Job 29:7 - Meaning and Application

Here we see Job in a place of honor and power. Though he had plenty of comfort in his own house, he did not stay there. We are not born for ourselves alone, but for the good of others and the public.

When any case had to be heard at the gate, the place of judgment, Job would go out through the city (Job 29:7). He did this, not out of pride, but because he loved justice. Judgment was given at the gate, in public places where everyone could come and watch, so all might hear what was said and done. That helped people serve as witnesses, and it also made the punishment of the guilty a warning to others.

Job was a prince, judge, and magistrate among the people of the east. The passage first shows how deeply all kinds of people respected him, not only because of his rank, but because of his wisdom, honesty, and wise leadership. The young men hid themselves and moved out of his way, perhaps because his serious face made them feel ashamed or because they knew they had done wrong. The older men stood up for him, even if they kept their place. Those who expected honor from others gave honor to him.

Goodness and godly living deserve respect from everyone, and they usually receive it. But those who are not only good, but also useful, deserve special honor. Young people should show modesty, just as older people should show dignity. Honor and respect are due to rulers and magistrates, and people must give them their due (Romans 13:7). If a great and good man was treated with such reverence, how much more should the great and good God be feared!

The princes and nobles also showed great respect to Job (Job 29:9, Job 29:10). Some think these were officials under him, and that they honored him because of his office. It seems more likely that they were his equals in rank, and that they gave him special honor because of his great skill and service. They all agreed that he was quicker in understanding, sounder in judgment, and clearer in speech than they were.

So when Job came into court, the princes stopped talking and the nobles were silent, so they could listen carefully to him. Men who were eager to speak their own thoughts and liked hearing themselves talk were just as eager to hear Job when it was his turn. They trusted his judgment when they were unsure of their own, and they admired how skillfully he settled difficult questions and untied the knots that puzzled them. When the princes and nobles argued among themselves, they all agreed to leave the matter to Job and accept his decision.

Happy are those who receive such gifts, because they have great chances to honor God and do good. But they also need to guard against pride. Happy are the people who are blessed with such gifted leaders, for that is a sign of good for them.

The next thing shown is the good Job did in his place. He served his country well with the power he had. This helps us see what he valued most during his days of prosperity. People naturally have some sense of their own worth, and we can learn a lot about a person by what they value in themselves.

Job did not measure himself by his family name, his great wealth, his income, his full table, his many servants, the marks of his rank, his fine carriage, his grand meals, or the crowds that flattered him. He valued himself by his usefulness. Goodness is God’s glory, and it will be ours too. If we are merciful as God is merciful, then we are complete as he is complete.

He valued himself by the respect, affection, and prayers of sensible people. He did not care for the praise of clever talkers and poets, but for the honest approval of those around him. Everyone who heard what he said and saw what he did, and who saw how he gave himself for the public good with the care of a father toward his country, blessed him and spoke well of him (Job 29:11). Many kind words were said about him, and many prayers were offered for him.

He did not think it was an honor simply to make people fear him, or to rule in a harsh way and get his own will in everything. He wanted, like Mordecai, to be accepted by the many of his brothers and fellow countrymen (Esther 10:3). He valued not so much the praise of people far away as the witness of those who knew him best, the ones who had constantly seen and heard him. Especially dear were the testimonies of those who had been helped by him, like the one who had been ready to perish and was rescued through Job’s care (Job 29:13).

Great men and wealthy people should do good in this way, and then they will receive honor in return. Those who receive help should count it a real duty to bless their protectors and benefactors, to use their influence on earth for their honor and in heaven for their comfort, and to praise them and pray for them. It is truly ungrateful to refuse even these small returns.

Job also valued himself by the care he gave to those least able to help themselves, the poor, the needy, widows, fatherless children, the blind, and the lame, people who could not be expected either to earn his favor or to repay it. If the poor were injured or oppressed, they could cry out to Job, and if their claims were true, he would not only listen kindly and feel for them, but act for them too: He delivered the poor who cried out (Job 29:12). He would not let them be crushed or pushed down.

In fact, he was a father to the poor (Job 29:16). He was not only a judge who protected them and made sure they were not wronged, but also a father who provided for them, watched over their needs, counseled them, and stood up for them whenever he could. It is no shame for a prince’s son to be a father to the poor.

The fatherless, who had no one to help them, found Job ready to help them and, when they were in trouble, to deliver them.

He helped people make the most of what little they had. He helped them pay what they owed, and he helped them collect what was due to them. He helped the fatherless get started in life, gave them a place in business, and supported them once they were on their way. In that way, the fatherless were to be helped.

He also rescued those who were ready to die. He gave relief to the hungry, cared for the sick, stood with outcasts, and helped those who were falsely accused or in danger of losing what was theirs unfairly. The greater the danger, the more timely and moving his help was, and the more blessing it brought back to him. He turned widows, who were sighing in grief and trembling in fear, into women singing for joy, because he protected them and took up their cause with his whole heart. It is a joy for a good man, and it should be for a great one, to give joy to people who know grief so well.

Job also helped those who were at a loss in one way or another (Job 29:15). He was eyes to the blind, giving counsel and wise advice to those who did not know what to do. He was feet to the lame, helping with money and friends those who knew the right path but had no strength or means to follow it. We help people best when we help them in the very area where they are weak and need help most. We may one day be blind or lame ourselves, so we should feel for and support those who are in that condition (Isaiah 35:3, Isaiah 35:4; Hebrews 12:13).

He also prized himself on the justice and fairness he practiced in everything he did. His friends had wrongly accused him of oppressing others. He answers that, far from that, he always made it his aim to uphold what was right. He devoted himself to the work of justice (Job 29:14). He says, I put on righteousness, and it clothed me. That means he had a steady habit and firm resolve to do what was just. Righteousness was like a belt around his waist, keeping him steady in all his actions (Isaiah 11:5). It was always with him, as close as his clothing. Righteousness still clothes those who put it on, keeping them warm, safe, and honored before both God and people.

He took delight in justice, and in a holy way he found his glory in it. He says, My judgment was as a robe and a diadem. He may not have worn royal clothing himself, and he did not care much for such outward honors. Many people value such things most, even when they have the least true worth. But the settled principles of justice that guided him were to him like the finest robe and crown. If a ruler does his duty, that is a far greater honor than gold or purple. But if he does not take his duty seriously, then his robe and crown, his gown and cap, his sword and mace, only add to his shame. They are like the purple robe and crown of thorns used to mock our Savior. Clothes on a dead man will not make him warm, and robes on a wicked man will not make him honorable.

He also took care in carrying out his office. The cause which I knew not I searched out (Job 29:16). He examined the facts carefully, listened patiently and fairly to both sides, and put everything in its true light. He cleared away false appearances, weighed all the circumstances together, and only then gave judgment. He did not answer a matter before hearing it, and he did not treat a man as righteous just because he spoke first in his own case (Proverbs 18:17).

He also valued himself by the restraint he placed on violent and wicked men (Job 29:17). He says, I broke the jaws of the wicked. He does not mean he killed them. Rather, he broke their power to do harm. He humbled them, stopped their pride, and kept them from swallowing up what they had stolen. He rescued honest people and their property from being made easy prey. When the wicked had the spoil in their teeth and were about to swallow it, he boldly took it back, like David taking the lamb from the lion’s mouth, not fearing their rage. Good rulers must be a fear to evildoers and a shield for the innocent. To do that, they need zeal, firm resolve, and fearless courage. A judge on the bench needs boldness just as much as a commander in the field.