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Job

CHAPTER 6

1 But Job answered and said, 2 Oh that my grief were throughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together! 3 For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea: therefore my words are swallowed up. 4 For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.

Job says that his grief is "..heavier than the sand of the sea:.." There is a spiritual turmoil inside him and causing him torment.
The torment is because he doesn't understand why God has loosed "..the terrors of God.." against him (verse 4).

5 Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? or loweth the ox over his fodder? 6 Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg? 7 The things that my soul refused to touch are as my sorrowful meat. 8 Oh that I might have my request; and that God would grant me the thing that I long for! 9 Even that it would please God to destroy me; that he would let loose his hand, and cut me off! 10 Then should I yet have comfort; yea, I would harden myself in sorrow: let him not spare; for I have not concealed the words of the Holy One. 11 What is my strength, that I should hope? and what is mine end, that I should prolong my life? 12 Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brass? 13 Is not my help in me? and is wisdom driven quite from me?

Even the wild animals don't complain when they have food. Job has nothing. And he would be quite willing to take it, if God would only EXPLAIN!
Since God will not explain, Job requests that He take Job's life, and save him from the torment.
Job has not lost his faith; neither is he straying from faith in God. He is simply perplexed at the difficulties being assigned to him.
What strength has Job in this time of tragedy? His only strength is KNOWING that he has had the Word of God committed to him, and that he has KEPT it.
Physically he can see no way to survive such torment. His only help is WITHIN him (verse 13). Reason has escaped, but WISDOM comes from God. And Job still has the wisdom to know that his only real strength is relying upon God.
Certainly his friend Eliphaz has not helped matters.

14 To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty. 15 My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away; 16 Which are blackish by reason of the ice, and wherein the snow is hid: 17 What time they wax warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place. 18 The paths of their way are turned aside; they go to nothing, and perish. 19 The troops of Tema looked, the companies of Sheba waited for them. 20 They were confounded because they had hoped; they came thither, and were ashamed. 21 For now ye are nothing; ye see my casting down, and are afraid. 22 Did I say, Bring unto me? or, Give a reward for me of your substance? 23 Or, Deliver me from the enemy's hand? or, Redeem me from the hand of the mighty? 24 Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred.

His friend has reproved Job and not given him any comfort or hope. His friend is like the brook which flows rapidly and full in the winter from the melting snow, but it is muddy and not useful (verses 15-16).
His friend is like the "wadi" which rages in winter from the melting snow, but when troops come looking for water in the summer, it is EMPTY (verses 17-20).
Job hadn't asked them for anything (verses 22-23). But if they could "teach" him where he had erred, he would gladly repent (verse 24).

25 How forcible are right words! but what doth your arguing reprove? 26 Do ye imagine to reprove words, and the speeches of one that is desperate, which are as wind? 27 Yea, ye overwhelm the fatherless, and ye dig a pit for your friend. 28 Now therefore be content, look upon me; for it is evident unto you if I lie. 29 Return, I pray you, let it not be iniquity; yea, return again, my righteousness is in it. 30 Is there iniquity in my tongue? cannot my taste discern perverse things?

Well-chosen words from other men can cause great harm (verse 25), but they can not cause a man to repent. Only God can convince a man of sin.
Job has obviously not sinned in his speech. There was no vanity in his speech, neither was there any cursing or swearing.
He was simply voicing the fact that he was perplexed, and didn't understand why God would allow him to be treated in this manner.

CHAPTER 7

1 Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling? 2 As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as an hireling looketh for the reward of his work: 3 So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me.

Job realizes an important truth: man's time on earth is appointed by God our Creator; and man's time is to be spent as a servant to God (verse 1).
However Job has been assigned months of vanity and nights filled with anguish.

4 When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day. 5 My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome. 6 My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope.

He spends his nights tossing and turning worrying about the pain and suffering of the next day. His physical condition is awful. And the days go by swiftly, but they are without HOPE!
His hope is rested upon God, but he has no hope of ever returning to physical health again.
Little does Job know, that after this suffering for the glory of God, he will be restored to fullness of health.
Little do any of us know whether we shall be restored to health when we become ill. Therefore it behooves us to do as is told us in the book of James -- call the elders, let them anoint us with oil, and pray -- let us render the condition of our lives totally into God's hands, begging for His mercy.

7 O remember that my life is wind: mine eye shall no more see good. 8 The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no more: thine eyes are upon me, and I am not. 9 As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more. 10 He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more.

Because he is in such a physical condition, Job considers himself to be dying. Those who have seen him on this earth, will see him no more. He shall go to the grave.
Job is totally despondent.

11 Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. 12 Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me? 13 When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint; 14 Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions: 15 So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life.

The first statement (verse 11) is spoken toward Eliphaz. But the remainder of this speech is directed toward God Himself.
Job will not still his mouth. He MUST complain, for the anquish is too bitter.
Job asks God if he is considered as a sea that must be restrained from overflowing its boundaries. Must God pour out such strong restraint upon this puny man?
When he thinks toward the bed and sleep, God gives him terrible dreams to keep him awake. He would choose strangling rather than living.
6 I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my days are vanity. 17 What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him? 18 And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment? 19 How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?

Job expresses hatred for this sickness that is more awful to him than death.
Is there not a man alive who despises wasting away with physical illness? Is it not true that we humans desire to remain fully active until God takes us home?
Job is only expressing the desires of all the human race.
Life is indeed short and as Jacob once said, "..few and evil.." (Genesis 47:9) are our days.
Job considers God to have been visiting him each morning and testing him all day (verse 18).
"How long," he asks. How long shall we have to endure the difficulties of life?
Until God says, "Enough."

20 I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself? 21 And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.

Job confesses that he is a sinner (verse 20). He also states that he has requested forgiveness, and wants to know why it is not given (verse 21).
His only perception for the condition of his life at this moment is that God has refused to forgive him.
Job's lesson at the end of this book is a lesson we all need to learn. God's pardon of sin does not necessarily remove the consequences of sin. Though we are justified in His sight through repentance and the shed blood of our Christ, God does not remove us from the sufferings of the world.
His purpose in leaving us when we are saved is that we shall be a WITNESS to His goodness.
Job has been a WITNESS to God's goodness for ages and ages.
But he didn't understand it at the MOMENT! Neither do we, at times, understand why we undergo such suffering. But we must trust in the mercy and grace of God.

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