I was preaching the Book of Job last night, in a Revival Meeting. During the course of the Sermon, a verse by verse exposition of chapter 3, we came to verse 25. There Job confesses: “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.”

Wow!

This verse, being poetic (all of Job chapter 3 is a “poem”), is written as a parallelism.

Two equal (or nearly so) lines are clearly observable.

“For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me,

And that which I was afraid of is come unto me.”

The verb “feared” in the top line “matches” the words “was afraid” in the bottom line.

The pronoun “thing” in line “A” also corresponds to the pronoun “that” in line “B.”

And the verbs about “coming” (though different in Hebrew) are translated the same in English, intensifying the parallel appearance.

Yes, this is “classic” Hebrew poetry, just divinely inspired (being the infallible Word of God)!

BUT … what is it Job has feared?

Something that now has actually happened to him?

Most commentaries do not even venture a guess!

But I think I might know the answer!

A sensitive Pastor last night after the Service asked me a question about verse 25. It’s the only question I had, after having tried to preach all the Chapter.

Something here (in verse 25) is a “magnet” to many of God’s children.

Let’s hear Job again on this matter. “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.”

Is it the loss of his herds, his 7,000 sheep for example?

I do not think so. That fact never surfaces in the whole Book of Job, anyway.

Or even the deaths of his 10 children! He had previously (and habitually) prepared carefully for their spiritual welfare. See Job 1:5.

I believe the source of Job’s panic was “broken communion” with God, with his God!

During the “contest” with Satan about Job’s “faith” (or lack thereof) … God as it were “withdrew” from Job’s side! At least to this extent, God NEVER explained to Job the WHY of all his suffering! Job was not “privy” to the reasons for the series of calamities (trauma after trauma) he had recently experienced!

Job was that spiritual!

That dedicated!

That holy!

He feared losing intimacy with God!

Later, in Job 29, the Patriarch comments that God had once been his Confidant! He actually longed for those old times … back “when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle.” (Job 29:4) “When the Almighty was yet with me,” he continued!

The noun “secret” means “assembly” (used this way 5 times in the Old Testament) and “counsel” (6 times) and is even translated “inward” (but only 1 time).

That’s what (Who) Job misses most!

That’s why Job laments as he did (Job 23:3) so dramatically: “Oh that I knew where I might find Him (God)! That I might come even to His Seat!”

That’s what Job feared most in his life.

And that’s the very thing that happened.

Temporarily!

Jesus lost that intimacy, that fellowship too. As He died on the cross for our sins. Matthew 27:46 tells us. “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

I fear that the shallow level of Christianity found today (in too many places) would not “worry” folks that much! That there would be little frustration about not living in constant communion with God! Not as long as the “blessings” kept coming anyway!

Then again, sadly, we have few folks like Job left as well.

Hungry for God!

“Bothered” if contact with God is lost!

Astounding!

Friend, where do you stand in your relationship with Him?

— Dr. Mike Bagwell