Job 33:25-28 | KingComments | STEP | In order to benefit from the chastening, a person has to understand the meaning of the chastening and for this he needs again someone who explains the meaning ( ). Eliphaz has claimed that no mediator in heaven would ever listen to Job ( ). But Elihu testifies that there is such a person. With “an angel” it is best to think of “the Angel of the LORD”, the Old Testament appearance of the Lord Jesus. This is also apparent from the following name Elihu uses, “mediator”. We know the Lord Jesus as the “one mediator … between God and men” ( ). And of whom else can it be said with truth that He is “one out of a thousand”, an expression that indicates that He is truly unique (cf. )? There is no one like Him Who is familiar with the ways of God and is more qualified than anyone else to make them known. Christ has come into the world “to remind a man what is right for him”. That is, Christ has made man known with what is the right way for him. That right path is He Himself. This is explained in . Whoever listens to the Angel, the Mediator, and accepts His explanation of the right path, may count on God to be merciful to him. That grace is manifested in the command He gives to deliver the sufferer from his sickness, from not “going down to the pit”. God does not do that just like that. He has a righteous foundation for that redemption, and that is the ransom, or atonement. He cannot give deliverance without atonement. It sounds like an exclamation of joy from the mouth of God: “I have found a ransom.” It means that He has found a covering for sins, the ransom of the blood of Christ, through which He can redeem. Here we see the work of the Angel. He has come to work reconciliation. He has done so by giving His life, His blood. He shed His blood, which means He died. For “without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” ( ). Through this and through nothing else can God show grace to guilty, sinful people and deliver them from death. We are “reconciled to God through the death of His Son” ( ). are that special that they are quoted every year during the day of atonement in Jewish prayers. In , Elihu describes the happy consequences of deliverance for those who share in it by God’s grace. After the atonement and the received forgiveness there is also for Job the physical healing, the return of health and prosperity with the vigor of youth ( ; ; cf. ). It is a picture of the situation of the realm of peace, where the severely tested faithful remnant will enjoy the blessing of forgiveness, healing, and redemption from destruction ( ). God will then have reached His goal with the first creation. We do not yet live in that situation. In a spiritual sense, we can apply this to the new birth, the new life a person receives at his conversion. This new life also manifests itself. The first in which it becomes visible is prayer, which is fervent prayer ( ). There is a longing for fellowship with God through prayer. Paul’s first activity after his conversion is prayer ( ). Someone who approaches God with fervent prayer “He will accept”. He takes him into His favor with great joy. He rejoices over anyone who intensely desires to have fellowship with Him. He will be of good will and support such a person in his spiritual development. The restored believer, who is a weak mortal in himself, has been declared righteous by God in His Son. He stands before God clothed in His righteousness and not in the garment of His own righteousness. Any fame of his own is absent. He who stands before God testifies before men that everything is due only to God’s grace ( ). One who is redeemed will confess his sin in an open confession of guilt. It is not a confession made in generalities, but a confession in which sin is mentioned by name. His sin was to pervert what is right, to twist what is right. Sin disrupts everything, makes everything crooked and twisted. That is the devastating work of man without God. But through the work of Christ on the cross, what is crooked becomes straight again ( ; ). This will also be seen in the realm of peace, when the Lord Jesus restores all things to the original purpose of God ( ). He who is aware of the grace of God will also praise Him for not dealing with him according to his sins ( ). God has redeemed his soul, saved his life ( ). He was able to do so because the price of atonement was paid, for which He Himself provided by giving His Son in death. Thus the sinner did not come into the pit, into the darkness of death, but his life sees the light. With these words, Elihu let Job look over death and the grave – which Job had for himself as the only prospect – to life in the light. Job’s present darkness is not the end. Job does not end in darkness, but in light. Elihu points out to Job that God is patient in His work with a man ( ). He does “all these”, He makes all kinds of things happen in life, to give a man like Job the true view of life. Thus God is busy “oftentimes with men”. This means that He shows His interference with someone over and over again. In doing so, He uses various methods, such as Elihu mentioned before. He does this so that a man does not end up in the darkness of the pit, but “that he may be enlightened with the light of life” ( ). This is a strong reminder of the Lord Jesus, who said: “I am the light of life” ( ). It is therefore profoundly about Him. The God of Whom Elihu speaks is no other God than Jesus Christ, the Son of God Who came in flesh, in Whom the fullness of the Godhead bodily dwelt on earth and still dwells, now that He is in heaven ( ). With Him is the source of life and in His light we see light ( ). In His light, life is lived in joy.

