Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man,
God works again and again with man to shape him into the divine likeness, to correct and save him, and to redeem him from destruction into life and light. He first speaks once, yea twice, by His word and by visions and dreams, but when man does not perceive He speaks more impressively through chastening affliction — pain on the bed and in the bones, wasting of the body, loathing of food, and nearness to the grave — to open dull ears, withdraw him from proud purposes, turn him to the right path, and keep his soul from the pit. Every trial is sent under His reigning control and not by chance to teach some truth unlearned in prosperity, serving a disciplinary purpose that is not necessarily punishment for sin and whose blessing may only be understood afterward. When the soul draws near to death, if there be a rare messenger and interpreter to show man God's uprightness and the same kindness in the bitter cup as in the roses, God is gracious and commands deliverance because a ransom is found, begetting new life in the heart with flesh fresher than a child's. This bringing back of the soul from the pit to be enlightened with the light of the living shows that the soul is subject to death and can be spared from it, and such turnings back from destruction are exceptions obtained by faith that do not cancel the rule that violation of moral law brings its penalty.
Setting in Job
The saying stands in the third of the four parts of the book of Job, in the speeches of Elihu in chapters 32 to 37. Those speeches follow the prose prologue in chapters 1 and 2 and the debate between Job and his three friends in chapters 4 to 31, and they come before the speeches of the Lord out of the storm-cloud. The book of Job is the oldest book in the Bible and the oldest poetical book come down to us, held by many scholars to have been written by Moses in the land of Midian, though its writer is not known.
It belongs to Elihu's plea urging Job to see that he himself is not great while God is everything. It comes while Job is still defending himself as guilty of no open sin against God and longing for God to manifest Himself to him. Job makes no answer to Elihu's plea, and no verdict is given on it before the Lord Himself answers Job. The Lord answers by displaying His infinite power and wisdom in creation to show how small Job is, teaching how little Job can grasp God's moral dealings with men and His great purposes where eternal life is at stake.
It is part of Elihu's instructive discourse in which God's providences toward people are in view. The surrounding account shows that God speaks to Job and uses familiar things to expose the folly of questioning His providence. It is included in the Lord's demand to Job in chapters 33-41, which presents Christ as the Creator who laid the earth's foundations, set its bounds, and made its seas and creatures.
God's Repeated Work Through Affliction
God works all these things oftentimes with man to mold and fashion him after the divine similitude, to correct and save him, redeeming him from destruction and bringing him back to life and light. He first speaks once, yea twice, by His Word and by visions and dreams, yet man perceives it not. When he will not hear through the nerve of hearing, God speaks in a more impressive way through other nerves.
God then permits chastening affliction, sickness, severe pain upon his bed and strong pain in his bones, wasting of the body, loathing of bread and dainty meat, and nearness to the grave and to the destroyers. He does this to open dull ears, to correct conditions like fullness of bread and indulgence that dulled hearing, to withdraw man from proud purposes, to turn him back to the right path, and to preserve his soul from the pit and bring it into light. These afflictions do not come by accident or chance but under God's reigning control for good, and physical affliction can be allowed to teach a person more truth. Every trial is sent to teach some truth that God tried to teach in prosperity but man failed to learn, as iron is passed through fire to make it bend. Affliction serves a disciplinary purpose and is not necessarily punishment for sin, and God sees the outcome from the beginning and can use affliction to bring blessing to the sufferer and comfort and hope to others, even when the purpose is not yet understood.
Pain is God's voice to reclaim man from physical digression and spiritual ruin, not an enemy to be hushed and stifled with drugs. God works again and again with man even through sudden and painful loss such as a son killed by lightning. Bereavement that cannot be understood still has a lesson in it for the living and is for the best, and this truth brings comfort to a grieving father with tears. When the soul draws near the grave, if there is a messenger bringing good news, an interpreter who translates the experience and shows man God's uprightness, then God is gracious and commands deliverance because a ransom is found.
Such interpreters are one among a thousand, while the nine hundred and ninety-nine say God is harsh or blame others. The true interpreter shows the same hand that gave roses, lilies, and pinks now presses the bitter cup in the same kindness. The result is new life begotten in the heart, flesh fresher than a child's, return to the days of youth, and restoration of the years the locust has eaten, even blotting out forty years of sin from the face and life.
Soul, Death, and Restoration
Together with its context about bringing back the soul from the pit to be enlightened with the light of the living, the verse shows that the soul can be delivered and spared from death and the grave. It belongs among the passages proving that the soul is subject to death. It therefore denies that the soul is an immortal entity that cannot die.
God sometimes works with people to turn them back from destruction and bring them into the light of life. Such interventions are exceptions obtained by faith and do not cancel the rule that violations of moral law bring their penalty. God works repeatedly in human lives, and Job's experience shows God's goodness through His power and wisdom. After Job encountered God and prayed for the friends who had misjudged him, God restored his prosperity.
