Job 31

Job makes his final appeal and closes his argument today. He continues to maintain his innocence, declaring that, were he guilty of any of various evils, he would accept his due punishment. But since he knows himself not to be guilty of those things, he remains defiant.

Although Job has argued against his three “friends” and refuted their notion that the wicked are always swiftly and surely brought down, throughout his discourse he has fundamentally shared the same “good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people” worldview. The friends have argued that the world does operate that way, and therefore Job must be guilty of something. Job, on the other hand, has argued that the world should operate that way but does not, and therefore God must be guilty. That is, he is contending that God is treating him unjustly and isn’t doing what he should be doing. Hence, Job considers himself to be a better arbiter of justice than God is. (And lest you think Job is alone in that notion, think again…)

As for this chapter in particular, I won’t go through all the different things that Job contends he is innocent of, but this chapter is well worth contemplating for self-reflection. That is, although Job may be innocent of all these evils, it is worth asking, “Am I?” Ask yourself that question, verse by verse. (Fr. Ben has encouraged us to take advantage of the Rite of Confession, preceding that confession with self-examination. This chapter might be a good place to start, as Job’s descriptions may evoke things we might not otherwise think about…)

Job 30

Yesterday, Job looked back at his glory days. Today he laments his current miserable condition:

• Job 30:1-15 — Job’s utter reversal of social standing
  • Younger men, whose fathers Job would have disdained, laugh at him (vv. 1-8)
  • The rabble, the lowest of society, abhor him and spit at him (vv. 9-14)
  • His honor and prosperity are gone (v. 15)
• Job 30:16-23 — Job’s physical suffering at God’s hand
  • He is constantly in pain (vv. 16-18)
  • God has cast him into the mire and he is filthy (v. 19)
  • God ignores his cries for help (v. 20)
  • God has turned cruel and will bring him to death (vv. 21-23)
• Job 30:24-31 — Job’s lack of help
  • Despite having given help previously, he receives no help from others (vv. 24-25)
  • He hopes for good, but receives evil, for light, but gets darkness (v. 26)
  • He is in constant affliction and cries for help, but no one answers (vv. 27-28)
  • He is an outcast and left to suffer alone (vv. 29-31)

What a contrast between Job’s former glory (Job 29) and his current plight! He is now utterly insecure. He is bereft of his children. He feels that God has abandoned him and afflicted him. He is an outcast from the community, mocked and derided. He is at the bottom of the heap, utterly alone and humiliated.

This contrast between Job’s former glory and his present humiliation reminds me of Christ, how He gave up His position of glory in heaven alongside the Father to take on human flesh:

[T]hough He was in the form of God, [He] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Philippians 2:6-8

In his humiliation Job stands as a type of Christ, a foreshadowing of what Jesus would do. Clearly, the scale of Christ’s humiliation dwarfs that of Job. And Job’s suffering is entirely involuntary in marked contrast with that of Christ’s willing self-sacrifice. Nevertheless, Job’s treatment hints at what Christ endured for us in obedience to the Father. Neither Job nor Christ deserve their suffering, yet it is the will of the Father. Both Job and Christ ask God for a different path — Let this cup pass from Me. (Mt. 26:39) Both Job and Christ feel abandoned — My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me? (Mt. 27:46) But where Job defiantly resists his suffering, Christ humbly submits — …not as I will, but as You will. (Mt. 26:39)

The verses immediately preceding the above passage from Philippians read thus:

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…

Philippians 2:3-5

That is to say that we need to follow Christ’s example, to have His mindset of humility. In His suffering Christ identifies with us. In our suffering and in humility we have an opportunity to identify with Christ. Let’s not miss that opportunity.

Job 29

Job continues his discourse, reminiscing about (or, rather, longing for) “the good ol’ days,” before everything he enjoyed was ripped away from him: Oh, that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me… (v. 2) Given Job’s integrity, I think we can accept at face value his description of his prior position and actions:

• Job 29:2-6 — Job’s relationship with God
  • God watched over him (v. 2)
  • God provided light, guiding his path (v. 3)
  • God was his friend (v. 4)
  • God was with him (v. 5)
  • Job was blessed (v. 6)
• Job 29:7-11 — Job’s high standing as a leader in the community
  • He was honored by young and old alike (vv. 7-8)
  • Princes and nobles deferred to him (vv. 9-10)
  • Everyone approved of him (v. 11)
• Job 29:12-17 — Job’s acts of charity and justice
  • He helped the poor, the orphan, the dying, the widow (vv. 12-13)
  • He was clothed in righteousness and justice (v. 14)
  • He helped the blind, the lame, the needy, the stranger (vv. 15-16)
  • He opposed the unrighteous and rescued their victims (vv. 17)
• Job 29:18-20 — Job’s security and glory
  • He felt secure and prosperous (vv. 18-19)
  • He was strong (v. 20)
• Job 29:21-25 — Job’s position as a wise counselor, a chief, a king
  • People listened to him and sought his counsel (v. 21, 23)
  • They accepted his word as final (v. 22)
  • He provided encouragement and comfort (vv. 24-25)
  • He was a chief and lived as a king (v. 25)

