What does Job 22:29 teach about humility's role in God's favor?

Scripture Focus

“When men are brought low and you say, ‘Lift them up!’ then He will save the lowly.” (Job 22:29)

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The Setting Behind the Verse

• Job’s friend Eliphaz is urging Job to repent and return to God.

• Although Eliphaz misapplies his counsel to Job’s specific situation, the statement itself echoes a timeless truth God affirms elsewhere: humble people receive His saving favor.

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Key Words and Phrases

• “brought low” – those crushed, humbled, or reduced in circumstances.

• “Lift them up!” – a call for elevation, restoration, or exaltation.

• “He will save” – God acts decisively on behalf of the humble.

• “the lowly” – literally “one of low eyes,” describing a person who does not exalt himself.

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What Job 22:29 Teaches about Humility’s Role in God’s Favor

• God watches for humility; it is the posture that invites His rescue.

• When the humble are oppressed, God’s response is to “lift” them—reversing their humiliation.

• The verse links our confession (“Lift them up!”) with God’s action (“He will save”), showing that hearts aligned with God’s values speak life over the downtrodden.

• Exaltation is God’s prerogative, not self-promotion; He alone “will save.”

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Wider Biblical Confirmation

• “He mocks the mockers, but gives grace to the humble.” (Proverbs 3:34)

• “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5)

• “The LORD lifts up the oppressed; He casts the wicked to the ground.” (Psalm 147:6)

• “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12)

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Practical Applications

• Examine motives: choose lowliness of heart over self-exaltation.

• Speak words that align with God’s heart—encouraging the cast-down rather than piling on condemnation.

• Trust God’s timing for lifting you; resist shortcuts or self-promotion.

• In trials, remember that humble dependence positions you for God’s intervention.

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Closing Truth

Job 22:29 underscores a fixed principle: God’s saving favor rests on the humble. When life presses down, the person who bows low before God is the very one He delights to raise up.