Job 42:10  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.
11  Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold.
12  So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.
13  He had also seven sons and three daughters.
14  And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch.
15  And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.
16  After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations.
17  So Job died, being old and full of days.

In verse 10 God described what Job had been through as captivity. The Hebrew word translated as “captivity” means “exile”. Job had been in exile. He had not been free to move around as he had before. He had nowhere to go. He had lost everything he had. His friends had no sympathy for him. They treated him with great disrespect. They jumped on him with false accusations. They beat up a man who was already down. His relatives had abandoned him.
We read that the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends. There is responsibility put upon God’s children. Job was a man of God. That would never change. He proved he was a man of God by humbling himself and admitting his arrogance before God. God forgave him and He gave him work to do while he was still suffering from his boils. As we noted before, once Job was right with God, his boils were not nearly as crippling a thing as they had been prior to that. He had a different perspective of his troubles.
God asked Job to be the intercessor for his friends. Job could have been bitter and resentful. However, Job listened to God and he obeyed God, not just because he had to, but because he wanted to. There is a difference. God does not want forced obedience. He wants submissive obedience. He wants His child to agree with Him from the heart. Job did that.
God rewarded Job for his obedience. God gave him twice as much as he had before. We need to understand that this is not a formula that we can all look at and expect. God is God. He cannot be cornered. He cannot be forced to do anything. He does what He does because He is God. Each one of His children needs to come before Him without any demands or preconditions. True Christians do not compare themselves against another saint. True Christians need to serve God faithfully and be thankful for God’s mercy and grace toward them. Heaven is the great home of the saint. On this earth we trust God and serve Him within the capacity that He gives us.
In verse 11 we see that his family came back around him. Interestingly we read nothing of them during Job’s ordeal. They were absent. Now that he was restored they came around. They enjoyed spending time with him and eating with him in his house. They also bemoaned him. They felt sorry for him and expressed that sorrow in different ways. Some may have shaken their heads and others may have been unsettled and walking around.
We read that they comforted him. Job had already been comforted by the God of all comfort. It seems they were late at the task of comforting him. His spirit had been refreshed and that was what he needed.
His family assumed that the LORD had mistreated Job. That was what he had assumed earlier as well. He learned that was not true. His siblings were of the same mindset he had been. We see that his siblings and friends also showered him with material benefits.
Job had been a wealthy man at one time. He lost it all prior to losing his health. Now God was moving those who had once benefited from his earlier blessings, to give him of their bounty. They helped him get back on his feet.
In verse 12 we find that the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning. The LORD works through others to bless His child. It is important for God’s people to be obedient to the moving of God in their hearts. God raises up different individuals to help a struggling saint. This is not done begrudgingly. It is not done through coercion. It is done out of a heart of love and care.
We read of the extent of the blessing of the LORD upon Job in material things. We also read of the LORD’s blessing on Job through receiving seven sons and three daughters. This is the same number of children he lost earlier in his life. Interestingly, the daughters’ names are mentioned, but not the sons. The daughters are also described as being the fairest of all the daughters living in that land. Job blessed them with inheritance among their brethren.
Job was given another 140 years to live after he was restored with health and spirit. He was able to have influence over four generations of children yet. As we read in verse 17, Job lived a full life. He was old and full of days. It is not a tragedy to be old. It is a blessing to be old and walking in the fear of the LORD. That was Job’s testimony.
God wants to bless each one reading these devotionals. The Bible tells us that children are an heritage from the LORD.

Psalm 127:3  Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
4  As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
5  Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

Children are not an inconvenience. Too many adults have chosen to murder their children because they are in their way. Some talk of having a child by mistake. God blesses parents with children and parents need to walk in the fear of the LORD to be able to raise those children as God would have them to. There is certainly a need for some godly children who can grow up to serve the Lord faithfully.
Let me encourage each one to get ready to go to a good church this morning, where you can fellowship with other saints, if you are saved. If you are not saved, why not go and listen to the Word of God and let God draw you to Himself in salvation today. It will make all the difference in your life. Knowing God is the most important thing in life.
Pastor Bartel