Restoration

Scripture

Job 42:10-17
¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ Then there came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they ate bread with him in his house; 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 gold ring. ¹² The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand donkeys. ¹³ He also had seven sons and three daughters. ¹⁴ He named the first Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. ¹⁵ In all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job’s daughters; and their father gave them an inheritance along with their brothers. ¹⁶ After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children, and his children’s children, four generations. ¹⁷ And Job died, old and full of days.  (NRSV)

Devotion

It feels unfair to leave Job in the midst of his suffering, so we are returning to him one last time.  Chapter 42 occurs after God has finally answered Job's complaints.  Job repented of some of his questions, and God has vindicated him in front of his friends, who repent for what they said to him.  Now, God is restoring Job's fortunes.  The family members who have been avoiding him finally show up to comfort him and provide some financial help.  By the end of his long life Job has more wealth than he did before his great test.  He's been blessed with 10 more children, and he's held his grandchildren in his arms.  Finally, the combination of his large family and God's response to his faith ensures that his name will be remembered forever.  Job has been greatly blessed by God.

Does such good fortune, though, ever truly replace what Job lost?  The answer is no.  Job will never forget the moment when his extended family abandoned him to his grief, and his friends made wild accusations.  And although Job loves his 10 new children, he will never stop grieving for the 10 who died. 

 Generally, to "restore" something means to return it to its original condition.  In the Bible, it can even be made greater than it originally was.  The idea, though, is that something that has been neglected, destroyed, or harmed in some other ways becomes like (or better than) what it once was.  We may think of a historic home that was on the verge of being condemned before someone spent the time and money to return it to its former glory.  To the outside eye, it may look almost exactly like it once did.  But the person who put in the work knows what woodwork is original to the home and which portions are newly crafted.  They know that the wallpaper or kitchen tiles are similar to what was first there but not exactly the same.    For those who appreciate such things, the home's beauty consists of both what it was and what it has become.  It has survived and changed, but it still holds the essence of what it was.

Like a restored house, Job will never be the same.  Those who know how to truly look at him may notice that he seems quieter at times.  He may see glimpses of his original daughters in Keziah's face.  Certainly, those who pay attention will notice that this already righteous man now has a deeper and more abiding devotion to the Almighty.  Job's life and faith, which had been almost utterly torn down, has been restored.  His witness to us is made richer and more beautiful when we consider all he lost, all he managed hold onto, and all the ways God helped restore not just his standing in the community, but also his bruised and battered heart.

 We would do well to think about restoration as we prepare to enter what people are calling a "new normal".  Life isn't  going to look exactly like it did a few months ago.  We will need to grieve for who and what has been lost. We will find ourselves adapt to changes in the way we do things and rejoice as certain activities and relationships are restored.  Perhaps remembering what we had once had and how hard life has been over the past few months will help us value thank God for the blessings that await us.

Whatever awaits us, we can have faith that God will restore not only our fortunes but also our souls.  And though things may never be exactly the same, the Lord may even make certain aspects of our lives better or more meaningful than they were before COVID.  Behold!  Let us rejoice in God's grace as we prepare to slowly return to the world that awaits us.

Prayer

We thank you, God for your love and protection.  Restore our lives and our souls so that they may reflect your glory.  Amen.