Job 29:20 | KingComments | STEP | All the honor he received and the benefits he did, made life very pleasant for Job. He also counted on a long life as a reward for his commitment to others. This thought as such is also found in Scripture ( ). And Job will get it too ( )! However, this will only happen after he has stood face to face with God and retracted and repented in dust and ashes ( ). He will then be freed from all expectations based on things that belong to the earth, no matter however good those things may be in themselves. In a following comparison he says that he saw himself as a tree planted by the water as a picture of continuous life force ( ). To this he adds the picture of the dew sleeping on the branch of the tree. In the night, too, there was this benevolent refreshment for him. Such a tree does not wither or cease to bear fruit ( ; ). How contrasting his current situation is. Job received honor for what he did. Each new act of benevolence brought him additional, new honor ( ). Instead of a decrease in strength, there was always renewal of strength – the bow is a picture of strength ( ; ). This can refer to physical and spiritual strength (cf. ). Everything God has given in creation is good, but it is not good to put our trust in it. God wants to teach us to trust Him alone. He wants us to expect everything only from Him and not from any achievement of our own. Job had thought to die in his own “nest”, that is, in his own house, surrounded by his wife and children and in possession of all his goods ( ). He thought he would die a natural death, without disasters and suffering, after a number of days that was countless “as the sand”, i.e. in old age.

‏ Job 29:20

Perspective on Continuing Prosperity

All the honor he received and the benefits he did, made life very pleasant for Job. He also counted on a long life as a reward for his commitment to others. This thought as such is also found in Scripture (Deu 5:33). And Job will get it too (Job 42:17)! However, this will only happen after he has stood face to face with God and retracted and repented in dust and ashes (Job 42:6).

He will then be freed from all expectations based on things that belong to the earth, no matter however good those things may be in themselves. In a following comparison he says that he saw himself as a tree planted by the water as a picture of continuous life force (Job 29:19). To this he adds the picture of the dew sleeping on the branch of the tree. In the night, too, there was this benevolent refreshment for him. Such a tree does not wither or cease to bear fruit (Jer 17:8; Psa 1:3). How contrasting his current situation is.

Job received honor for what he did. Each new act of benevolence brought him additional, new honor (Job 29:20). Instead of a decrease in strength, there was always renewal of strength – the bow is a picture of strength (Gen 49:24; 1Sam 2:4). This can refer to physical and spiritual strength (cf. Isa 40:31). Everything God has given in creation is good, but it is not good to put our trust in it. God wants to teach us to trust Him alone. He wants us to expect everything only from Him and not from any achievement of our own.

Job had thought to die in his own “nest”, that is, in his own house, surrounded by his wife and children and in possession of all his goods (Job 29:18). He thought he would die a natural death, without disasters and suffering, after a number of days that was countless “as the sand”, i.e. in old age.