God works again and again with man to shape him into the divine likeness, to correct and save him, and to redeem him from destruction into life and light. He first speaks once, yea twice, by His word and by visions and dreams, but when man does not perceive He speaks more impressively through chastening affliction — pain on the bed and in the bones, wasting of the body, loathing of food, and nearness to the grave — to open dull ears, withdraw him from proud purposes, turn him to the right path, and keep his soul from the pit. Every trial is sent under His reigning control and not by chance to teach some truth unlearned in prosperity, serving a disciplinary purpose that is not necessarily punishment for sin and whose blessing may only be understood afterward. When the soul draws near to death, if there be a rare messenger and interpreter to show man God's uprightness and the same kindness in the bitter cup as in the roses, God is gracious and commands deliverance because a ransom is found, begetting new life in the heart with flesh fresher than a child's. This bringing back of the soul from the pit to be enlightened with the light of the living shows that the soul is subject to death and can be spared from it, and such turnings back from destruction are exceptions obtained by faith that do not cancel the rule that violation of moral law brings its penalty.
Setting in Job
The saying stands in the third of the four parts of the book of Job, in the speeches of Elihu in chapters 32 to 37. Those speeches follow the prose prologue in chapters 1 and 2 and the debate between Job and his three friends in chapters 4 to 31, and they come before the speeches of the Lord out of the storm-cloud. The book of Job is the oldest book in the Bible and the oldest poetical book come down to us, held by many scholars to have been written by Moses in the land of Midian, though its writer is not known.
It belongs to Elihu's plea urging Job to see that he himself is not great while God is everything. It comes while Job is still defending himself as guilty of no open sin against God and longing for God to manifest Himself to him. Job makes no answer to Elihu's plea, and no verdict is given on it before the Lord Himself answers Job. The Lord answers by displaying His infinite power and wisdom in creation to show how small Job is, teaching how little Job can grasp God's moral dealings with men and His great purposes where eternal life is at stake.
It is part of Elihu's instructive discourse in which God's providences toward people are in view. The surrounding account shows that God speaks to Job and uses familiar things to expose the folly of questioning His providence. It is included in the Lord's demand to Job in chapters 33-41, which presents Christ as the Creator who laid the earth's foundations, set its bounds, and made its seas and creatures.
God's Repeated Work Through Affliction
God works all these things oftentimes with man to mold and fashion him after the divine similitude, to correct and save him, redeeming him from destruction and bringing him back to life and light. He first speaks once, yea twice, by His Word and by visions and dreams, yet man perceives it not. When he will not hear through the nerve of hearing, God speaks in a more impressive way through other nerves.
God then permits chastening affliction, sickness, severe pain upon his bed and strong pain in his bones, wasting of the body, loathing of bread and dainty meat, and nearness to the grave and to the destroyers. He does this to open dull ears, to correct conditions like fullness of bread and indulgence that dulled hearing, to withdraw man from proud purposes, to turn him back to the right path, and to preserve his soul from the pit and bring it into light. These afflictions do not come by accident or chance but under God's reigning control for good, and physical affliction can be allowed to teach a person more truth. Every trial is sent to teach some truth that God tried to teach in prosperity but man failed to learn, as iron is passed through fire to make it bend. Affliction serves a disciplinary purpose and is not necessarily punishment for sin, and God sees the outcome from the beginning and can use affliction to bring blessing to the sufferer and comfort and hope to others, even when the purpose is not yet understood.
Pain is God's voice to reclaim man from physical digression and spiritual ruin, not an enemy to be hushed and stifled with drugs. God works again and again with man even through sudden and painful loss such as a son killed by lightning. Bereavement that cannot be understood still has a lesson in it for the living and is for the best, and this truth brings comfort to a grieving father with tears. When the soul draws near the grave, if there is a messenger bringing good news, an interpreter who translates the experience and shows man God's uprightness, then God is gracious and commands deliverance because a ransom is found.
Such interpreters are one among a thousand, while the nine hundred and ninety-nine say God is harsh or blame others. The true interpreter shows the same hand that gave roses, lilies, and pinks now presses the bitter cup in the same kindness. The result is new life begotten in the heart, flesh fresher than a child's, return to the days of youth, and restoration of the years the locust has eaten, even blotting out forty years of sin from the face and life.
Soul, Death, and Restoration
Together with its context about bringing back the soul from the pit to be enlightened with the light of the living, the verse shows that the soul can be delivered and spared from death and the grave. It belongs among the passages proving that the soul is subject to death. It therefore denies that the soul is an immortal entity that cannot die.
God sometimes works with people to turn them back from destruction and bring them into the light of life. Such interventions are exceptions obtained by faith and do not cancel the rule that violations of moral law bring their penalty. God works repeatedly in human lives, and Job's experience shows God's goodness through His power and wisdom. After Job encountered God and prayed for the friends who had misjudged him, God restored his prosperity.