Read Job 4:1-7:21.

Introduction⤒🔗

Eliphaz callously counsels Job to let his “fear [of God],” (i.e.; his devotion to God), sustain him in his time of intense suffering (4:6).

To such counsel Job responds by pleading, “To him who is ready to faint, kindness should be shown by his friend; or else he might forsake the fear of the Almighty” (6:14).

This is what Job is saying: You instruct me to let my fear of God sustain me; but I tell you, I need your compassion, or else I may be tempted to forsake my fear of God!

As we saw in our previous study, Job finds himself caught in ferocious spiritual cross currents: his spiritual condition is much like that of the ship described in Acts 27:41, which was grounded on a shoal and was being torn apart by the convergence of two seas.

Job is caught in the “cross currents” of God's righteousness, on the one hand, and the anomalies of this present life, on the other. He affirms the absolute justice of God, yet by both observation and experience he is acutely aware of the moral anomalies of life in this present world: there are times when the wicked receive blessing, and the devout man, (one in whom the righteousness of Christ is being reproduced), is treated as an unrepentant sinner.

Furthermore, and most significantly, Job has not yet grasped the fact that God uses suffering in a variety of ways to accomplish a variety of purposes. At this point, Job, like his friends, has a limited, one-dimensional, understanding of suffering: God inflicts suffering upon sinners as the just punishment for their sins, or as a disciplinary measure to recall a saint from the error of his way.

Consequently, caught in the “cross currents” of God’s righteousness and the moral anomalies of life in this present world—and lacking a complete understanding of God’s use of suffering—Job stands in need of someone to compassionately come to his side and help “the tottering to stand.”

The overarching theme that we find in this present dialogue between Job and Eliphaz is the need to minister compassion to a suffering brother or sister. In the previous study we considered Job’s desperate plea that his friends show him kindness and compassion, now we go on to consider the depths of Job’s agony and the precarious spiritual condition in which he finds himself.

A true understanding of Job’s spiritual condition will help us to be more sensitive and compassionate to others in their spiritual struggles, and may assist us in better understanding our own times of spiritual trial.

Treat a Suffering Brother or Sister with Compassion, Being Sensitive to the Depths of their Agony←⤒🔗

Job declares that his anguish and his misery weigh down upon him with a weight that is greater than the sand of the seashore (6:1-3). It is as though Job has two huge bags of sand placed upon his shoulders, and, consequently, he is barely able to stand. It is the heaviness of his anguish that accounts for the rashness of his words. Concerning the weight of his trial, Job testifies: “It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas—that is why my words have been rash” (6:3).

Job portrays God as having set Himself against His servant as a mighty adversary: “The arrows of the Almighty stick in me, my spirit drinks their poison; God’s terrors are arrayed against me” (6:4). Job’s spirit is afflicted by the poisonous arrows shot at him by the Almighty; the terrors of God are set in array against him. The fact that God appears to be his adversary is especially grievous and inexplicable to Job, a man who has been devoted to the LORD and who has experienced the LORD’s favor. Indeed, Job is a man who has been publicly acknowledged by the LORD Himself to be His faithful servant: “the LORD said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil.” (1:8)

By means of rhetorical questions and more graphic images, Job expresses the anguish of his soul:

⁵Does the wild donkey bray when it has grass, or does an ox bellow when it has fodder? ⁶Is bland food eaten without salt, or is there flavor in the white of an egg? ⁷I refuse to taste it; such “food” makes me ill! 6:5-7

When the wild donkey and the ox have food they are content, it is when they are deprived of their necessary food that they cry out (6:5). In the same way, Job, deprived of his former comforts and now experiencing intense agony of soul, mind, and body, cries out in emotional anguish. Bland food without spices is so distasteful that it is refused by the palette (6:6). Likewise, Job’s present situation is impossible for him to “swallow,” he cannot tolerate his present trials because they are so grievous to him. Verse seven may be translated, “The things my soul refuses to touch, these things have become my repulsive food;” Job is forced to experience the very things from which he naturally recoils: loss of possessions, the death of loved ones, loss of health.

