-June 14, 2020-
Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,
-God Blessed The Latter Days Of Job More Than His Beginning-
“Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters.”
“After this Job lived one hundred forty years, and saw his children and his grandchildren for four generations. So Job died, old and full of days.”
(Job 42:12-13; Job 42:16-17).
Job started off so well. He was blameless, upright, he feared God, and shunned evil. He was blessed with a wife, ten children, many servants, and much success in business. God allowed Satan to take away his children, most every servant, and even to cover his whole body with painful boils. He got very discouraged and even wished he had never been born. He had never experienced trials prior to this, especially so many and so severe all at the same time.
Job had three friends who came to comfort and console him, only to accuse him of sin and and make him feel worse not better. God intervened and restored Job and called upon him to pray for his friends so that they would be forgiven. If the story ended there, it would have been a good story with good results and good lessons. Job was vindicated; but to complete the story Job needed to be victorious and God had to be glorified.
So God did something greater for him than He did for anyone else: God blessed his latter days more than his beginning. God never fails to complete His work in our lives. He has a plan for us and He will fulfill it. Like Job, we often do not understand what God is doing and why things happen to us as they do. God is sovereign and we should never question Him, doubt Him, or blame Him.
Paul said in Romans 8:28, “For we know that all things work together for good, to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” This is a promise that only the righteous can claim and cling to. God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours.
In Job’s latter days, God exactly doubled what Job had in the beginning. He even gave him seven sons and three daughters, exactly the same as he had before. See Job 1:3 and Job 42:12-13. According to Job 42:16-17, God also blessed him with a long life and he saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. He died old and full of days.
The lesson for us as believers today is to live godly lives, obeying the Lord, trusting in Him, and thanking Him for each day. He has a plan for us and will work out His purposes. As someone said, “We are immortal until our work on earth is done.” Only God knows when our mission is completed. Our hope is in heaven and we will be with the Lord forever and ever. We should not question the Lord, doubt Him, or blame Him. He loves us so much. Wait and see what God will do for you!
Have a blessed day, living for Him and serving Him one day at a time. Stay safe and healthy.
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 