Friday 18th September 2026
Reading Job 42:10-17
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 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. 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. He also had seven sons and three daughters. He named the first Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. 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. After this Job lived for one hundred and forty years, and saw his children, and his children’s children, four generations. And Job died, old and full of days.
Reflection
We reach the end of Job’s story and the style reverts to the fairytale-like prose that we had at the beginning. What happens is like something from a fairytale too, with happy endings all round. All that Job lost is replaced. He has twice the wealth that he had before, new children to inherit his estate, and a long life to enjoy. He’s been through hell and has come out the other side.
It is worth noting that the ending of Job does not show restoration. Job does not get back what he had before. His children are not brought back to life. He has new children, but this does not erase the grief and suffering that he has been through. We also don’t know whether Job had these children with the same woman to whom he was married at the beginning, or whether that relationship irreparably broke down.
The ending of Job shows the main character’s life moving forwards, but it is something new, not a return of the old. Furthermore, the catalyst for Job’s new life is when his community comes around him to ‘show him sympathy’ and to comfort him. It is the practical acts of his friends, who each bring him a piece of money and a gold ring, that helps him out of financial ruin.
So, Job has a happy ending, but this doesn’t mean that his suffering didn’t mean anything. Rather, it is when the community acknowledges his trauma and gathers around him with sympathy, support, and practical help that a new life starts to emerge. The world is not as it was before, but there are people there to help Job through it. We are told that God blessed Job, but the way that this blessing is worked out is through the acts of ordinary people who show up to care for Job.
Prayer
We give thanks for those who comfort us when we are struggling
and pray that we too may be your blessing in the world, Lord.
Let us carry your love out into the world.
Let us be the ones who share a meal with the hungry and the lonely,
who listen and provide comfort to the grieving and lost,
who offer what we have to help others find their feet again.
Amen.