Job 12

Job 12:1-25

This chapter is a sort of introduction or setup for Job's next speech in chapters 12-14. His response to the harsh speech of Eliphaz and Zophar expresses the bitterness they have brought.

In verses 1-6 Job’s cynical side comes out. In verses 7-12, Job calls on witnesses of what was considered common knowledge. Then in verses 13-25 (and we ought to include vs. 1-2 of the next chapter), Job speaks of the character and the power of God. 

With sarcasm dripping from his lips, Job says that his three companions are clearly the apex of humanity. We never hold a person in greater contempt than when we overtly offer false praise. Perhaps Job’s pride has been wounded by their patronizing him, but here he asserts his equality. A clever man never says to a moron, “I am as smart as you."  A gorgeous woman never says to an ugly woman, “I'm as pretty as you.”  Job’s response is an emotionally painful one.  There is an important point for us in verses 4-6. When I give advice to people in pain, it can come across as a bad, bitter joke.   Rather than helping Job, his three friends have rubbed salt in his wounds. What people may perceive is something like, "If you were smart like me, you would understand your problem too, but since you're too dumb to get it, I'll explain your problem and give you a solution." We need to be careful about how we give advice. 

Rather than amazing insider knowledge, Job says that what his friends have expressed is common knowledge in all creation and in all ages. In contrast to the cynical "With you all wisdom will die" (v. 2), Job says everyone and everything knows this.

Job concludes his opening by asserting that God is the One who "causes it to happen." No one can resist His actions, and He often reverses circumstances."

"Lord, help me to restrain my advice and not become bitter in my pain. AMEN."

Job 11

Job 11:1-20

With a friend like Zophar, Job has no need for an enemy. As the harshest of the three friends, Zophar believes he possesses all the solutions, yet he delivers them as stinging condemnations. While some of the principles he espouses are correct, his application is brutal. Zophar even implies that Eliphaz and Bildad failed to reach Job because they did not silence or rebuke him sufficiently. He represents the "angry religious person" who rants against perceived evil, thinking that venting will solve the problem.

While Job asserts that his suffering is disproportionate to his sin, Zophar argues the opposite, claiming that Job actually deserved worse. In verse 6, the phrase "wisdom is double," or "wisdom and justice are double deep," is another way of saying that there is a deeper wisdom behind the known wisdom.

Zophar then speaks about the incredible depth of God’s wisdom. This presents a challenge we still face today: false teachers often mix accurate information with falsehoods. Zophar’s description of God in verses 7-12 is beautiful and accurate, yet it illustrates how truth can be misused to lead others astray.

Regarding Zophar’s advice and motivation, he insists that Job must repent of the "secret sins" in his life to end his suffering (v. 14). Zophar promises that if Job does this, he will prosper, reinforcing his belief that peace and wealth are the ultimate proofs of righteousness.

"Lord, protect me from mixing truth with my own misguided opinions. AMEN.

Job 10:1-22

Job 10:1-22

It isn't difficult to see why Job’s friends are offended at his speeches. If we heard the word of chapter 10 on YouTube from an atheist, we would likely be distressed. There is a great lesson for us in verse 1, where Job is pouring out his emotions. When we hear a rant or an aggressive proclamation of an atheist today, we need to consider the backstory and emotions behind the words.

Emotions, for all their value, are seriously unreliable, and they rarely offer good guidance. Demonic powers can and will manipulate how we feel. How many times have people justified their flirtations and affairs by saying, "It feels right"? While our culture tells us that we need to fully vent our emotions and “let it out," that may not be an effective response to our pain. The best response is somewhere between denial of emotions and letting them run wild. 

Job brings three emotional outbursts that, to be honest, are harsh and scandalous. First, in vs. 1-7, Job claims that God is no better than man. He says that God, with the perception or eyes of a man, is looking for any excuse to be vindictive. In verses 8-17 Job claims that God built him up or made him for no purpose other than to pull him down. In verse 15 he specifically claims that if he has sinned, then he deserves his misery, and even if he is innocent, he can’t stand up for himself. Rather, he is overwhelmed with disgrace and misery. To stand up in his innocence is an invitation to be hunted. Finally, in v 18-22, he claims it would have been better if he had died as an infant. To say "It would be better if I had never been born" does not sound too harsh to us, but in fact, he is saying that God made a mistake. He was saying that God was wrong in giving him life. In the second line of verse 29, Job is saying life is better without God. 

When faced with these kinds of brash, harsh, and reviling statements toward God, we need to realize God exists and that we don't need to defend God and that we can’t reason a person out of an emotional state. For the next 27 chapters Job and his friends argue and reason and accomplish nothing.

"Lord, help me to listen to those in pain with my ears, mind, and heart. AMEN

Job 9:1-35

Job 9:1-35

Our understanding of our God shapes our entire worldview. Even if we have never carefully, diligently, and systematically examined and applied what we believe. Our personal theology will always shape us. Job, in this passage, expresses two concepts of God that define his relationship with God and the universe around him.

He begins by acknowledging that in broad generalities he agrees with the statement of his friends; they are, after all, operating from the same general worldview. But there are two expressions of his deeper convictions that we need to notice and reflect on to see if we share these concepts.

The first is in verse 4: ‘God is wise of heart and mighty in strength.' The orderly system and the perfect balance in nature are testimony to the wisdom of God. Job lists several expressions of what God can do in His creation. From removing mountains, which may reflect massive earthquakes, to stellar observation, God's power is observed in things that are beyond comprehension and without number. Job's understanding is shaped by his belief that God is mighty. But his second understanding of God is equally important.

