Job 42:10, commentary and pictures

The Lord ended Job's time of affliction and distress when he prayed for his friends and restored to him twice as much as he had lost. His suffering was not the result of a perverted life, but came because God permitted Satan to strip him of possessions and children and to cover his body with sores. His friends brought a grievous test upon him by falsely charging that his own sinful course had caused his afflictions and made him deserving of punishment, yet he denied the charge and did not swerve from his loyalty. The Lord restored him at the very point when he earnestly sought help for those who had wronged and opposed him, for in praying for them and not only for himself he himself received help. By patient endurance and confidence that testing would bring him forth as gold he vindicated his own character and thereby vindicated the character of God, after which God lifted him up, returned the blessings that were removed, and blessed his latter end more than his beginning.

Suffering and Restoration

Not all suffering is the result of a perverted life, for affliction came upon Job because it was permitted that Satan strip him of all he possessed, break his family ties, take his children, and cover his body with loathsome sores. His friends falsely charged that a sinful course had caused his afflictions and tried to prove him guilty before God and deserving of punishment, thereby bringing a grievous test upon him and placing God in a false light, but he denied the charge and did not swerve from his loyalty, remaining loyal despite the false accusation that his sufferings proved he had sinned. Even though he had lost his possessions and children and was scorned by his friends, he had not been forsaken, but in due time was lifted up and given greater favor than before.

When a faithful servant suffers unjust, heartless and merciless treatment, the wrong and unjust decision is marked, the case is taken into divine hands, and the blessings that were removed are returned. This proves that those who have been faithful will not be utterly forgotten nor forever forsaken even if errors sometimes occur in their course, for from that time onward work is done for the servant to raise him above his former health of body, clearness and strength of mind, and freedom of spirit, and to bless him with means so that he can give freely to others.

The turning of captivity means ending a time of affliction and distress and bringing restoration and blessing. It comes through sympathizing friends, including both new friends and old tried friends, who share burdens and supply wants in time of need, and through working among servants to revive the gifts in the church in order to encourage the faint and correct the erring. It also brings new life given to the cause with success to the labors of preachers, publications that are called for and exactly meet what the cause demands, the going down and scattering of opposition and discordant spirits, and the payment of all debts. It includes bodily healing with cough and pain and soreness of lungs and throat removed and strength gradually restored, so that labor such as preaching three times and repeatedly on the Sabbath and the first day can be done with ease, all as a wonderful work to whom all glory belongs.

What was received was according to faith, for confidence that testing would bring forth as gold came to pass. By patient endurance character was vindicated, and thereby the character of God whose representative he was was vindicated. After this came restoration with a double portion, so that the latter end was blessed more than the beginning.

Prayer and Present Healing

The Lord restored Job when he prayed for those who had wronged and opposed him, for as he earnestly sought help for them he himself received help. Captivity is turned when a person prevails in prayer, since victory, relief, help, and assurance of God's love do not come at once and cannot be gained in human strength. God alone helps those who take hold of His strength and do not let go, agonizing to enter in at the straight gate, casting themselves just as they are upon His mercy, and urging their case even when relief and help seem distant, pleading as Jacob did until prevailing. Preparing to stand spotless before God when the time of refreshing comes requires renewing the warfare every day, facing the past, correcting every wrong, and confessing and forsaking sin.

Prayer should therefore include those who hurt us and not only ourselves. God's turning of captivity means lifting struggle, alienation, and financial perplexity into blessing and prosperity as His people secure Christian cooperation among workers, carry on educational work along health and temperance lines with others, and cooperate with ministers and Bible workers in broad evangelistic effort. That turning brings large patronage, financial prosperity, growing confidence and affection, and more open doors for educational and evangelistic work than can be filled. The same language applies to hoping that present illness and suffering will be relieved, and the hoped-for turning need not happen immediately, for faith can continue to trust God while waiting for healing in His own good time.