Thoughts on Today’s Verse…
This verse shows us that although possessed of great wealth and venerable status, Job didn’t indulge in fleshly enjoyment or distance himself from God. He never made a feast, nor did he join his sons and daughters in eating to extravagance. Instead, he often asked them to confess their sins before God and sacrificed burnt offerings on behalf of them, for he worried that his sons and daughters sinned against God and renounced Him in their hearts. From these, we can see that Job’s fearing God and shunning evil was not just empty words, but put into action, and was reflected in each and every part of his daily life. Just as God’s words say: “In his daily life, Job often rose early to offer burnt offerings for his sons and daughters. In other words, not only did Job himself fear God, but he also hoped that his children would likewise fear God and not sin against God. Job’s material wealth held no place within his heart, nor did it replace the position held by God; whether for the sake of himself or his children, Job’s daily actions were all connected to fearing God and shunning evil. His fear of Jehovah God did not stop at his mouth, but was put into action, and reflected in each and every part of his daily life. This actual conduct by Job shows us that he was honest, and was possessed of a substance that loved justice and things that were positive. That Job often sent and sanctified his sons and daughters means he did not sanction or approve of his children’s behavior; instead, in his heart he was fed up with their behavior, and condemned them. He had concluded that the behavior of his sons and daughters was not pleasing to Jehovah God, and thus he often called on them to go before Jehovah God and confess their sins. Job’s actions show us another side of his humanity: one in which he never walked with those who often sinned and offended God, but instead shunned and avoided them. Even though these people were his sons and daughters, he did not forsake his own principles because they were his own kin, nor did he indulge their sins because of his own sentiments. Rather, he urged them to confess and gain Jehovah God’s forbearance, and he warned them not to forsake God for the sake of their own greedy enjoyment. The principles of how Job treated others are inseparable from the principles of his fear of God and shunning of evil. He loved that which was accepted by God, and loathed that which repulsed God, and he loved those who feared God in their hearts, and loathed those who committed evil or sinned against God. Such love and loathing was demonstrated in his everyday life, and was the very uprightness of Job seen by God’s eyes. Naturally, this is also the expression and living out of Job’s true humanity in his relations with others in his daily life that we must learn about.”
The manifestation of Job’s fear of God in his life is worthy of our imitation. Everyone who truly pursues the truth should emulate Job. May we walk the right path of fearing God and shunning evil like Job.