Job longs for relief, but it eludes him:

¹Is not man forced to labor on earth, and are not his days like the days of a hired laborer? ²Like a slave longing for the evening shadows, or a hired man waiting eagerly for his wages, ³so I have been allotted months of futility, and nights of misery have been assigned to me. ⁴When I lie down I think, How long before I get up? The night drags on, and I toss until dawn. 7:1-4

The servant earnestly desires the lengthening shadows that provide refreshing relief from the oppressive heat of the sun and signal the end of the workday (7:2a). The laborer desires the hour when his work is ended and he receives his hard-earned wages (7:2b). So, too, Job longs for relief from his excruciating trials. But, unlike the case of the servant or the laborer, the relief Job seeks eludes him. Instead of receiving a wage, Job experiences months of futility (or, emptiness); instead of the lengthening shadows bringing him relief, Job finds the nights to be wearisome and filled with anguish (7:3-4).

In addition to his intense emotional pain, Job finds himself afflicted with severe physical suffering (7:5). In the morning light Job, discovers that worms have bred in his sores. Hard scabs have crusted around the sores on his skin, only to break and ooze, leaving his skin painfully raw.¹

Job now proceeds to give expression to his sense of hopelessness:

⁶My days pass swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and they come to an end without hope. ⁷Remember, [O God], that my life is a mere breath; my eyes will never see happiness again. ⁸The eye that now sees me will soon see me no longer; you will look for me, but I shall be gone. ⁹As a cloud fades and vanishes; likewise, he who descends into Sheol does not ascend again. ¹⁰He will never again return to his house; his neighborhood will never see him again. 7:6-10

His life is swiftly passing away—with the speed of a weaver’s shuttle as it flies back and forth across the loom (7:6). At this point in his trial he has no hope that what awaits him at the end of his days is blessing; he entertains no hope of once again being restored to the earthly blessings he once enjoyed (7:7). On the contrary, he anticipates a conscious-less existence in Sheol (the place of the dead), from which place no one returns (7:8-10). Note: The emphasis here is upon man’s personal inability to return from the grave.

At this point it would be well to briefly review what appears to be the O.T. teaching with regard to the state of the human soul upon entering into death during the Old Testament dispensation. Prior to the accomplishment of Christ’s work of atonement, it appears that at death both the godly as well as the ungodly entered into a temporary state of soul sleep. Consider, for example, such passages as Psalm 6:5, (in death [there is] no remembrance of you; in the grave, who will give you thanks?) and Psalm 88:11-12, (Shall your loving kindness be declared in the grave? Or your faithfulness in the place of destruction? ¹²Shall your wonders be known in the dark? And your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?). It was only after Christ, in His capacity of being our Redeemer, rose from the dead and ascended into the presence of His Father, that the redeemed could join with Him in that glorious place.

To be sure, as he stood upon the end of life’s shore, the Old Testament believer had reason to be confident that what eventually awaited him was the glory of life in the everlasting light and presence of the LORD (cp. Psl. 16:10-11; Psl. 17:15). But before arriving at that destination, there stretched out before him the vast, prolonged expanse of deep darkness known as Sheol. Living prior to the accomplishment of the work of redemption, with the way into the Most Holy Place having not yet been disclosed (Heb. 9:8), the Old Testament believer tended to become preoccupied and, indeed, even overwhelmed, by the prospect of Sheol that awaited him at death. It is in this state of mind that Job now finds himself as he endures a trial that causes him to question his status before God and even call into question God’s covenant faithfulness.