‏ Job 33:25-28

God’s Angel and His Work

In order to benefit from the chastening, a person has to understand the meaning of the chastening and for this he needs again someone who explains the meaning (Job 33:23). Eliphaz has claimed that no mediator in heaven would ever listen to Job (Job 5:1). But Elihu testifies that there is such a person. With “an angel” it is best to think of “the Angel of the LORD”, the Old Testament appearance of the Lord Jesus. This is also apparent from the following name Elihu uses, “mediator”. We know the Lord Jesus as the “one mediator … between God and men” (1Tim 2:5).

And of whom else can it be said with truth that He is “one out of a thousand”, an expression that indicates that He is truly unique (cf. Ecc 7:28b)? There is no one like Him Who is familiar with the ways of God and is more qualified than anyone else to make them known.

Christ has come into the world “to remind a man what is right for him”. That is, Christ has made man known with what is the right way for him. That right path is He Himself. This is explained in Job 33:24. Whoever listens to the Angel, the Mediator, and accepts His explanation of the right path, may count on God to be merciful to him. That grace is manifested in the command He gives to deliver the sufferer from his sickness, from not “going down to the pit”. God does not do that just like that. He has a righteous foundation for that redemption, and that is the ransom, or atonement. He cannot give deliverance without atonement.

It sounds like an exclamation of joy from the mouth of God: “I have found a ransom.” It means that He has found a covering for sins, the ransom of the blood of Christ, through which He can redeem. Here we see the work of the Angel. He has come to work reconciliation. He has done so by giving His life, His blood. He shed His blood, which means He died. For “without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Heb 9:22b). Through this and through nothing else can God show grace to guilty, sinful people and deliver them from death. We are “reconciled to God through the death of His Son” (Rom 5:10).

Job 33:23-24 are that special that they are quoted every year during the day of atonement in Jewish prayers.

In Job 33:25-28, Elihu describes the happy consequences of deliverance for those who share in it by God’s grace. After the atonement and the received forgiveness there is also for Job the physical healing, the return of health and prosperity with the vigor of youth (Job 33:25; Job 42:10-17; cf. 2Kgs 5:14). It is a picture of the situation of the realm of peace, where the severely tested faithful remnant will enjoy the blessing of forgiveness, healing, and redemption from destruction (Psa 103:3-4). God will then have reached His goal with the first creation. We do not yet live in that situation.

In a spiritual sense, we can apply this to the new birth, the new life a person receives at his conversion. This new life also manifests itself. The first in which it becomes visible is prayer, which is fervent prayer (Job 33:26). There is a longing for fellowship with God through prayer. Paul’s first activity after his conversion is prayer (Acts 9:11).

Someone who approaches God with fervent prayer “He will accept”. He takes him into His favor with great joy. He rejoices over anyone who intensely desires to have fellowship with Him. He will be of good will and support such a person in his spiritual development.

The restored believer, who is a weak mortal in himself, has been declared righteous by God in His Son. He stands before God clothed in His righteousness and not in the garment of His own righteousness. Any fame of his own is absent. He who stands before God testifies before men that everything is due only to God’s grace (Job 33:27).

One who is redeemed will confess his sin in an open confession of guilt. It is not a confession made in generalities, but a confession in which sin is mentioned by name. His sin was to pervert what is right, to twist what is right. Sin disrupts everything, makes everything crooked and twisted. That is the devastating work of man without God. But through the work of Christ on the cross, what is crooked becomes straight again (Isa 40:4 ; Isa 42:16; Lk 3:5). This will also be seen in the realm of peace, when the Lord Jesus restores all things to the original purpose of God (Acts 3:21).

He who is aware of the grace of God will also praise Him for not dealing with him according to his sins (Psa 103:10). God has redeemed his soul, saved his life (Job 33:28). He was able to do so because the price of atonement was paid, for which He Himself provided by giving His Son in death. Thus the sinner did not come into the pit, into the darkness of death, but his life sees the light. With these words, Elihu let Job look over death and the grave – which Job had for himself as the only prospect – to life in the light. Job’s present darkness is not the end. Job does not end in darkness, but in light.

Elihu points out to Job that God is patient in His work with a man (Job 33:29). He does “all these”, He makes all kinds of things happen in life, to give a man like Job the true view of life. Thus God is busy “oftentimes with men”. This means that He shows His interference with someone over and over again. In doing so, He uses various methods, such as Elihu mentioned before.

He does this so that a man does not end up in the darkness of the pit, but “that he may be enlightened with the light of life” (Job 33:30). This is a strong reminder of the Lord Jesus, who said: “I am the light of life” (Jn 8:12). It is therefore profoundly about Him. The God of Whom Elihu speaks is no other God than Jesus Christ, the Son of God Who came in flesh, in Whom the fullness of the Godhead bodily dwelt on earth and still dwells, now that He is in heaven (Col 1:19 ; Col 2:9). With Him is the source of life and in His light we see light (Psa 36:9). In His light, life is lived in joy.