But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
Though he cannot see or find God, Job trusts that God knows the way he takes and is confident that when he has been tried he will come forth as gold. God tests His people in the furnace of affliction with wise purpose for their good and His glory, so that they come forth refined and not by chance. The furnace consumes earthliness, impurity and roughness, and as imperfections are put away Christ's image is reflected, with purity, holiness, faith, hope, patience and triumphant trust developed to fit character for heaven and for God's work. Even in the greatest affliction and peril His love remains strong and tender, His eye is every moment upon the tried, and He watches, protects, comforts and delivers them rather than leaving them to the destroyer. This coming forth as purified gold is for those who return in repentance, humble themselves, search the heart, and stay the soul upon God in adversity, and their patient trust ends in triumph, rejoicing and honor to His name.
Job's Trust in Testing
Though Job could not see or find God, he trusted that God knew the way he took. He was confident that when God had tried him he would come forth as gold, emerging from trial pure and refined. That testing refines rather than destroys those who belong to God, and faithful endurance brings the tested person through purified like gold. His patient endurance vindicated his own character and, as God's representative, the character of God, and this was fulfilled when the Lord restored and blessed him. Even when the way ahead is unclear, God's knowledge of the way taken gives reason to trust Him to lead safely.
God's Purifying Purpose in Trials
He knows the way His people take, and He puts them into the furnace of affliction to prove and refine them until they come forth as gold, even as silver is tried. This testing is not chance, but wise purpose, bringing good to those who suffer and glory to Himself. Severe trial is meant to refine rather than destroy those who return to Him in true repentance. In the furnace their earthliness, impurity and roughness are consumed, and faithful searching of heart exposes imperfections to be put away. Thus the dross is removed so that Christ's image can be fully reflected and revealed in them.
The refining restores the soul to purity and holiness and develops qualities suited to heavenly life. Affliction under grace develops faith, hope and patience, and makes the soul patient, trusting and triumphant even in adversity. Character so tried receives the divine impress and is fitted for heaven, and those brought through are better fitted for His work and brought forth to honor His name. Patient trust under testing removes what is impure and carries the tested through with triumph and rejoicing.
Even in greatest affliction and in the time of peril His love remains strong and tender, as in prosperity, and He keeps His eye every moment on those passing through trial. He watches over, protects and comforts them, leads them through discouragement, unappreciated labor, temptation and bodily affliction to more perfect confidence in their heavenly Father, and delivers them instead of leaving them to the destroyer. The Father gave His only-begotten Son to meet the powers of darkness and restrain satanic agencies, so they cannot prevail against His tried and chosen ones to overcome and destroy them. Jesus as great High Priest is touched with the feeling of human infirmities, binds up those wounded and bruised by the enemy, and keeps the tempted soul.
The promise of coming forth as purified gold, even as gold purified seven times, is for those who humble themselves before Him, trust Him meekly, and return in true repentance. It belongs to those who faithfully search the heart, lift the cry to Him in faith, rely on His grace through suffering, and stay the soul upon Him in adversity and perplexity.
Applying Confidence in Affliction
Those passing through trial may make Job's words their own confidence that God is proving them in order to purify them as silver is tried. He knows the course they take, and those who humble themselves before Him will endure the refining and come forth as gold, even as gold purified seven times.
For the backsliding soul, affliction and trial are God's discipline by which He teaches His children His way. Under adversity the soul that trusts Him and relies on His grace can become patient and trusting and triumphant in God, coming through suffering purified like gold.
Teachers in their work may meet discouragement, affliction, lack of appreciation, unappreciated labor, temptation, and bodily affliction. By these Satan seeks to make them murmur and to blind them to God's goodness, mercy, love, and the reward of the overcomer. Such trials are permitted to draw them nearer to God, to lead them to more perfect confidence in their heavenly Father, and to strengthen trust in His presence and deliverance even when that deliverance is concealed. His eye is every moment on those passing through trial, He knows the path they take, and He is ready to deliver them. If they lift the cry to Him in faith and stay the soul upon Him in adversity and perplexity, He will bring them forth as gold purified.
The same proving applies to remaining at a duty post and holding firmly to principle through hardship. It applies to doing God's work with the abilities entrusted, faithfully used while self-indulgence is resisted, for those who remain true under temptation come through as pure gold. It applies to enduring prolonged sickness and hardship in trust that God has a purpose and will bring the trial to its end, coming forth as gold through the fire of affliction. It applies to being tested again, with the urging to withstand temptation and endure as gold refined and proven through fire. It applies to personal trials and temptations such as Edson's, where God tests and proves and reliance on God gives power to overcome and emerge purified.
Those thus upheld and kept through trial are not to live for self alone with meager stunted piety. They are to work in Christ's lines, strengthening the hands that hang down and confirming the feeble knees, seeking the wandering straying sheep, guarding perishing souls from ruin, and letting their light shine to guide souls into refuge in Christ. Affliction is an opportunity to show trust in the Redeemer, with confidence that Jesus is present and watches over His loved ones as gold is tested.
