1 "Does not man have hard service on earth?
Are not his days like those of a hired man?
2 Like a slave longing for the evening shadows,
or a hired man waiting eagerly for his wages,
3 so I have been allotted months of futility,
and nights of misery have been assigned to me.
4 When I lie down I think, 'How long before I get up?'
The night drags on, and I toss till dawn.
5 My body is clothed with worms and scabs,
my skin is broken and festering.
6 "My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle,
and they come to an end without hope.
7 Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath;
my eyes will never see happiness again.
8 The eye that now sees me will see me no longer;
you will look for me, but I will be no more.
9 As a cloud vanishes and is gone,
so he who goes down to the grave does not return.
10 He will never come to his house again;
his place will know him no more.
11 "Therefore I will not keep silent;
I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
12 Am I the sea, or the monster of the deep,
that you put me under guard?
13 When I think my bed will comfort me
and my couch will ease my complaint,
14 even then you frighten me with dreams
and terrify me with visions,
15 so that I prefer strangling and death,
rather than this body of mine.
16 I despise my life; I would not live forever.
Let me alone; my days have no meaning.
17 "What is man that you make so much of him,
that you give him so much attention,
18 that you examine him every morning
and test him every moment?
19 Will you never look away from me,
or let me alone even for an instant?
20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you,
O watcher of men?
Why have you made me your target?
Have I become a burden to you?
21 Why do you not pardon my offenses
and forgive my sins?
For I will soon lie down in the dust;
you will search for me, but I will be no more."
Side Note:
vs 12 Job stopped talking to Eliphaz and spoke directly to God. Although Job had lived a blameless life, he was beginning to doubt the value of living in such a way. By doing this, he was coming dangerously close to suggesting that God didn't care about him and was not being fair. Later God reproved Job for this attitude (38:2). Satan always exploits these thoughts to get us to forsake God. Our suffering, like Job's, may not be the result of our sin, but we must be careful not to sin as a result of our suffering.
vs 20 Job referred to God as a watcher or observer of humanity. He was expressing his feeling that God seemed like an enemy to him - someone who mercilessly watched him squirm in his misery. We know that God does watch over everything that happens to us. We must never forget that he sees us with compassion, not merely with critical scrutiny. His eyes are eyes of love.
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4 comments:
Wow...another good chapter. Job really is someone to admire...even in his hard times. He is someone that we all can relate to whether we have lost our jobs, house, health, or our loved ones...although I think he had it tougher than most of us can ever dream of. When he said in verse 5 "My body is clothed with worms and scabs, my skin is broken and festering." that is when I pray to God that he won't give me the sores! I guess I can see here why Satan chose to harm his body. Yes it's true that I think taking away someones loved ones would be (and is) so hard but Satan obviously had enough foresight to see that causing sores on Job's body would put him over the edge. I think it would me...while you are trying to heal from the emotional part of loosing your children then you have on top of it your body crying out for mercy...wow...that would be tough. Verses 6-10 just gives us a glimps as to what Job is feeling his life has become. Then in vs 11-21 we realize that Job is no longer talking to his friend but has now turned his attention over to God. We should talk to God and let Him know our frustrations. Like the side notes said, Job here was coming close to telling God that He didn't care about Job and that He wasn't being fair. These are the thoughts that Satan likes and that he will use to make us turn from God. Don't forsake God...our suffering may not be the result of sin so we must be careful not to sin as a result of our suffering. I like ver 17 because it reminds me of that song...
Who am I that your are mindful of me
That you hear me
When I call
Is it true that you are thinking of me
How you love me
It's amazing
I am a friend of God
I am a friend of God
I am a friend of God
He calls me friend
I think the song is called Friend of God...anyway...that verse reminded me of that song and quite frequently I do sing that song to myself and remind myself that I am a friend of God...and how cool is that! Finally in vs 17-21 Job shows us that God is constantly watching over us...but like the side notes said contrary to what Job is suggesting here I believe God sees us with eyes more of love than condemnation. We need to make sure that when we "watch" people that our eyes are of love and not ready to watch them mess up. What did you all get from it? Or did I say it all...sorry...I tend to get long winded :)
Yes - good chapter. I think it was good you started with one chapter Ali because we all seem to come up with plenty of stuff! :)
Verse 14 really stood out to me today - I get terrible scary nightmares - about a week solid of them every month or two months. Waking up out of breath and crying... my poor husband! :) And I hate the feeling that you can't get away from it and are almost scared to go to sleep. I just think how Job's life was a nightmare and then even at night he could get no rest or relief. At least my nightmares I can wake up and know that they aren't true!
On a different note - I just finished reading a book about Mother Teresa (such a cool cool lady!) and a quote she said to a TV anchor in 1969 (and reiterated the theme her entire life) made me think of Job:
"I have come more and more to realize that it is being unwanted that is the worst disease that any human being can ever experience."
She had seen people in the hardest of times in one of the worst places on earth, and worse than the hunger, death and disease was feeling unwanted.
I just thought of Job - feeling abandoned of support from his wife, loss of respect from his friends, and (he felt) abandonment from God. After reading this quote it kind of stood out to me how Job is really crying out for mercy, more than for any of the things or people he lost. So maybe there is some truth to that quote.
This chapter has me contemplating how hard it can be for those who suffer but don't know the reasons why. Job cries out to God, Why? As do many people...those who've lost loved ones, jobs, health etc. But (in echo of Ali & the side note) we must be careful not to let Satan use our why's and frustrations to turn us away from God. We sometimes just have to accept that we may not know why here on earth.
My verse 17 (living Bible) uses the words 'persecuting him' instead of give him attention, and verse 18 starts "Must yoiu be his inquisitor". I think these are harsher words than your version, and even closer to Job's saying something the Devil would be delighted to hear. To have to live like this is something i can't evenbegin to relate to. When I used to get more migraines at least I was thankful I could always get away from the pain by sleeping. A thought I just had- what do you think Job would say if he knew the Devil was behind it? I think in that case he would say bring it on!! We know God is always on our side, but I am sure I would not ask for problems or pain or suffering just to show the Devil I can do it with God's help. Job is a wonderful example of the phrase "patience in suffering".
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