Reading: Job 17-20
My breath is corrupt, my days are extinct, the graves are ready for me. Are there not mockers with me? and doth not mine eye continue in their provocation? Lay down now, put me in a surety with thee; who is he that will strike hands with me? For thou hast hid their heart from understanding: therefore shalt thou not exalt them (Job 17:1-4). Upright men shall be astonied at this, and the innocent shall stir up himself against the hypocrite. The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger. But as for you all, do ye return, and come now: for I cannot find one wise man among you (Job 17:8-10).
Job’s life lay in ruins. His peace and joy had drained away, leaving him with only pain and despair. Even his closest friends had turned against him. Though they initially showed sympathy for his plight, his continued protestations of innocence had frustrated and annoyed them. They mocked his claims of righteousness and insisted he was punished for some hidden, grievous sin. Job felt as if he were being victimized twice, once through the destruction of his life and the second time through the harsh judgment of his friends.
Job’s confusion and anguish over what he perceived to be God’s unexplained abandonment of him is apparent in his words, but his anger was reserved for his friends. Just as they had mocked his claims of innocence, he mocked their delusions of wisdom. The more they said, the more Job became convinced of their foolishness. But as for you all, do ye return, and come now: for I cannot find one wise man among you. His friends spoke with self-confident assurance, but they answered none of his questions. Job concluded that God had hidden the truth from his friends as assuredly as He had from Job and that their empty words were their desperate attempt to alleviate and hide their personal fears and inadequacies.
Job was not without hope, though it brought him little comfort. The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger. He believed in the power and authority of God to carry the righteous through trials and tribulations and deposit them stronger on the other side. Still, he concluded that God’s silence meant the grave was the only “other side” waiting for him. If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness. I have said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister. And where is now my hope? as for my hope, who shall see it? They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust (Job 17:13-16). Job’s faith was strong, but his mortal body was overwhelmed with physical, mental, and emotional pain. He had resigned himself to what he believed to be the inevitable end, and even sitting in a circle of what once were his closest friends, he knew he would face that end utterly alone.
And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me (Mark 15:33-34)?
Thought for Today: Even those closest to us cannot fully understand our personal relationship with God, nor do they need to. It is His private gift to us.
Christ Portrayed: As the Redeemer (Job 19:25). Jesus Christ is our Redeemer. By His death, He provided the required sacrifice to pay for our sins (Acts 20:28; Eph. 1:13-14; Rev. 5:9). Our Saviour Jesus Christ . . . gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity (Titus 2:13-14).
Word Studies:17:1 My breath is corrupt = My life is ruined; 17:6 a tabret = an object of contempt, ridicule; 17:14 corruption = decay; 17:16 bars of the pit = unseen state; our rest . . . is in the dust = we are buried; 18:9 gin = snare, trap; 18:20 day = fate; tragic end; 19:3 make yourselves strange to me = wrong me; 19:14 familiar = close; 19:17 strange = unbearable, repulsive; 19:19 inward = dearest, intimate; 19:27 reins = heart.
Pray For Government Officials:Rep. Josh Brecheen (OK), Rep. Pete Aguilar (CA) • Country: St. Martin (31,530) Caribbean • Major Languages: French, English, Dutch • Religious Freedom • Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witnesses, Protestant, Hindu • Prayer Suggestion: Intercede for your nation and friends in prayer with fasting and a self-sacrificing spirit (Esth. 4:16).
Optional Readings: Ephesians 2