Job 17

1 My spirit is broken,
my days are cut short,
the grave awaits me.

2 Surely mockers surround me;
my eyes must dwell on their hostility.

3 "Give me, O God, the pledge you demand.
Who else will put up security for me?

4 You have closed their minds to understanding;
therefore you will not let them triumph.

5 If a man denounces his friends for reward,
the eyes of his children will fail.

6 "God has made me a byword to everyone,
a man in whose face people spit.

7 My eyes have grown dim with grief;
my whole frame is but a shadow.

8 Upright men are appalled at this;
the innocent are aroused against the ungodly.

9 Nevertheless, the righteous will hold to their ways,
and those with clean hands will grow stronger.

10 "But come on, all of you, try again!
I will not find a wise man among you.

11 My days have passed, my plans are shattered,
and so are the desires of my heart.

12 These men turn night into day;
in the face of darkness they say, 'Light is near.'

13 If the only home I hope for is the grave,
if I spread out my bed in darkness,

14 if I say to corruption, 'You are my father,'
and to the worm, 'My mother' or 'My sister,'

15 where then is my hope?
Who can see any hope for me?

16 Will it go down to the gates of death?
Will we descend together into the dust?"

Side Notes:

vs. 10 All of Job's friends had a reputation for being wise, but at this time Job could not find wisdom in any of them. In 42:7 God will back up Job's claim when He will condemn them for their false portrayal of him. Obviously their view of wisdom was faulty. They assumed because they were prosperous and successful that God must be pleased with the way they were living and thinking. Job, however, countered that by saying that earthly success and prosperity are not proof of faith in God. Likewise, trouble and affliction do not prove faithlessness. The truly wise man knows that wisdom comes from God alone, not from human successes or failures. And the truly wise man never forsakes God. God's wisdom proved superior to Job and to all his friends.

vs. 15 Job was giving up hope that there would be any future restoration of wealth and family and wrapping himself in thoughts of death and the rest from grief and pain that it promised. The rewards that his friends talked about were all related to this present life. They were silent about the possibility of life after death. We must not evaluate life only in terms of this present world because God promises a never-ending wonderful future to those who are faithful to him.