Job 42:9 | KingComments | STEP | When Job is where he should be, the LORD turns to Job’s friends in burning wrath ( ). He turns to Eliphaz, who is most likely the oldest of the friends, and first took up the word against Job. It says remarkably that this happens “after the LORD had spoken these words to Job” and not ‘after Job had retracted and repented in dust and ashes’. Job is where he should be, but God has brought him there by speaking to him and showing Himself to him. Now He also wants to bring His friends to confess their sins. Toward them God justifies Job, whom He calls, as in the beginning of this book, “My servant” ( ). Job has also been His servant during his suffering. God tells Eliphaz that Job has spoken of Him what is “right” and that he and his two friends have not done so. Surely Job has said things about God that are not right. But God protects Job against his friends. He sees that even during Job’s wrong statements about Him, his heart was focused on Him. This enables Him to pass by the sinful words Job spoke about Him. This attitude of Job toward God was lacking with friends. Their hearts were not turned toward God, but toward Job. They presented to Job a God Who judges evil in strict righteousness and does so by bringing disasters upon people. Without having any proof of sins Job would have committed, they said to him that God was acting in this way because he had sinned. As a result, they have not spoken of God what is right and presented a completely wrong image of Him to Job and the bystanders. They did not do wrong in the first place to Job, but to God. That is why His wrath was kindled against them. God also wants to be good to the friends and reconcile them with Himself and with Job. His wrath can only be appeased in the way He indicates and that is by bringing burnt offerings to Him and by intercession of Job for them ( ). The friends must go to Job with “seven bulls and seven rams”. That is a great sacrifice ( ; ). It must be a great sacrifice because their sin is great and because they are distinguished men with an exemplary role. In the presence of Job, they must sacrifice these burnt offerings for themselves to God. By doing so they acknowledge that they can only exist before God on the basis of the burnt offering. We know that God sees in it the sacrifice of His Son, Who offered Himself to God as a burnt offering. The Innocent died in the place of the guilty. That is how the friends came to terms with God. Now between them and Job things has to be made right. Job is asked to pray for them. Their asking Job to do so is a confession of their sins to him. When Job prays for them, it means that he accepts their confession and forgives them. God adds that the prayer of Job is the condition for Him not to do with them according to their foolishness. He repeats that they have deserved His wrath because they did not speak of Him what is right, “as My servant Job has”. Bringing burnt offerings is therefore not enough if something also needs to be put right with another person. God does not forgive until things are made right with all concerned. The three friends, who are now mentioned separately with their names, humble themselves ( ). Someone may be chiefly responsible, such as Eliphaz, whose name is only mentioned ( ), but he cannot offer an offering for the guilt others have brought upon themselves. Everyone has to do this personally. The three friends obey God’s command and bow under His judgment. By doing so they prove that they love God more than their own prestige and that is a great joy for God. That they have brought the offerings prescribed by God is not mentioned, but is enclosed in the words that they “did as the LORD told them”. Nothing else is said about the acceptance of the offering by the LORD. That is not a question. Of course He accepted it. What is said, however, is that the LORD accepted the prayer of Job. That puts a special emphasis on the prayer of Job for his friends. When Job has prayed, everything is all right between the friends and God and between the friends and Job. The fact that God accepts the prayer of Job also means that Job has been fully restored in his relationship with God, although in his outer circumstances nothing has changed yet. Job can be an intercessor. His sins have been forgiven him, allowing him to pray a powerful prayer as a righteous one ( ). He is again fit to do a service for other believers. We also see this service of intercession for example with Abraham ( ), Moses ( ; ) and Samuel ( ). Above all, Job here is a type of the Lord Jesus as the intercessor ( ).

‏ Job 42:9

The Prayer of Job for His Friends

When Job is where he should be, the LORD turns to Job’s friends in burning wrath (Job 42:7). He turns to Eliphaz, who is most likely the oldest of the friends, and first took up the word against Job. It says remarkably that this happens “after the LORD had spoken these words to Job” and not ‘after Job had retracted and repented in dust and ashes’. Job is where he should be, but God has brought him there by speaking to him and showing Himself to him. Now He also wants to bring His friends to confess their sins.

Toward them God justifies Job, whom He calls, as in the beginning of this book, “My servant” (Job 1:8 ; Job 2:3). Job has also been His servant during his suffering. God tells Eliphaz that Job has spoken of Him what is “right” and that he and his two friends have not done so. Surely Job has said things about God that are not right. But God protects Job against his friends. He sees that even during Job’s wrong statements about Him, his heart was focused on Him. This enables Him to pass by the sinful words Job spoke about Him.

This attitude of Job toward God was lacking with friends. Their hearts were not turned toward God, but toward Job. They presented to Job a God Who judges evil in strict righteousness and does so by bringing disasters upon people. Without having any proof of sins Job would have committed, they said to him that God was acting in this way because he had sinned. As a result, they have not spoken of God what is right and presented a completely wrong image of Him to Job and the bystanders. They did not do wrong in the first place to Job, but to God. That is why His wrath was kindled against them.

God also wants to be good to the friends and reconcile them with Himself and with Job. His wrath can only be appeased in the way He indicates and that is by bringing burnt offerings to Him and by intercession of Job for them (Job 42:8). The friends must go to Job with “seven bulls and seven rams”. That is a great sacrifice (Num 23:1; Eze 45:22-23). It must be a great sacrifice because their sin is great and because they are distinguished men with an exemplary role.

In the presence of Job, they must sacrifice these burnt offerings for themselves to God. By doing so they acknowledge that they can only exist before God on the basis of the burnt offering. We know that God sees in it the sacrifice of His Son, Who offered Himself to God as a burnt offering. The Innocent died in the place of the guilty. That is how the friends came to terms with God.

Now between them and Job things has to be made right. Job is asked to pray for them. Their asking Job to do so is a confession of their sins to him. When Job prays for them, it means that he accepts their confession and forgives them. God adds that the prayer of Job is the condition for Him not to do with them according to their foolishness. He repeats that they have deserved His wrath because they did not speak of Him what is right, “as My servant Job has”. Bringing burnt offerings is therefore not enough if something also needs to be put right with another person. God does not forgive until things are made right with all concerned.

The three friends, who are now mentioned separately with their names, humble themselves (Job 42:9). Someone may be chiefly responsible, such as Eliphaz, whose name is only mentioned (Job 42:7), but he cannot offer an offering for the guilt others have brought upon themselves. Everyone has to do this personally. The three friends obey God’s command and bow under His judgment. By doing so they prove that they love God more than their own prestige and that is a great joy for God. That they have brought the offerings prescribed by God is not mentioned, but is enclosed in the words that they “did as the LORD told them”.

Nothing else is said about the acceptance of the offering by the LORD. That is not a question. Of course He accepted it. What is said, however, is that the LORD accepted the prayer of Job. That puts a special emphasis on the prayer of Job for his friends. When Job has prayed, everything is all right between the friends and God and between the friends and Job.

The fact that God accepts the prayer of Job also means that Job has been fully restored in his relationship with God, although in his outer circumstances nothing has changed yet. Job can be an intercessor. His sins have been forgiven him, allowing him to pray a powerful prayer as a righteous one (Jam 5:16). He is again fit to do a service for other believers. We also see this service of intercession for example with Abraham (Gen 20:7 ; 17), Moses (Exo 32:30-32; Num 11:2 ; Num 21:7) and Samuel (1Sam 12:19 ; 23). Above all, Job here is a type of the Lord Jesus as the intercessor (Rom 8:34).