Job 30 Job Speaks of His Anguish-Being Misunderstood
“But now I am mocked by people younger than I, by young men whose fathers are not worthy to run with my sheepdogs. A lot of good they are to me—those worn-out wretches! They are gaunt from poverty and hunger. They claw the dry ground in desolate wastelands. They pluck wild greens from among the bushes and eat from the roots of broom trees. They are driven from human society, and people shout at them as if they were thieves. So now they live in frightening ravines, in caves and among the rocks. They sound like animals howling among the bushes, huddled together beneath the nettles.”
In any society, there are always those who want to build themselves up by mocking others. These days, such spineless cowards take to electronic social media. In Job’s day, things were simpler, for worthless young men would gang up together to mock anyone weaker and more vulnerable. Now Job has become the latest target of these human jackals.
“They are nameless fools, outcasts from society. And now they mock me with vulgar songs!
They taunt me! They despise me and won’t come near me, except to spit in my face. For God has cut my bowstring. He has humbled me, so they have thrown off all restraint. These outcasts oppose me to my face. They send me sprawling and lay traps in my path. They block my road and do everything they can to destroy me. They know I have no one to help me. They come at me from all directions. They jump on me when I am down. I live in terror now. My honor has blown away in the wind, and my prosperity has vanished like a cloud.”
Poor Job! Even if he dares to walk around town, these delinquents lie in wait for trip him, spit in his face, and lay traps for him. Some of them will run up behind Job, pushing him to the ground and running off, laughing hysterically. Sometimes several of these young will suddenly block Job’s path, daring him to try to pass through them. Now Job lives in terror, for his nine sons who would have protected him are dead and buried. Now Job has nobody to help him, and all Job’s honor and wealth have evaporated.
“And now my life seeps away. Depression haunts my days. At night my bones are filled with pain, which gnaws at me relentlessly. With a strong hand, God grabs my shirt. He grips me by the collar of my coat. He has thrown me into the mud. I’m nothing more than dust and ashes.”
Job feels as if God has grabbed him by his shirt front and his collar and has shaken him till there’s nothing left. Now Job feels as if God has thrown him into the mud and nothing remains of him except dust and ashes that might blow away at any moment.
“I cry to you, O God, but you don’t answer. I stand before you, but you don’t even look. You have become cruel toward me. You use your power to persecute me. You throw me into the whirlwind and destroy me in the storm. And I know you are sending me to my death—the destination of all who live.” Job feels as if he’s a tiny piece of flesh caught in a tornado and being torn to pieces by broken pieces of material caught in the whirlwind. Job has never before dreamt that God might be so cruel!
“Surely no one would turn against the needy when they cry for help in their trouble. Did I not weep for those in trouble? Was I not deeply grieved for the needy? So I looked for good, but evil came instead. I waited for the light, but darkness fell. My heart is troubled and restless. Days of suffering torment me. I walk in gloom, without sunlight. I stand in the public square and cry for help. Instead, I am considered a brother to jackals and a companion to owls. My skin has turned dark, and my bones burn with fever. My harp plays sad music, and my flute accompanies those who weep.”
Job is completely baffled! All these years, he has done his best to help the needy and to relieve suffering. But now Job is needy and suffering and there seems to be no relief in sight. Job is ready to begin chanting funeral dirges for himself.
Why has God included such depressing material in His Word? A Gospel that only emphasizes prosperity and good feelings is a fallacy and a lie, for bad things DO happen to good people, and the righteous DO suffer. We are living in a fallen sinful world, one in which the consequences of sin and evil are readily apparent. God is much more realistic than many believers, for there are many people who want to believe that their righteousness automatically qualifies them for nothing but good things.
One of the challenges for anyone enduring suffering is our ignorance of God’s perfect will. One of the illustrations Corrie Ten Boom used frequently in her sermons was a piece of embroidery. Corrie would show the back side of the embroidery with its messy threads that made now sense. After describing that side to the audience, Corrie would then show the other side, a beautifully embroidered crown. As a survivor of concentration camps, Corrie could testify that God could redeem horrific situations to bring glory out of them. As we study the Book of Job, let’s remember that embroidery. Perhaps your life feels as tangled as the back side of that piece of embroidery; remember, God knows the end from the beginning and while all you see is tangled threads, God is creating a crown.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, please help us to remember that You know the end from the beginning, and that You can bring glory out of our suffering. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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