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welling on and reflecting upon the past can be intensely
bittersweet. Nothing can make good days
look better than having to endure bad days afterward. Obviously, such was Job's circumstance. In this chapter (Job 29), Job sets up the
complaint which we will read in Job 30 as well as a view of his future (Job
31). One can almost see a slight smile
on Job's face in this chapter as he remembers the "good ol' days" –
back when everything went well for him.
His mindset went something like this: "Back then, God
preserved me. Back then, He was a light for my way. In those days, God was my
friend. Those were the days when society respected me. Those were the times
when I had the strength and power and influence to be a blessing to others. I
had time and resources to study. I had enough force to punish evil men. And, I thought those good days would last
forever (Job 29:18). I was a chief; a
king... a comforter to others; not one who desperately needed comfort."
In Ecclesiastes 7:10 we read where the old preacher Solomon
wrote, “Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than
these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this.” Even if the days gone by were indeed better
than our current circumstance, what we have is today. Did Job’s reflections relieve him? No! Tomorrow,
we will consider how the heavy clouds of despair rolled in (Job 30).
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