Given that Job is providing an accurate description of himself and his position (and with God’s own assessment in Job 1:8, we have every reason to believe him), one wonders what sin(s) the “friends” could possibly imagine Job to be hiding! There just simply isn’t anything there, so it is hard to blame Job for lamenting his losses.

Job 28

Job continues his discourse, but changes gears abruptly. He paints a picture of men searching for gold, silver, iron, copper, and sapphires, mining deep into the earth for precious things. But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? (v. 12) He sees that wisdom is priceless, exceeding the value of precious metals or jewels. From where, then, does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? (v. 20) He recognizes that God knows the way to wisdom. And [God] said to man, “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.” (v. 28)

I love the mining metaphor, how people work so arduously to obtain resources from the earth, yet wisdom is not to be found this way. The world spends a tremendous amount of energy seeking natural resources, and their value is enormous. And we pour time and money into education, seeking knowledge and expecting a payoff. But what is priceless? Wisdom. And where do we find real wisdom and understanding? Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.

(By the way, Job is not alone in his assessment of both the value of wisdom and where to find it, as we shall see, especially in Proverbs. See Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:7; 8:10-13; 9:10 for starters.)

Job 27

Yesterday Job spoke of God’s unsearchable greatness. Today Job continues his discourse, turning his attention back to himself — and holding that same Almighty God responsible for his afflictions. (v. 2) But it is all part of the same argument he is making in his own defense against his friends.

In Job 27:2-6, Job steadfastly continues to maintain his innocence. He refuses to say that the friends are right, maintaining that to do so would be to lie and to violate his integrity. (He is, of course, right about that. It is ironic that in urging Job to confess his sin, they are really urging him to make a false confession, which would itself be sin.) All of this argues strongly in favor of Job in that it shows how dearly Job holds his righteousness and integrity. He would not sacrifice it on the altar of public opinion and relief from his friends’ accusations. (By the way, Jesus says something similar in John 8:55: If I were to say that I do not know [the Father], I would be a liar…)

In Job 27:7-12, Job turns it all back onto his friends, only now he sees them as enemies. (At least, that’s how I read verse 7.) He wishes that they become as the wicked and suffer accordingly. And he asks whether God would hear their cry in their distress (v. 9), and whether they would continue to take delight in the Almighty and to call upon God at all times. (v. 10) (I rather doubt they would…)

Finally, in Job 27:13-23, Job describes the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage that oppressors receive from the Almighty. (v. 13) Interestingly, here Job’s description diverges from some of what he has said before. He does not describe the wicked as prospering and going through life without seeing any negative consequences for evil. Instead, his description is somewhat similar to what we have heard from Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. I find that curious. Perhaps he is acknowledging that the wicked eventually suffer consequences (though perhaps not as surely and swiftly as the friends contended), and so maybe he is backing off of his earlier “prosperity of the wicked” argument. But I doubt it. Instead, I am guessing that he is warning his friends (now considered enemies) of what will (or should) come their way with a “crime doesn’t pay” speech. In any case, he is reaffirming his own call to righteousness and his rejection of wickedness.

So, again, what about us? Do we steadfastly and wholeheartedly pursue righteousness? Do we treasure it and hold fast to it? Do we guard and protect our integrity with all our strength? Do we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness? (Mt. 6:33) On the flip side, how do we regard sin? Do we utterly reject it in any form? Do we abhor it as God does? Or do we sometimes cozy up to sin, and treasure it instead of righteousness? Are we somehow casual about either righteousness or sin? Job certainly wasn’t casual about either one — and neither is God.

Job 26

Job opens his reply to Bildad (and Eliphaz and Zophar) with biting sarcasm. How you have helped him who has no power! How you have saved the arm that has no strength! How you have counseled him who has no wisdom, and plentifully declared sound knowledge! (vv. 2-3) I guess Job is not particularly satisfied with what they have said!

Job then proceeds to describe God’s magnificence. Before God, even Sheol is laid bare. (Job 26:6) God has dominion over the heavens, and He controls the weather. (Job 26:8-11) He hangs the earth on nothing (v. 7) and stills the seas. (Job 26:12) Yet, Behold, these are but the outskirts of His ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand? (v. 14) With all of nature proclaiming God’s power and greatness, it amounts to only a whisper. We cannot begin to comprehend Him.

