Job Decries His Comforters
“Then Job answered: “I have heard many things like these; miserable comforters are you all. Is there no end to your long-winded speeches? What provokes you to continue testifying? I could also speak like you if you were in my place; I could heap up words against you and shake my head at you. But I would encourage you with my mouth, and the consolation of my lips would bring relief.
Even if I speak, my pain is not relieved, and if I hold back, how will it go away? Surely He has now exhausted me; You have devastated all my family. You have bound me, and it has become a witness; my frailty rises up and testifies against me. His anger has torn me and hated me; He gnashes His teeth at me. My adversary pierces me with His eyes. They open their mouths against me and strike my cheeks with contempt; they join together against me.
God has delivered me to unjust men; He has thrown me to the clutches of the wicked. I was at ease, but He shattered me; He seized me by the neck and crushed me. He has set me up as His target; His archers surround me. He pierces my kidneys without mercy and spills my gall on the ground. He breaks me with wound upon wound; He rushes me like a mighty warrior.
I have sewn sackcloth over my skin; I have buried my horn in the dust. My face is red with weeping, and deep shadows ring my eyes; yet my hands are free of violence and my prayer is pure. O earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry for help never be laid to rest. Even now my witness is in heaven, and my advocate is on high! My friends are my scoffers as my eyes pour out tears to God. Oh, that a man might plead with God as he pleads with his neighbor! For when only a few years are past I will go the way of no return.”
Job still has boils covering his entire body; the itching alone is enough to drive him crazy. And the men he has viewed as friends all these years have turned out to be hypocrites. As long as Job was prosperous and his acquaintances could bask in reflected glory and enjoy his hospitality, all was well. But now that Job has lost everything, these men are finally showing their true colors – Black! Black! Black! Having this bunch around is akin to entertaining a bunch of croaking ravens; all they can do is to make noise, peck at him, and search for food.
“Then Job answered: “I have heard many things like these; miserable comforters are you all. Is there no end to your long-winded speeches?” When people refer to the patience of Job, part of that patience includes listening to blowhards who are fond of the sound of their own voices. But Job is exhausted emotionally, physically, and spiritually. One pastor friend sent me the title of a book that these guys could have written: “Can I have his golf clubs and 100 other stupid things said at funerals.” If there had been any livestock left after Job’s children died, these guys might have been asking for their camels!
“But I would encourage you with my mouth, and the consolation of my lips would bring relief.” In the past, Job has been the one doing the comforting. But Job has been sincere in his attempts, not at all like his friends. “Even if I speak, my pain is not relieved, and if I hold back, how will it go away?” Long before Job’s friends appeared, Job was already trying every remedy he could think of to get relief. But whether or not Job has complained, the pain is still there.
“Surely He has now exhausted me; You have devastated all my family. You have bound me, and it has become a witness; my frailty rises up and testifies against me.” Here Job is addressing God, alternately referring to Him in the first person and then in the third person. Job’s complain is simple: he is only human while God is divine and all-powerful. Why can’t God just allow Job to die? Job feels as if God has attacked him as would a mighty warrior, smashing every part of his body, including his kidneys, his liver, and his gall bladder.
“They open their mouths against me and strike my cheeks with contempt; they join together against me.” Here it appears that Job’s friends may even have resorted to slapping his face when he refused to accept their accusations. “I have sewn sackcloth over my skin; I have buried my horn in the dust.” Horns were symbols of power and authority. Here Job is indicating that he has given up everything that would mark him as a man of importance.
“O earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry for help never be laid to rest. Even now my witness is in heaven, and my advocate is on high! My friends are my scoffers as my eyes pour out tears to God. Oh, that a man might plead with God as he pleads with his neighbor! For when only a few years are past I will go the way of no return.” Amazingly, Job continues to trust that God is still listening and that he has a witness in heaven. What Job cannot know but what we do is that this prayer of Job’s has been answered repeatedly throughout the centuries. Truly, Job’s cry for help has never been laid to rest because God has allowed this account to be preserved. Even while Job is in the depths of despair, God is answering Job’s heart – cries.
APPLICATION: For the last twenty years I have had a very mild form of fibromyalgia. If I think about it, every joint in my body hurts and there are some mornings when the soles of my feet pain me as I get out of bed. I cope by working and exercising; however, there are others who struggle with far worse chronic problems. One prayer partner faces cancer, heart problems, neurologic problems and family upheavals sufficient for several soap operas. A wise man in my home town who battled ill health himself once told my mother that “much of the world’s work gets done by folks who don’t feel very well.” Throughout the world, there are many brave people who work, raise families, and go on despite all their suffering. People who truly suffer can certainly identify with Job as he describes his frailty! And if some of these people beg God for relief, who can blame them?
Even though Job is suffering physically, perhaps his worst trial is the false accusations of those who are supposed to encourage him. These guys are even willing to slap Job in the face when he refuses to accept their insults. Few things are worse than being misunderstood. Another point to consider: why do we think that these men would keep anything to themselves? If Job’s “comforters” are so willing to attack him, it’s likely that they will also go out into the community spreading all kinds of lies, thus increasing Job’s suffering even further.
Suffering physically, bearing insults, and being misunderstood – Job is enduring through most of the torments that have plagued mankind since the beginning of time. But what does the Bible say about Job? Ezekiel 14 documents God’s view of Job. Repeatedly, God ranks Job with Noah and Daniel as men of faith and righteousness. James 5:10-11 tells us, “Brothers, as an example of patience in affliction, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. See how blessed we consider those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” All the time Job is caught in misery and believing that God doesn’t care about him, God is actually marveling at Job’s perseverance. Job feels his trials are worthless, but God values them so much that He points to Job as a sterling example of righteousness.
Are you suffering physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually? Take heart! God is still on the throne and He IS full of compassion and mercy. God may not deliver you out of your problems, but God can give you the strength to endure them, just as He did for Job. And as you suffer, remember that there are others around you who may need encouragement from someone who gets it. The pain you are bearing may be the very thing that will help you save someone else from despair.
Many years ago, I was working with a nurse who had just escaped an abusive marriage. This lady’s worst scars were not physical but emotional. When I was trying to encourage my friend, she said, “You don’t understand!” I answered, “Well, let me see. Right now you are feeling _______. And you have told yourself ______. And you are worried about _______.” There was a moment of stunned silence and then my friend asked, “How do you know all this?” I answered, “Because I’ve been there!” That was the day I realized that God could redeem my pain and using it to help others.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, thank You that You are not only the Healer but also the Source of all hope and strength. Help those of us who are suffering to see that You have a purpose in all this and that You can redeem everything to work for Your glory. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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