Job 10

1 "I loathe my very life;
therefore I will give free rein to my complaint
and speak out in the bitterness of my soul.


2 I will say to God: Do not condemn me,
but tell me what charges you have against me.


3 Does it please you to oppress me,
to spurn the work of your hands,
while you smile on the schemes of the wicked?


4 Do you have eyes of flesh?
Do you see as a mortal sees?


5 Are your days like those of a mortal
or your years like those of a man,


6 that you must search out my faults
and probe after my sin-


7 though you know that I am not guilty
and that no one can rescue me from your hand?


8 "Your hands shaped me and made me.
Will you now turn and destroy me?


9 Remember that you molded me like clay.
Will you now turn me to dust again?


10 Did you not pour me out like milk
and curdle me like cheese,


11 clothe me with skin and flesh
and knit me together with bones and sinews?


12 You gave me life and showed me kindness,
and in your providence watched over my spirit.


13 "But this is what you concealed in your heart,
and I know that this was in your mind:


14 If I sinned, you would be watching me
and would not let my offense go unpunished.


15 If I am guilty—woe to me!
Even if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head,
for I am full of shame
and drowned in my affliction.


16 If I hold my head high, you stalk me like a lion
and again display your awesome power against me.


17 You bring new witnesses against me
and increase your anger toward me;
your forces come against me wave upon wave.


18 "Why then did you bring me out of the womb?
I wish I had died before any eye saw me.

19 If only I had never come into being,
or had been carried straight from the womb to the grave!


20 Are not my few days almost over?
Turn away from me so I can have a moment's joy


21 before I go to the place of no return,
to the land of gloom and deep shadow,


22 to the land of deepest night,
of deep shadow and disorder,
where even the light is like darkness."

Side Notes:

Job was starting to wallow in self pity. Like most of us, when we face afflictions that we don't understand, we tend to feel sorry for ourselves and that's what Job is doing. It's here that we are very close to self-righteousness, where we keep track of life's injustices and say, "Look what is happening to me; how unfair is this?!" At these times we may feel like blaming God. But remember that these trials, whether allowed by God or send by Him, can be the means by which we are developed and refined. When faced with trials, ask, "What can I learn from this and how can I grow?" rather than "Who did this to me and how do I get out of it?"

vs. 13-14 In his frustration, Job jumped to the conclusion that God was out to get him. This was a false conclusion. Wrong assumptions lead to wrong conclusions. We should not take our limited experiences and jump to conclusions about life in general. If you find yourself doubting God, remember that you don't have all the facts. God wants only the best for our lives. Many people will endure great pain, but ultimately they find some greater good comes out of it. Lesson to be learned: when you're struggling, don't assume the worst.

vs. 20-22 Job was expressing the view of death that was common in the Old Testament times. The thought was that the dead when to a joyless, dark place. There was no punishment or reward there and no escape from it.