In the light of Job’s lament, let us remember to treat a suffering brother or sister with compassion, being sensitive to the depths of their agony—but also being aware of the great advantage we have over our dear brother Job. We know the end of the story; there is a blessed, and as we shall discover, a glorious, conclusion:

¹⁰After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD released him from his captivity; then the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before... ¹⁶After this Job lived one hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. ¹⁷Job died—old and full of years.Job 42:10, 16-17

¹⁰...after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will personally restore you, support you, strengthen you, and establish you. ¹¹To him belongs the dominion forever. Amen. 1 Pet. 5:10-11

We have the blessing of living in the dispensation of redemption accomplished; consequently, we can confidently affirm, “Jesus lives, and so shall I.” For us, as N.T. believers, living on this side of Calvary and our Lord’s resurrection, there is no departure into Sheol at the time of death. As the Apostle Paul assures the Corinthians: “we are confident, indeed, well pleased...to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” (2 Cor. 5:8)

Treat a Suffering Brother or Sister with Compassion, Recognizing Their Precarious Spiritual Condition←⤒🔗

Job has reached such a point of despair that he desires to die (6:8-9). His request is that God would crush him, (the Hebrew word, אכָ דָּ, has the meaning, “to be trampled to death”), and cut him off. At this point, Job views death as his only escape from his excruciating pain.² But note that Job steadfastly maintains his innocence: “But this would still be my consolation—my joy in the midst of unrelenting pain—that I have not denied the words of the Holy One” (6:10). Indeed, it is the very fact of his innocence that causes his present trial to be so inexplicable. Why is he, a man who is devoted to the LORD, suffering the fate reserved for the ungodly? and, therefore, so tormenting. In effect, due to his seeming estrangement from God, life has become a living hell for Job.

Job testifies that he has neither the strength nor the hope to endure:

¹¹What strength do I have to keep on waiting? What is my future prospect, that I should be patient? ¹²Do I have the strength of a stone? Is my flesh like bronze? ¹³Is there any help left in me since wisdom has been driven from me? 6:11-13

Being a mere mortal, Job lacks the strength of stones or bronze—a strength that would make him impervious to any kind of suffering, be it physical or emotional (6:11-12). At this point he lacks hope because he lacks understanding: wisdom has been driven from him (6:13). He cannot comprehend why he, as a godly man, is suffering at the hands of the Almighty; the apparent senselessness of his situation has robbed him of hope.

Recall Job’s question posed back in Job 3:23, “[Why is life given] to a man whose way is hidden, one who has been hedged in by God?” Here is a man whose destiny and purpose (“his way”) is “hidden” (i.e. it is incomprehensible; life has become futile and meaningless to him). Furthermore, this is a man who has been “hedged in by God;” i.e. God has surrounded the man with a wall so that he cannot escape his predicament.

Job confesses that he is ready to faint; indeed, he is at the point where he is severely tempted to forsake the fear of the Almighty (6:14). Due to his excruciating and seemingly unjustifiable suffering, Job is severely tempted to renounce his devotion to God—the very thing the devil desires for him to do.

Because of his present state of despair and hopelessness, Job is emboldened to raise a protest before God:

¹¹Therefore, I will not keep silent; I will speak from the anguish of my spirit, I will complain from the bitterness of my soul. ¹²Am I the sea, or the sea monster, that you set a guard over me? ¹³Whenever I think that my bed will comfort me and my couch will ease my complaint, ¹⁴even then you frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions. ¹⁵Therefore, my soul prefers strangling and death rather than these bones. ¹⁶I despise [my life]; I would not want to live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are only a breath. 7:11-16

Job utters the question that is gnawing at his soul, Why does God keep close guard over him? Does God view Job as if he were a sea monster that He must set a guard over him? (7:12)

The sea and sea monsters were often viewed by the ancients as the symbols and the personification of cosmic evil. So, in Job’s view, he, a man whom God Himself identified as “my servant,” is now being treated as the epitome of evil. Job’s present spiritual predicament brings to mind the words of the Apostle Paul with regard to the Lord Jesus Christ: [God the Father] “made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Cor. 5:21)

Now, we must be clear that Job is not “a Christ figure.” As the Righteous One of God, bearing the sins of His people and being identified with us in our sin (Isa. 53:4-6), Christ Jesus uniquely stands alone. To repeat, Job is certainly not “a Christ figure;” however, Job is being identified with Christ.

