Job 29: Former Glory & Honor, Lost Forever?

Oh, that I were as in months past, As in the days when God watched over me; When His lamp shone upon my head, And when by His light I walked through darkness; Just as I was in the days of my prime, When the friendly counsel of God was over my tent; When the Almighty was yet with me, When my children were around me; When my steps were bathed with cream, And the rock poured out rivers of oil for me! Job 29:2-6

Job’s dialogue with his friends is complete. Now a lengthy monologue begins a swift movement toward the book’s conclusion. Job first describes his former life. He was rich and respected, confident and secure.

29:14 The vivid portrait of Job being clothed in righteousness and wearing justice like a judicial rob is a stark contrast to his present condition, with his flesh being “clothed” with worms and dust. He will emphasize this in ch. 30.

14  I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban. 15  I was eyes to the blind, And I was feet to the lame. 16  I was a father to the poor, And I searched out the case that I did not know. 17  I broke the fangs of the wicked, And plucked the victim from his teeth.

29:20 Job reminisces about his past days of glory. While undergoing severe trials, he did what many of us do: He longed for “the good old days” when he still had prowess or “glory” with the bow. The phrase bow is renewed apparently symbolizes a rejuvenation of vigor and might (see Gen. 49:24). Bows were usually unstrung when not in use, allowing the wood to retain its strength.

20  My glory is fresh within me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.’

→ Job must have felt that his former glory and honor were lost forever to him now.  We tend to judge everything based on our current situation.  But, God sees and is in charge of the entire history of an individual person as well as that of humanity.  In Job, He lets us walk through our thought process when we are in trouble.  He is showing us that when there seems to be no way out of our current circumstances, there is going to be another chapter in our life where we will find ourselves in a totally different situation!