Job Presents His Case
“Then Job answered: “Truly then you are the people, and wisdom will die with you! But I also have a mind; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these? I am a laughingstock to my friends, though I called on God, and He answered. The righteous and upright man is a laughingstock.
The one at ease scorns misfortune as the fate of those whose feet are slipping. The tents of robbers are safe, and those who provoke God are secure—those who carry their god in their hands. (Or “though God keeps them in his power “)
But ask the animals, and they will instruct you; ask the birds of the air, and they will tell you. Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? The life of every living thing is in His hand, as well as the breath of all mankind.
Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes its food? Wisdom is found with the elderly, and understanding comes with long life. Wisdom and strength belong to God; counsel and understanding are His. What He tears down cannot be rebuilt; the man He imprisons cannot be released. If He holds back the waters, they dry up, and if He releases them, they overwhelm the land.
True wisdom and power belong to Him. The deceived and the deceiver are His. He leads counselors away barefoot and makes fools of judges. He loosens the bonds placed by kings and fastens a belt around their waists. He leads priests away barefoot and overthrows the established. He deprives the trusted of speech and takes away the discernment of elders. He pours out contempt on nobles and disarms the mighty. He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into light. He makes nations great and destroys them; He enlarges nations, then disperses them. He deprives the earth’s leaders of reason and makes them wander a trackless wasteland. They grope in the darkness without light; He makes them stagger like drunkards.”
For days – perhaps even weeks, Job has been enduring accusations cloaked as admonishments. Job has listened, hoping for some small crumb of comfort but receiving only ashes and acidic remarks that have seared his soul. Now Job has finally has had enough!
“Truly then you are the people, and wisdom will die with you! But I also have a mind; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these?” Job’s friends have done nothing except quote popular proverbs all the time they are accusing him of secret sins. Then they have attempted to cover themselves by making pious statements about a God whom they don’t actually know.
“I am a laughingstock to my friends, though I called on God, and He answered.” Job’s problem is not that God has withheld answers but that God has answered and Job isn’t happy with the results. Job wants relief and relief is not appearing. And Job’s friends are getting on his last nerve.
“The one at ease scorns misfortune as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.” Job’s friends aren’t suffering; therefore, they assume that Job deserves his agony. Centuries later, Solomon will write, “Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar poured on a wound, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.” (Proverbs 25:20) This proverb describes Job’s friends precisely!
“The life of every living thing is in His hand, as well as the breath of all mankind…True wisdom and power belong to Him.” Even in the midst of suffering, Job still speaks rightly about God. Job affirms that God is the One who promotes and who destroys, raising up kings and kingdoms and bringing them to ruin. God remains sovereign.
APPLICATION: Job wants relief and he wants it RIGHT NOW!!! The situation appears intolerable and suffering continues unabated. Job’s problem is not a lack of faith; Job knows who God is, how powerful He is, and what He can do. What irks Job is that he does not understand why God is prolonging his suffering. God can certainly end this mess if He chooses, so why isn’t He ending it? Why drag this out any longer? What is the point?
Let us face it, suffering hurts! Not only is Job suffering physically, but the very people who should have brought consolation have brought accusations and platitudes instead. There is nothing wrong with Job’s brain; before the disasters began, he was one of the biggest businessmen in the Middle East. Job did not become wealthy by being stupid. Few things are more frustrating than listening as people drone on about things you already know, thereby implying that you are a dunce.
James 1:2-4 tells us, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Nobody likes to suffer; however, God knows us intimately and wants to perfect us. Unfortunately, suffering is one of God’s main tools.
One meditation I read recently compared suffering to the tension required to shoot an arrow. Unless a bowstring is pulled to a certain point, the arrow will never reach its target. In the same way, many times God puts us under tension to achieve a certain purpose. Left to ourselves, our bow strings would remain slack, relaxed, and useless. Here, God continues to pull Job’s emotional bow strings.
When I was a kid, we used to play Monopoly, a board game in which our movements were controlled by rolling dice or selecting cards that told us how many places we could advance on the board. Sometimes an unlucky person would land on a square that ordered them to go to jail, making it impossible for them to gain any advantages. A lucky person would pull a “get out of jail free” card that would allow that person back into the game. Job is desperately seeking a “get out of jail free” card.
There have been many times during our missionary careers in which pressures have mounted while relief has delayed. We have begged for deliverance, and instead things have become even worse. In such situations it helps to remember what C. H. Spurgeon taught about the Exodus. Spurgeon taught that when God’s time came for the Children of Israel to be delivered, nothing could have delayed them for another second.
Acts 2:1 begins with the phrase, “And when the Day of Pentecost had fully come…” As soon as everyone and everything was in place, God sent His Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The world would never be the same. God may allow us to suffer, but He will sustain us in the suffering. Psalm 30:5 tells us that “weeping may last for a night but joy comes in the morning.” Eventually, our suffering did and joy did come to us.
Are you at the end of your rope? Do you feel as if your hands are slipping? Ask God for the strength to hold on; He will sustain you. The same God who allows you to go through difficult times will also give you His strength so that you can endure.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, there are many of us who feel as if we are at the end of our ropes and the ropes are fraying! Help us hold on and trust that You will see us through all this. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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