Unbeknown to Job, he is experiencing one aspect of what the Apostle Paul describes as the Christian’s sharing in “the fellowship of [Christ’s] suffering” (Phil. 3:10). For Job it is certainly not a meritorious suffering, it is rather what we might call “an observational suffering:” observing by experience the price Christ paid for our redemption.

Consider Abraham’s experience when he was called to offer up his only son, Isaac, as a burnt offering: by consenting to do so Abraham was “observing by experience” what it cost God the Father to procure our redemption. Now Job is “observing by experience” what it cost God the Son to procure our redemption. Job is being given a personal glimpse of the divine punishment that was absorbed by Jesus, the punishment of which he/we are worthy.

There is no comfort for Job, no respite from God’s assault against him; indeed, even his sleep, (which should provide peaceful rest), becomes the occasion for terrifying visions from the Almighty (7:13­ 14). Consequently, Job’s soul chooses death by strangulation rather than continued existence in his body. Thus, he pleads with God, “Leave me alone” (7:15-16). His plea is that God would release him from life and thus cause him to die, because he feels that his days are “[only] a breath,” or, his days are “[only] vanity,” (i.e. his life is brief and meaningless). Note that Job’s plea that God would “Leave me alone,” parallels the request made by the wicked, when they say to the Almighty, “Depart from us.” (Job 21:14) Job’s soul has entered into such depth of despair that he now finds himself uttering the same sentiment as the wicked.

In almost a parody of Psalm 8, Job cries out,

¹⁷What is man that you exalt him, that you pay [such close] attention to him, ¹⁸that you examine him every morning, that you test him every moment? 7:17-18

The Psalmist stands in awe of the fact that God should single out man as the object of His special concern in all of His vast creation:

³When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, ⁴what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? Psl. 8:3-4

Job, on the other hand, questions why God singles out man and makes him the special object of His divine scrutiny (7:17-18). Instead of being a source of comfort, Job finds God’s constant surveillance to be a source of oppression and terror. Whereas the Psalmist inquires of God, “What is man...that you care for him?” Job asks God, “What is man...that you examine him?” Job pleads for even a brief reprieve from the awesome divine scrutiny—at least long enough for him to take a swallow (7:19).

With regard to the divine scrutiny that Job feels so acutely, he asks: “If I have sinned, how have I affected you, O watcher of men? Why have you made me your target? Have I become a burden to you?” (7:20) If he is guilty of sin, what possible affect could his transgression have upon the Almighty? (Here Job is failing to take into consideration the fact that God’s holy nature cannot tolerate the presence of sin.) Again, If he is guilty of sin, why will God not have mercy upon him and pardon his transgression, seeing that his final destiny (as he believes in this moment of despair) is to come to oblivion in the grave? (7:21)

In the light of Job’s lament, let us remember to treat a suffering brother or sister with compassion; recognizing their precarious spiritual condition—but at the same time taking comfort in the assurances afforded us in the New Testament:

¹⁰...after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will personally restore you, support you, strengthen you, and establish you. ¹¹To him belongs the dominion forever. Amen. 1 Pet. 5:10-11

³⁸...I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom. 8:38-39

Conclusion←⤒🔗

We may well learn a lesson from the First Responders rescue squad: One of their first priorities is to minister compassion and tender care to the accident victim.

In a similar way, when we encounter a fellow Christian brother or sister who is experiencing deep and perhaps unintelligible suffering, may we treat them with great sensitivity and compassion.

