. Bildad the Shuuhite is a bit trickier. The one Shuuach this seems to point to was Abraham's last child with the wife he had after Sarah died. That death would be in our year 529, so let's say Shuuah, the sixth child with this new wife was born 535-540. That would put what seems to be 'prime birthing age' among the patriarchs for a first kid around 580- same time we're guessing off Eliphaz. The wrinkle here is that while this would require Abraham to name Shuuah's city after his son (or Shuuah to name it after himself); one reason we can suspect we have the right Eliphaz is that he had a son named Teman- and we can assume Eliphaz named his city after his son. Zophar is absolutely no help here. But if we wanna say for conjecture, that Eliphaz and Job are roughly the same age, and Job was 50 when the curse fell upon him, that would put us at about 630 years after the flood- or 40 years before Jacob joined Joseph and the boys in Egypt. By Genesis 47, we know Jacob was 130 at that time, and lived to 147. Joseph, the last one we have a grip on the age of, though, only made it to 110. So ages might not quite match up. However, I have an explanation for that up my sleeve as well, which I'll get to later on.
The one that throws a bit of a monkey wrench into my theory is the latecomer " Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram". Now Abraham's brother Nahor (actually Nahor Jr, as their grandfather was also Nahor) had what apparently were twins to start out- Huz (which means consultation) and Buz (which means contempt; makes me think this is a way of saying, 'one was expected, two were not'). So this Buz would be a nephew of Abraham down that line. But... and this is a big one... Ram lived MUCH later on. In fact, he was a great grandson of Judah through Pharez. But notice, unlike all the others, it says 'of the the kindred of Ram'. Which means, I would believe, that the crossing of his line with that of Ram happened later. So why even mention it? Because Ram was 7th before King David in the messianic line. Get it? The one speaker that spoke God's own mind was rewarded with a connection to the Messiah!
And Job? All we know about Job is he's from the land of Uz, and Uz was the youngest son of Shem. And the story goes full circle.
So now, let me move on to the second point, now that you're thoroughly baffled. I bring to you, verse 7 of our chapter:
Job 42:7 After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite: "My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.
"As Job has"? Are you now thinking, "Wait, I thought he was in trouble here?" And he was- but not for anything he said in the debates. Saying, "I wish I could hash this out with you, God" is no sin- but like Job, you better be prepared for the answer. While Larry, Moe, and...er, Eliphaz and the others were busy saying, "You must be lying, you have to have sinned, or else this wouldn't have happened", Job was telling them over and over: 1- I am innocent; 2- God does what He wants. Even the righteous may suffer, while the mighty take comfort in this world, even leading one to ask "What value is there in prayer?"( Chapter 21) But Job also figured out something his buddies did not- and it comes up in 2 different spots:
Job 16:19 Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and he who testifies for me is on high.
Job 19:25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
Job 19:26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God,
Job 19:27 whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!
So Job was a prophet, and in his way he knew Jesus! I should also point out that according to KJV's concordance, the word used here for "witness" is the only time it's used in the Bible...
Third thing needs a bit of text here....
Job 42:8 Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has."
Job 42:9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the LORD had told them, and the LORD accepted Job's prayer.
Job 42:10 And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
Now here's where you get the key to the whole book- Job was healed AFTER he prayed for his friends. You see, always before, Job had remembered the 'triangle of faith'- God first, others second, you last. But in the pain of the sickness, and the strain of the debates, Job let them get flipped. Suddenly HE was the most important thing. Now that God restored Job, Job had to restore the triangle of faith- meaning before he got his reward, he had to do for others. If anything else you forget about this lesson, remember this part- God will reward you when you put Him first, others second, yourself last.
And now, before we lose it, the answer to getting my years right is in that last quote. See, God gave Job TWICE what he had before. Before, he would have had only (only, he says) another 70 years of life- but God doubled that! 70 years would have put him at 120- a lot closer to contemporary Joseph. Therefore my guess of 40 years before Jacob goes to Egypt is still good! So this all times out to be happening, VERRRRRY roughly, about the time Joseph was being sold to the Ishmaelites.
