Read Job 42:1–6
Then Job replied to the LORD: “I know that you can do all
things.… Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and
ashes.”
Job 42:1–2, 6
Job knew he was beaten. Quoting God’s very words (vv. 3–4), Job
humbled himself before the Lord and acknowledged His power and
justice in executing His plans (v. 2). Then Job admitted that his words
had been wrong and that he had spoken about things he didn’t understand (v. 3). Job withdrew his accusations that God was unjust and
treating him unfairly. He realized that whatever God does is right and
that he must accept it by faith.
Job told God, “I can’t answer Your questions! All I can do is confess my pride, humble myself, and repent.” Until now, Job’s knowledge
of God had been indirect and impersonal, but that was changed. Job
had met God personally and seen himself to be but “dust and ashes.”
“The door of repentance opens into the hall of joy,” said Charles
Haddon Spurgeon, and it was true for Job. In the climax of the book,
Job the sinner became Job the servant of God. How did Job serve
God? By enduring suffering and not cursing God and thereby silencing the Devil! Suffering in the will of God is a ministry God gives to
a chosen few.
Something to Ponder
When you realize you are wrong about something, how quick are you
to repent?