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. How does Job describe his present spiritual condition, which, he says, accounts for the “rash” words he has spoken (i.e. his wish that he had never been born and his desire for death)? See Job 6:1-3 Have you ever found yourself in a similar spiritual state? Have your trials ever led you to utter “rash” words? As a Christian, what comfort and assurance do you find in Christ? See Matt. 12:20-21,

Then Job responded, ²If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales! ³It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas—that is why my words have been rash. Job 6:1-3

²⁰A bruised reed he will not break, and smoking flax he will not quench... ²¹And in his name Gentiles will trust. Matt. 12:20-21

2. How does Job describe God’s relationship to him? See Job 6:4 Like Job, have you ever felt that God had inexplicably set Himself against you like a mighty warrior? As a Christian, what do you need to remember at such times? See Isa. 53:4-5; Rom. 8:1; Heb.13:5b,

⁴The arrows of the Almighty stick in me, my spirit drinks their poison; God’s terrors are arrayed against me. Job 6:4

⁴Surely, he has borne our afflictions and carried our sorrows; but we regarded him as one who was stricken by God, smitten by him and afflicted [as an evildoer]. ⁵But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment was laid upon him for our peace, and by his wounds we are healed. Isa. 53:4-5

[There is], therefore, now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus... Rom. 8:1

He himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'Heb. 13:5

3. How does Job describe his relationship to God? See Job 6:10b How does Job view the incongruous situation in which he presently finds himself: a devout man being “attacked” by God? See Job 6:13 When you encounter incongruous situations in your life or observe them in the world, what must you remember? See Deut. 32:4 What assurance do you have? See Jn. 13:7; 1 Cor. 13:12,

¹⁰But this would still be my consolation—my joy in the midst of unrelenting pain—that I have not denied the words of the Holy One. Job 6:10

¹³Is there any help left in me since wisdom has been driven from me? Job 6:13

⁴[The LORD is] the rock, his work is perfect; for all his ways are justice. A God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is he. Deut. 32:4

⁷Jesus replied, 'You do not now understand what I am doing; but later you will understand'.Jn. 13:7

¹²At present, we see an obscure image in a mirror, but then [we will see] face to face. At present, I know [things] partially; but then I will know fully, just as I am fully known. 1 Cor. 13:12

4. Unbeknown to him, what is presently happening to Job, and why? See Job 1:8-12 Compare Job’s experience with that of our Lord Jesus Christ. See Matt. 3:16-4:1 As a Christian, do you perceive the significance of “unwarranted” trials in your life? See 1 Pet. 4:12-13,

⁸Then the LORD said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil. ⁹Then Satan replied to the LORD, Does Job fear God for no reason? ¹⁰Have you not put a hedge all around him, as well as around his household and all that he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his flocks spread out over the land. ¹¹But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and I swear that he will renounce you to your face. ¹²The LORD said to Satan, Look; everything that he has is in your power; only do not lay your hand upon the man himself. So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.Job 1:8-12

¹⁶And Jesus, when he had been baptized, immediately came up out of the water; and the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and coming upon him. ¹⁷And a voice was heard speaking from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased. ^4:1Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Matt. 3:16-4:1

¹²Beloved, do not be surprised by the fiery trials among you that have come for the purpose of testing you, as though a strange thing has happened to you. ¹³On the contrary, since you are participating in the sufferings of Christ, rejoice; so that at the revelation of his glory you may indeed rejoice with exultation. 1 Pet. 4:12-13

See the lesson’s comments on Job 7:11-16 for a further discussion of the Christian’s fellowship in Christ’s sufferings.

5. Compare and contrast Job 7:17-18 with Psalm 8:4. Whereas the Psalmist inquires of God, “What is man...that you care for him?” Job asks God, “What is man...that you examine him?” How do you regard God’s ever-watchful eye upon you ever moment of your life?

¹⁷What is man that you exalt him, that you pay such close attention to him, ¹⁸that you examine him every morning, that you test him every moment? Job 7:17-18

⁴What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man, that you visit him? Psl. 8:4