Rivers of Oil

Job had some blessings he enjoyed from the Most High. 

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Transcript

Job’s Rivers of Oil

by Eric Engelmann

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When are we?

I’ll say about 2200 BC. The book of Job is possibly the oldest book in the Bible. I think Its events occurred before Moses and after Noah, about the time of the tower of Babel give or take a century or so. 

Where are we?

Somewhere in the Middle East. I don’t know if it’s Turkey, Syria, Northern Arabia or someplace else.

Why are we here now?

There’s a reference to a river of oil proceeding out of rocks in this book. We’re going to look at it and contrast that with waters Isaiah – or his disciples – will talk about more than a millennium and a half later.

Some History

Job has had multiple disasters, and he’s had a hard time listening to the friends who have come to reason with him.

Job is about to rehearse some of the blessings he had in the good old days.

Listen for the word “rock”.

Scripture

Job 29

Verse 2 “Oh, that I were as in months past,

As in the days when God watched over me;

3 When His lamp shone upon my head,

And when by His light I walked through darkness;

4 Just as I was in the days of my prime,

When the friendly counsel of God was over my tent;

5 When the Almighty was yet with me,

When my children were around me;

6 When my steps were bathed with cream,

And the rock poured out rivers of oil for me!

Note: Rock poured out rivers of oil? What does it mean? 

I don’t think it’s a river like the water Moses got from a rock. That was enough to water millions of people in the desert.

I think Job is using an expression about a river. A modern businessman might say: “We’re in the money now!”

Maybe olive trees grew out of rocky soil. Maybe a lot of people made oil from the olives.

The nearby verses contain a list of good deeds Job was involved in. It’s pretty impressive and I want to read it to you. These are some of the good works Job did in the gracious counsel of God:

Verse 13 I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.

Verse 15 I was eyes to the blind,

And I was feet to the lame.

Verse 16 I was a father to the poor,

Verse 17 I broke the fangs of the wicked,

And plucked the victim from his teeth.

That’s the end of the passage.

While I was considering Job’s rivers of oil, the question occurred to me, “Is this like Bethel where Jacob will pour oil on a rock?”

I think “not so much”. Jacob will have almost nothing with him when he flees the wrath of his twin brother Esau. Jacob will take a little oil and put it on a rock to commemorate an important dream from the Most High. I don’t think Job said anything about his oil consecrating anything from the Most High.

In the Future

The events contained in the book of Job will eventually be written in Hebrew. Maybe close to that time, the 55th chapter of Isaiah will be written. It will describe waters that are more reliable than Job’s river of oil, and are more accessible.

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts,

Come to the waters;

And you who have no money,

Come, buy and eat.

Yes, come, buy wine and milk

Without money and without price.

– Isaiah 55:1

We may discuss more about the waters Isaiah is talking about – and the rocks nearby – in future episodes.

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