Job 7 Job Sees No Hope New Living Translation
“Is not all human life a struggle? Our lives are like that of a hired hand, like a worker who longs for the shade, like a servant waiting to be paid. I, too, have been assigned months of futility, long and weary nights of misery. Lying in bed, I think, ‘When will it be morning?’ But the night drags on, and I toss till dawn. My body is covered with maggots and scabs. My skin breaks open, oozing with pus.”
When I was growing up on a Midwestern farm, we did much of our field work on tractors with no cabs or even shades. Raking hay in July meant wearing a hat, sunscreen, and drinking lots of water as the summer sun beat down. It was wonderful when someone would bring cold water or iced tea and snacks so we could take a break and sit in the shade for a while. Here Job is comparing his suffering to that of a farm worker in the hot sun or a servant longing to get paid. But the difference is that Job’s suffering appears endless while the farm worker can go home at the end of the day and the servant will eventually get paid.
Job Cries Out to God
“My days fly faster than a weaver’s shuttle. They end without hope. O God, remember that my life is but a breath, and I will never again feel happiness. You see me now, but not for long. You will look for me, but I will be gone. Just as a cloud dissipates and vanishes, those who die will not come back. They are gone forever from their home—never to be seen again.” Job is caught in a paradox: the days seem endless and yet they are flying by with no relief or hope in sight. Job is trying to remind God that he, Job is only mortal and may soon die.
“I cannot keep from speaking. I must express my anguish. My bitter soul must complain. Am I a sea monster or a dragon that you must place me under guard? I think, ‘My bed will comfort me, and sleep will ease my misery,’ but then you shatter me with dreams and terrify me with visions. I would rather be strangled—rather die than suffer like this.”
Even at night, Job can’t get any rest. Sleep brings nightmares, likely brought on by fever from those infected sores. And if Job isn’t careful, he will turn in the wrong direction, opening new sores that will drain more pus on his sleeping mat. Tormented by “itchy-stingy-burning” pain, Job cannot rest no matter how hard he tries.
“I hate my life and don’t want to go on living. Oh, leave me alone for my few remaining days. “What are people, that you should make so much of us, that you should think of us so often? For you examine us every morning and test us every moment. Why won’t you leave me alone,
at least long enough for me to swallow! If I have sinned, what have I done to you, O watcher of all humanity? Why make me your target? Am I a burden to you? Why not just forgive my sin and take away my guilt? For soon I will lie down in the dust and die. When you look for me, I will be gone.”
In the musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” Tevya, the milkman, is complaining to the Lord. “God,” Tevya says, “I know we (Jews) are Your chosen people, but why can’t you choose someone else for a change?” Job would definitely agree! All Job wants at this point is for God to forgive him, take away his guilt, and allow him to die quietly.
During World War I and II they called it “shell shock,” that condition that left soldiers and others emotionally wounded and fearful. These days, we recognize the condition as PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and we also realize that PTSD is not limited to soldiers but that people in all walks of life who suffer traumas may fall victim. There are various levels of PTSD with some people finding relief and healing swiftly while others suffer for years. Sometimes PTSD doesn’t appear immediately but hits months or years after the triggering incident.
In its worst forms, PTSD can drive people to suicide or murder. One of the problems is recognizing PTSD and then being able to get the help needed. Yet another problem is for the sufferer to admit that he or she is suffering from PTSD and needs urgent help. Here Job fully realizes that he needs relief; Job’s problem is friends who believe that if he just prays the right prayer or repents from some imagined sin, everything will be fine.
There are no simple solutions to PTSD. Long-term counseling done by someone who has recovered from PTSD can be extremely helpful, for such people fully realize that healing is a long-term process with no simple solutions. Many times, PTSD sufferers struggle to erase horrific videos from their minds. Little wonder then, that drugs and alcohol become attractive as temporary escapes.
As we continue to study Job, please remember the mistakes Job’s friends are making. May God help us, so that we will truly comfort and not merely inflict our sentiments on those who suffer.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to be guided by You when we are trying to help others. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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