As I laid in bed this morning, before my feet every “touched” our motel room floor … I pondered, “What shall I write today, on the Website, about the godly man Job?” (Many of my days begin in this fashion. Pondering, surveying the amazing Word of God! What a privilege! The Lord has allowed me to write these daily Lessons for over 12 years now.)

Well, this came to mind, about Job again.

There are several “indicators” at both the front and rear of the Book, a huge 42 chapter girth, revealing to us interesting data about Job. Sort of “before” and “after” scenarios.

Here’s an example:

Early in the Book, just five verses into the Story … “And it was so, when the days of their (Job’s grown children) feasting were gone about, that JOB SENT AND SANCTIFIED THEM, and rose up early in the morning, and OFFERED BURNT OFFERINGS according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. THUS DID JOB CONTINUALLY.” Job 1:5

Job was serving as a “priest” to his family. Praying for them! Offering blood sacrifice on their behalf! And he did so again and again!

This is Job interceding for his little clan!

(Two quick thoughts here. One … this fact helps us locate the date in which the Book was written. It had to be composed before the Law of Moses was instituted. Because then certain men were designated, the Sons of Aaron, to serve as priests for all the Israelites! So … Job must have lived prior to 1500 BC, at least. Number two … this act presents Job as a “symbol” or “type” of our Lord Jesus Christ, who yet today intercedes for His people, in fact He “ever liveth” to do so!)

Now let’s go to the end of the Book of Job.

And here we find more “intercession!”

“And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; AND MY SERVANT JOB SHALL PRAY FOR YOU: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job. So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as the LORD commanded them: the LORD also accepted Job. And the LORD turned the captivity of JOB, when HE PRAYED FOR HIS FRIENDS: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.” Job 42:7-10

Wow, He prays, again!

Job the intercessor, in the book’s first chapter and again in the last chapter!

Called “inclusio” in the English lecture room, writing class.

But now note this too.

In Job 1 he prayed for his loved ones, his family, his own children.

In Job 42 he prayed for his so-called “friends” who had slashed him to pieces (verbally) fo the duration of the Book, literally he prayed for his “enemies!”

Another (of the myriad of ways) Job is like Christ!

I suggest this is proof (among many others) that Job GREW in the Lord as he lived through his crises here, his crises really.

Praying for loved ones, easy.

Praying for enemies, not so easy!

Yet Job handled it all.

He’s a giant in the faith!

To me, anyway.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell