Maybe Job lay under the stars till he was wet from the dew. And when he did, what an outstanding reply.

Verse twenty comprises nine words in the Hebrew text. These words describe what Job did before the text goes on to inform us what Job recounted. When you read your Bible, always pay attention to the verbs, because they move you thru the action of a story, helping you vicariously to go into the event. He “arose.” the subsequent verb tells us something peculiar.

He “tore his robe.” The word translated “robe” is a term describing a garment that fits over the body loosely, like an outer gown that reaches below the knees. This isn’t the undertunic ; it is the outer robe that kept him warm at night. Job reached to his neck and, not finding a seam, he grabbed a worn part of the fabric and ripped it. In the ripping of the robe he’s announcing his hideous grief. It’s used numerous times in the Old Testament to portray total grief. He “shaved his head.” The hair is always pictured in the Scriptures as the glory of a person an expression of his worth.

The shaving of the head , is symbological of the loss of private glory. And to hold his grief to its lowest depth, his 4th action is to fall to the ground. It’s this that portrays the heroism of Job’s endurance.

The Hebrew verb means “to fall prostrate in total submission and worship.” I dare say many of us haven’t worshiped like that.

I mean with your face on the ground, lying down, full-length. Before moving on, I want to proffer you try this sometime.