In some respects, Job’s descriptions of God’s power reflect Bildad’s comments in Job 25 — God is high, and we are not. But Job is clearly not throwing in the towel and agreeing with Bildad. Instead, I think he is proclaiming to his friends that God is far beyond their view of Him, that God does not fit nicely within their tidy framework, that they basically know nothing at all.

Regardless of Job’s relationship with his friends, it is well worth our time to meditate daily on God’s greatness. Turn off the TV or the phone or whatever device you are addicted to. Look up at the starry sky and wonder at the God who created the vast universe. Sit in awe at the power of a (mere) thunderstorm. Consider a raging sea, calmed by the voice of the Master. And remember that this God loves you.

Job 25

Bildad steps back in with a final (and brief) argument that no one can be found righteous before God: How then can man be in the right before God? How can he who is born of woman be pure? (v. 4) It is hard to argue with Bildad on this point. None is righteous, no, not one. (See Rom. 3:10-12; Ps. 14:1-3, 15:1-3.)

So there is nothing particularly wrong with what Bildad says, just in how he says it. That is, Bildad wields these words as a weapon to condemn Job. There is no comfort here, no hope, no love — just judgment. And in the process, Bildad conveniently forgets that in speaking these words he condemns himself.

Let that be a lesson to us. We must indeed hold fast to the truth without compromise. But the truth must always be spoken in love. It is not sufficient just to have a winning argument. Love is what truly triumphs. Job’s friends have not spoken of love, nor have they spoken lovingly. They have all presented mere condemnation. But the message of the Gospel is different: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

By the way, this is the last we hear from Job’s three friends…

Job 24

Job continues his response to Eliphaz, and again asks where God is, but this time in reference to God’s apparent lack of judgment upon the wicked. In Job 24:2-12, he describes ill treatment and oppression of the poor at the hand of the wicked, yet God charges no one with wrong. (v. 12) Then he describes various forms of evil behavior (Job 24:13-17), and he cites his friends’ argument that the wicked are swiftly brought down to Sheol. (Job 24:18-20) He then reasserts that God does not bring them down so swiftly, but instead prolongs their life and even seems to exalt them for a while (though they die in the end). (Job 24:21-24) He ends with a final challenge to his friends: If it is not so, who will prove me a liar and show that there is nothing in what I say? (v. 24)

In Job’s descriptions of how the wicked abuse the poor and how the poor end up toiling for the wicked, I again wonder whether Job has his friends specifically in mind. Are his observations simply common examples drawn from the world at large? Or are they much closer, playing out right there in front of him, with his friends sitting in smug prosperity, seeming oblivious to their role in the oppression? I am, of course, just speculating about the behavior of Job’s friends. Job has not explicitly accused them of such things. Even so, I might note that, although the friends have likewise said that mistreatment of the poor is evil, the friends’ worldview would suggest that the poor deserve to be poor; that is, their poverty is simply God’s judgment on their sins, just as Job’s suffering is evidence of his sins. Hence, I doubt that they have much real sympathy for the poor… But Job does.

Job 23

Job replies to Eliphaz, continuing his complaint with a mixture of frustration and confidence. Job is frustrated that he cannot find God anywhere. He looks high and low but cannot perceive God’s presence. But he is confident that, were he to find Him, he could lay out his case and be acquitted. (Job 23:3-7,10)

It is not immediately obvious to me how much of Job’s confidence is faith in God’s justice (and mercy) and how much is (over?) confidence in his own innocence. Job has always maintained his innocence and has been firm in his insistence that he should be acquitted. But he has not been so consistent in his characterization of God. In previous chapters (e.g., chapter 9) Job has cynically seen God as his Adversary, craftily able to prove Job wrong no matter how right Job might be. Here he expresses at least some sense that God would listen and rule in his favor, which is a significant improvement. Yet he also expects God to continue on His current course (i.e., to continue Job’s afflictions), and that terrifies him. (Job 23:13-16)

As to Job’s frustration at not being able to find God, I can relate — and I expect you can, too. How often have you felt like God has abandoned you? Or that He just isn’t listening, that your prayers are for naught? How often have you opened your Bible, hoping for a sip of Living Water, but all is dry, a desert waste? Sometimes it does indeed seem that God is completely absent, and it is hard to understand why He seems to hide Himself. And often the explanations I get for such seasons fall flat, sounding more like Job’s friends than like real Truth. And so, again, I appreciate Job’s voicing of his frustrations. The fact that the Bible honestly faces such human challenges strengthens my faith and helps me through the wilderness.