Job 29:3 Commentary and Bible Study

God is always with his children but their ability to see this is not always the same. Job’s first reason for wanting to return to the experience of former days was that he longed for the presence of God. His chief recollection of those days was that God’s lamp shone upon his head for he enjoyed a clear sense of God’s favour. This did not mean, even then, that he was constantly in the light, for he had to go through times of darkness and experiences of pain and suffering as any believer does, but he did not face the impenetrable gloom that he now felt, which seemed to argue so powerfully and irrefutably against God’s love for him. His present trial had all but extinguished the hope that God would ever bless again. How could God love him and yet allow one tragedy after another to come into his life, so that there could be no doubt that these things had been sent and were no accident. How could God permit such orchestrated evil in his life and still love him as a dear child? What possible good could come from this suffering? Job’s friends could not see how and they attacked him with the reminder of all these events. They were convinced that he was being marked out by these miseries as a secret sinner. According to their thinking no man would act with such hostility towards his friend, and God does not send contradictory messages by punishing those whom he loves. It is straightforward: God blesses the righteous and he punishes the wicked. It was good that the first reason Job longed for those former days was on account of his great desire for the restoration of God’s love and blessing towards him. This was what was most important to him, for it was the one thing that would make all his trials bearable. He could tolerate great losses and even the opposition of friends if only he was sure that the Lord still looked kindly on him, for God’s favour was the core of his life and formed the strength around which all else was built.