In verse 16 we see a sad expression of negative faith. Faced with a being of absolute power, Job is convinced that his best course is to appeal to God for mercy. No one can stand up to God either for himself or advocate for another person. In the second line of verse 16, we see how Job's understanding of God leaves him helpless and in despair. Job's appeals to God are not heard or at least not heard sympathetically, or so he believes.

So here is Job's situation: the Almighty, who can't be resisted, is out to get him. And with all the mighty power, he afflicts this poor man. Job feels that the suffering is disproportionate to any evil, but he also believes that God will not hear his appeal for help. Job's concept of God shapes his worldview, and it is not a pretty picture. 

“Lord, help me to understand You so I can understand the universe you have made. AMEN”

Job 8:1-22

Job 8:1-22

Bildad engages in a sort of circular reasoning: “Your suffering is proof of your guilt. God punishes wicked people, and you are an example and proof of that principle. " Bildad was so completely convinced of his worldview that he could not fathom any other explanation.

He begins by calling Job a windbag and saying God never perverts justice and Job's loss is proof of divine displeasure. He even goes so far as to say Job's children got what they deserved. For Bildad, prosperity is a perfect and an inerrant barometer of God's approval.

Bildad offers a ray of hope. He says if Job repents of his evil, God will restore him. It sounds good on the surface: “...implore the compassion of the Almighty..." What could be wrong with that? Bildad advises Job to look at the history of the ancients, and there he would find people who would agree with Bildad's assertions. Bildad offers several examples or parables to support his opinion. Papyrus or reeds are lush and green, but when cut off, they dry up. Spiderwebs offer no support, and even houses can fall down. His last illustration is of a tree that sinks deep roots, even holding to rocks, but if removed, it too will die, and other plants will take its place as if it were never there.

But there's a problem with Bildad's position. First he assumes an absolute cause and effect between hidden sins and hardships. Second, and more dangerously, he presents God as a means to an end. In effect, he is saying, "Job, if you want the good stuff, get with God, and He will make it happen for you." He goes so far as to say that in this new situation Job's blessings will be greater than they were in the past. Verse 20 sums up the position that only the righteous are blessed and only the wicked suffer. So Job can get what he wants. For Bildad God has become a means to an end. 

"Lord, help me never treat you as a means to an end. AMEN"

Job 7:1-21

Job 7:1-21

Job’s friends were offended by Job’s complaints. They told him it was his own fault and he should not talk like that. In this passage Job describes his life and says this miserable life is why he complains, and then he ends with an impossible question.

Job begins with a description of a hard life. The first line is hard to translate. Literally, it needs to carry the meaning of war. Job says life is the constant battle of a conscripted soldier. He also describes life as an agricultural slave or laborer. The night’s rest is little relief with sleepless anticipation of the coming days' misery. Physically, his skin is infected with worms and scabs. If you have the stomach for it, investigate the Old World screw worm. This may have been Job’s illness. Job comes to the conclusion that life is without hope (v. 6). Hope can be defined as the preferred vision of the future. Job has no hope and no preferred vision for what is to come; his time will be short like a dissipating cloud, and what time is left will be miserable.

For these reasons Job will give full vent to his misery and complaints. In verses 11-21, Job has one request and asks one question. His request is “God, leave me alone." Job wonders at God’s close attention to man. God treats man, in this case Job, like the dangerous ocean or sea monster that must be surrounded by land. God torments man, even at night, with visions and terrors. Moment by moment God is going over the details of life and nitpicking any little thing and bringing retribution for everything. Job wants to be left alone so he can die in peace. While Job believes he is innocent, his understanding of the universe is that “good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people." There is a fundamental difference between what Job believes and what is actually happening to him. Which brings up the most difficult and unanswerable question, "Why?" With a misunderstanding of the universe we can never know "why," but we will still suffer the misery.

"Lord, even in my ignorance give me the grace to trust You. AMEN"

Job 6:1-30

Job 6:1-30

Suffering is irrational. That is not to say there is never an explanation, but in the emotional moment of suffering rational explanations, even if they are correct, are not helpful. An engineer can arrive at a crash site and explain the injuries as the result of mass, velocity, angle of impact, etc. But to the person with a shattered bone and internal trauma, the rational explanation is pointless. How much more when the explanation is wrong and delivered heartlessly, as was Eliphaz’s.

Job claims that his vigorous complaint is just because his suffering is disproportionate to anything he may have done and weighs more than sand on all the beaches. The comparison is not a rational comparison. In exact terms, how much is a ton of suffering? Job demonstrated the emotional and not rational nature of pain. In verses 8-13, Job reiterates that he would like to die; having lived innocently, death would bring peace and relief. The desire for death is not rational but an emotional response to overwhelming sorrow. Job, unlike stone or bronze, can’t hold up. 

In such emotional pain, Job’s friends have been useless. In fact, they are a net negative. He compares them to a wadi. A wadi is a stream that flows with water but only during rain or in wet weather. They can appear to be a strong water source, but only when you don’t need them. When the weather is dry and the need for water is the greatest, they are useless. Worse, they may draw travelers, who once saw them running full of water, to a dry gully. Job concludes his rebuke by essentially saying, “Your opinions are useless, and I didn’t ask for them." We can imagine our victim at the crash site responding to the engineer, “Shut the @#$%- up."

Job next tells them that if they would show him what he did wrong, he would listen, painful as that would be. But he is not interested in their vague general ideas and empty speculations. He even suspects that they are the sort of cruel people that would sell a friend and traffic an orphan.

“Lord, grant me the grace to offer the aid that is needed, not what I think people need. Amen”