I would like to go over verses 19-30. The speaker in this chapter is a young man named Elihu who had listened patiently to Job and his so-called “three friends who were accusing Job of committing secret sins that led to him being chastened of God.” He is speaking here to Job who was not guilty of secret sins, but he was guilty of calling God unfair for allowing him to suffer and this in turn caused Job to become self-righteous. The passage before us shows us that God was righteous in chastening Job and that God would also show mercy to Job and restore him to health (physically and spiritually).

Verses 19-22: “Man is also chastened with pain on his bed, and with strong pain in many of his bones, so that his life abhors bread, and his soul succulent food. His flesh wastes away from sight, and his bones stick out which once were not seen. Yes, his soul draws near the Pit, and his life to the executioners.” The Lord does indeed speak to men through pain and serious afflictions to get their attention. The pain may be so bad that one loses their appetite and is wasting away, nigh unto death (the Pit symbolizes death and the executioners may be angels…see Psalm 78:49). David wrote of such an experience in Psalm 32:3 after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba and sent her husband to his death: “When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer.” He was close to death until he acknowledged his sin and the joy of salvation was restored to him (see Psalm 51).

Verses 23-24: “If there is a messenger for him, a mediator, one among a thousand, to show man His uprightness, then He is gracious to him, and says, ‘Deliver him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom.’” Elihu declares that God, in grace, may send a messenger to one being chastened to show him the “errors of his way” so he can walk in righteousness and be delivered from the Pit. In Job’s case, Elihu himself may be THE MESSENGER. We had just considered David and him being chastened and God used Nathan the prophet as His messenger to help restore David (see 2 Samuel 12:1-14). The word “ransom” in verse 24 reminds us of the Lord Jesus, who is indeed our “mediator” and our “ransom” who delivers us from the Pit! “For there is one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a RANSOM for all” (1 Timothy 2:5-6).

Verses 25-28: “His flesh shall be young like a child’s; he shall return to the days of his youth. He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him, he shall see His face with joy, for He restores to man His righteousness. Then he looks at men and says, ‘I have sinned, and perverted what was right, and it did not profit me.’ He will redeem his soul from going down to the Pit, and his life shall see the light.” We know that Job did finally repent of his sin of calling God unfair and of his self-righteousness in 40:4 & 42:5-6, “Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth…I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” Because of this confession Job was restored physically and spiritually (Job 42:10-17). We too can experience this same grace and mercy if we are being “chastened of the Lord” (Hebrews 12:3-11).

Verses 29-30: “Behold, God works all these things, twice, in fact, three times with a man, to bring back his soul from the Pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of life.” Here we are reminded that “God works all these things for GOOD” that the sinning saint may indeed be delivered from DEATH and “enlightened with the light of LIFE.” Let us never question God’s dealings with us or think He is against us! In times of deep trial (where we are going through physical afflictions and the loss of many material blessings, as in the case of Job)) let us cling to God’s promise in Romans 8:28, “And we know that ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”  (DO)  (667.1)