Job, It's Christmas!

And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold. (Job 42:10-11 ESV). We get to my favorite part of Job with today’s reading. It sounds like Christmas at Job’s house! There is this wonderful family gathering. Job's brothers and sisters and all his friends who had known him before are getting together. The uncles and aunts are there as well as all the cousins, nephews, nieces, and grandchildren. By this time Job is a seventy-year-old man or even older, and though his own children had all perished, he must have had grandchildren and great-grandchildren by now, and all the neighbors and friends had brought their families. So this was a great family occasion as Christmas is for us and always has been. They set out an incredible feast. We usually start with Becca’s “sticky buns” in the morning. She has a special recipe from her mom that is incredible. It goes all day with folks coming and going and food being consumed throughout the day. This is not an unusual custom at Christmas. Throughout history and in most cultures where Christmas is recognized, feasting has been a part of the Christmas celebration. There is another thing Job does at this celebration. It is what we would call fellowship. Job's family and friends gathered to comfort him and to express sympathy and understanding for all the pain and suffering he had been going through. They brought gifts as well. These friends gave to Job gifts of silver and gold. In the Bible these two metals are used symbolically as a picture of redemption. Silver is the sign of redemption, and gold is the picture of deity; God redeeming people. That is why this is Christmas at Job's house. Job's witness to his friends evidently had such effect upon them that in gratitude for what they learned from him, they gave him gifts of silver and gold to express their understanding of God's redemption among people. Job discovered two thousand years before Jesus' birth and eventual death on the cross that One was coming into the world, and, as the angel said to Mary, He will save his people from their sins (cf. Matthew 1:21). This is what brings joy and gladness to believers' hearts at ANY time. If you know the Lord Jesus, you have the greatest gift God can give to a person. This allows us to look forward rather than backward in life. All of the trials and challenges of life then begin to pale in comparison to what he has done for us. Come on! Join me in a little early Christmas!