Do I Want My Steps Washed With Butter???

Lately, I've been pretty immersed in the book of Job. I've been reading through it for my devotions, but I'm also studying it in my Bible class for school. For Bible class, I had to read through Job in two days, and I've returned to several different places in the book for reference. That being said, I read a really interesting phrase in Job 29 the other day that got me wondering.

"Oh, that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me, when his lamp shone upon my head, and by his light I walked through darkness, as I was in my prime, when the friendship of God was upon my tent, when the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were all around me, when my steps were washed with butter, and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!" Job 29:2-6

The phrase that caught my eye was in vs. 6 - "when my steps were washed with butter, and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!" (emphasis mine) What's up with that? Job, who's making this woeful speech, longs for butter? Lots of butter? Enough to wash his feet in?

In a way, yes. In this speech, Job is longing for a better time, a time in the past, when his children were all alive, when he was wealthy, when his life was going pretty well. Now, when Job is going through this time of testing and intense suffering, when his children are all dead, his wealth is gone, he's been afflicted with horrible boils, and the friends who have come to comfort him are telling him his suffering is really all his fault, Job wishes for a day when his "steps were washed with butter." The ESV Study Bible explains this well: "Job was renowned for his herds of cattle and his olive groves that produced riches from the earth." Job longs for a day when he had tons of cows, cows that gave milk, cheese, and, of course, butter! This phrase "washed in butter" and then that other phrase in vs. 6, "streams of oil," simply emphasize Job's wish for his wealth. It's another part of his bemoaning speech in Job 29:2-6, when he wishes for the blessing of God upon him again.

So, what's the purpose of this post, you ask? Why do I care if Job's steps were washed with butter or oil or chocolate milk? Very simply - when something strikes you funny in the Bible, don't just skip past it. When you see Job wailing for a butter foot bath, don't just go, "That's ... strange," and forget it. If it's in the Word, it's important. So when you have questions from your reading in the Bible, look them up. The answers may surprise you. The Bible was meant to be studied. So let's study, ask questions, and never just take God's Word for granted.