Though he cannot see or find God, Job trusts that God knows the way he takes and is confident that when he has been tried he will come forth as gold. God tests His people in the furnace of affliction with wise purpose for their good and His glory, so that they come forth refined and not by chance. The furnace consumes earthliness, impurity and roughness, and as imperfections are put away Christ's image is reflected, with purity, holiness, faith, hope, patience and triumphant trust developed to fit character for heaven and for God's work. Even in the greatest affliction and peril His love remains strong and tender, His eye is every moment upon the tried, and He watches, protects, comforts and delivers them rather than leaving them to the destroyer. This coming forth as purified gold is for those who return in repentance, humble themselves, search the heart, and stay the soul upon God in adversity, and their patient trust ends in triumph, rejoicing and honor to His name.
Job's Trust in Testing
Though Job could not see or find God, he trusted that God knew the way he took. He was confident that when God had tried him he would come forth as gold, emerging from trial pure and refined. That testing refines rather than destroys those who belong to God, and faithful endurance brings the tested person through purified like gold. His patient endurance vindicated his own character and, as God's representative, the character of God, and this was fulfilled when the Lord restored and blessed him. Even when the way ahead is unclear, God's knowledge of the way taken gives reason to trust Him to lead safely.
God's Purifying Purpose in Trials
He knows the way His people take, and He puts them into the furnace of affliction to prove and refine them until they come forth as gold, even as silver is tried. This testing is not chance, but wise purpose, bringing good to those who suffer and glory to Himself. Severe trial is meant to refine rather than destroy those who return to Him in true repentance. In the furnace their earthliness, impurity and roughness are consumed, and faithful searching of heart exposes imperfections to be put away. Thus the dross is removed so that Christ's image can be fully reflected and revealed in them.
The refining restores the soul to purity and holiness and develops qualities suited to heavenly life. Affliction under grace develops faith, hope and patience, and makes the soul patient, trusting and triumphant even in adversity. Character so tried receives the divine impress and is fitted for heaven, and those brought through are better fitted for His work and brought forth to honor His name. Patient trust under testing removes what is impure and carries the tested through with triumph and rejoicing.
Even in greatest affliction and in the time of peril His love remains strong and tender, as in prosperity, and He keeps His eye every moment on those passing through trial. He watches over, protects and comforts them, leads them through discouragement, unappreciated labor, temptation and bodily affliction to more perfect confidence in their heavenly Father, and delivers them instead of leaving them to the destroyer. The Father gave His only-begotten Son to meet the powers of darkness and restrain satanic agencies, so they cannot prevail against His tried and chosen ones to overcome and destroy them. Jesus as great High Priest is touched with the feeling of human infirmities, binds up those wounded and bruised by the enemy, and keeps the tempted soul.
The promise of coming forth as purified gold, even as gold purified seven times, is for those who humble themselves before Him, trust Him meekly, and return in true repentance. It belongs to those who faithfully search the heart, lift the cry to Him in faith, rely on His grace through suffering, and stay the soul upon Him in adversity and perplexity.
Applying Confidence in Affliction
Those passing through trial may make Job's words their own confidence that God is proving them in order to purify them as silver is tried. He knows the course they take, and those who humble themselves before Him will endure the refining and come forth as gold, even as gold purified seven times.
For the backsliding soul, affliction and trial are God's discipline by which He teaches His children His way. Under adversity the soul that trusts Him and relies on His grace can become patient and trusting and triumphant in God, coming through suffering purified like gold.
Teachers in their work may meet discouragement, affliction, lack of appreciation, unappreciated labor, temptation, and bodily affliction. By these Satan seeks to make them murmur and to blind them to God's goodness, mercy, love, and the reward of the overcomer. Such trials are permitted to draw them nearer to God, to lead them to more perfect confidence in their heavenly Father, and to strengthen trust in His presence and deliverance even when that deliverance is concealed. His eye is every moment on those passing through trial, He knows the path they take, and He is ready to deliver them. If they lift the cry to Him in faith and stay the soul upon Him in adversity and perplexity, He will bring them forth as gold purified.
The same proving applies to remaining at a duty post and holding firmly to principle through hardship. It applies to doing God's work with the abilities entrusted, faithfully used while self-indulgence is resisted, for those who remain true under temptation come through as pure gold. It applies to enduring prolonged sickness and hardship in trust that God has a purpose and will bring the trial to its end, coming forth as gold through the fire of affliction. It applies to being tested again, with the urging to withstand temptation and endure as gold refined and proven through fire. It applies to personal trials and temptations such as Edson's, where God tests and proves and reliance on God gives power to overcome and emerge purified.
Those thus upheld and kept through trial are not to live for self alone with meager stunted piety. They are to work in Christ's lines, strengthening the hands that hang down and confirming the feeble knees, seeking the wandering straying sheep, guarding perishing souls from ruin, and letting their light shine to guide souls into refuge in Christ. Affliction is an opportunity to show trust in the Redeemer, with confidence that Jesus is present and watches over His loved ones as gold is tested.