Job 29 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Job 29 Short Summary:

In Job 29, Job reminisced about his old life, the life he had before Satan destroyed it. He recalled being respected by his peers, enjoying time with his family, helping the needy, and defending the defenseless against evil men. He never expected his life to change so much.

Job 29 Bible Study

SHORT OUTLINE OF THE BOOK OF JOB

• Job 1-2 – Job is Persecuted by Satan

• Job 3-37 – Job and His Friends Discuss the Reason He is Experiencing Persecution

• Job 38-41 – God Speaks with Job and Reveals His Greatness to Him.

• Job 42 – God Restores What Job Lost

WHEN:

• The date of the writing of Job is unknown and still debated. Some believe it was written during the time of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) or even earlier, while others suspect it was written during the time of Judah’s Babylonian captivity (607-537 B.C.).

• I take the earlier date. The description of Job as the “greatest of all the people of the east” (1:3) and an absence of references to Israel, Jerusalem, and the Temple suggests to me that this book was written early.

KEY CHARACTERS:

• Job – A blameless and upright man who Satan persecuted in an attempt to turn his heart away from God.

• Job’s Friends – Three men who were determined to accuse Job of sin. They were convinced Job’s suffering was God’s judgement on him for his hidden sin.

WHERE:

• Job lived in the land of Uz. Most scholars surmise the land of Uz was in northern Saudi Arabia, either immediately south of the Dead Sea, I the land that would become known as Edom, or immediately east of the Dead Sea, which is today the country of Jordan.

OUTLINE:

• JOB REMINISCES ABOUT HIS OLD LIFE (29:1-25):

  • In chapter 29, Job looks back longingly at what his life used to be like before his suffering started. He will contrast this with what his life has become in chapter 30.

  • He started, “Oh, that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me” (29:2).

  • He missed the days when he felt God smiling down on him and his children surrounded him.

  • In those days, he was respected in his community, blessed by his neighbors, and his words held weight amongst his companions.  

  • Men used to seek him out when they needed advice.

  • He used to help the poor and the orphans.

  • He comforted those who were mourning.

  • He supported people who were in trouble and extended kindness to widows.

  • He fought against injustice and wicked people, delivering their victims from their fangs.

  • Job thought he would live out the rest of his life in this way. He didn’t expect everything was going to be overturned by Satan’s nasty attacks.

APPLICATION

• Begin preparing your mind now for what you’ll do if the circumstances of your life change in the future.

• Don’t wait till the moment the change happens to determine what your relationship with God will look like.

• This is important to do whether your life changes for the better or for the worse.

• When people’s lives change for the better, there is a temptation to forget about God, as if they don’t need Him anymore.

• When people’s lives change for the worst, there is a temptation to resent God and walk away from Him.

• In your mind and in your prayers ask God to prepare you for whatever is coming next in your life. Ask Him to strengthen your faith for whatever awaits you. Resolve now to anchor your life in God no matter how the environment changes around you.