 The topic of RESTORATION is multifaceted. A few possible synonyms for restoration are repair, refurbishment, reconditioning, rehabilitation, rebuilding, reconstruction, and remodeling. Notice the prefix "re" which means "again" or "back." We've been considering the names Job gave to his three daughters after he came through his trial. He named the first a name meaning "Day by day," and to the second he gave a name whose root means "to scrape." His third daughter he gave a compound name of sorts: Qeren Hap-puwk or in English something like: Keren-happuch which means "horn of antimony." The symbolism here is so rich. Let's break down each word in the compound. First Keren.  This word means "horn," "strength," and "light." The first time this Hebrew word is used is with Abraham in reference to the ram (the sacrifice God provided for Abraham in place of his son Isaac) caught by its horns in the thicket (Gen. 22:13). You may also remember that the acacia wood altar carried by the Israelites during the exodus from Egypt had four horns on each of its corners (same word in Exo. 27:2). If we dig deeper to the root of this word, we find a verb that means "to shine" or "to send out rays or to display or grow horns." This verb is used only three times in the Old Testament to describe Moses's face and how it "shown" after he spoke with God on Mt. Sinai and obtained the two tablets (the second time) on which were written the commandments (Exo. 34).  The second part of Keren-happuch's name basically means "to paint," and is used to describe the black make-up women in earlier times wore around their eyes. I learned that "antimony" is a chemical element, lustrous and grey in color.  So what do we do with all of these details that provide such a rich foundation for Job and his choosing to name his daughter in this way? Not only did Job learn to live life with such gratitude and appreciation for each day he was given, he also never forgot how God had never left him through such extreme adversity. Now we see a few more adjectives to describe Job's final transformation and restoration into a man God had strengthened as a result of his trial. We see Job's fortitude sustained by God and erupting and bursting forth from the ashes of his devastation, agony, grief, and pain.  My grandmother was a modern-day Job. Although she did not lose her possessions, she did lose six of her ten children and two husbands to death in her lifetime. Her faith never waivered. Instead, after each passing, a new layer of her strength in God was revealed, even brighter and more prominent than the one before. Her grief must have been immeasurable, unfathomable...but God's glory shown like the brightest rays of the sun against the backdrop of the darkness she had experienced. Do you know what her favorite Bible verse was? It comes from John 1:1 in the New Testament: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. She told me once that this verse said it all. God was there in the beginning. God gave us His Word (both in the written form of the Bible and in the person-hood of Jesus Christ). Not only that, God later gave His Son to be lifted up on a cross and later lifted up from death. She said, "What more do we really need to know?"  Job knew about sacrifice. He knew grief and despair, agony and turmoil.
But he also knew the remarkable beauty of restoration. Did you know that "in all the land no women were found so fair as Job’s daughters" (Job 42: 15)? Each daughter was a profoundly lovely reminder to Job that he served a God who taught him
Have you ever met this God who restores? Please know that you are not alone in your pain and loss. Not only do we have the promise of everlasting life after we die, we also have the Holy Spirit, our Comforter, right here and right now to help us come to full restoration while we live on this earth. We can be made new, rebuilt, refurbished, if you will, and the results are positively beautiful. Comments are closed.
|
