Article #5 on Mortality in the Book of Job
Job’s Suffering in Job 6:1-7:21
Depressed and faithless souls long to commiserate about their circumstances. If given space to speak they will eloquently glorify their own “grief” and magnify their own “calamity” with profound detail (Job 6:2)! They do this because they don’t believe anyone can understand what they are going through. Job claims that if his grievous calamity were to be “thoroughly weighed” in a balance, so as to determine its weight, then “it would be heavier than the sand of the sea” (Job 6:3)! In other words, the man feels crushed by an immeasurable weight of deadly force that can’t possibly be imagined by anyone.
However, strangely, even though misery makes a man hunched over and drooping for sadness, if misery is given the chance to preach – then suddenly it becomes lively and fervent in an embellished description of the pain! Why? Because sad and hopeless souls are strong believers in bad news. God help them! What’s worse is that they feel deeply misunderstood by their friends, family, and brethren, especially if they refuse to commiserate about the situation. Job felt betrayed by his friends and brethren (Job 6:14-15, 27), which is partly why he rashly went off on a rant about his wish to be destroyed by God (Job 6:8-9)! At this point even Job knows that he is hardening himself in sorrow (“…yea, I would harden myself in sorrow” – Job 6:10).
Job was clearly being provoked by Eliphaz (Job 6:27). It’s not that he disagrees with the doctrine of Eliphaz. Expressing agreement, Job says, “How forcible are right words!” (Job 6:25). Job agrees that these calamities are the just desert of the wicked! However, seeing that Job was indeed a man that “feared God” and “eschewed evil” before these calamities came upon him (Job 1:1, 8), he puts the burden of proof upon Eliphaz, saying, “but what doth your arguing reprove?” (Job 6:26). In other words, if Eliphaz believes that Job is justly suffering because of wickedness, Job askes Eliphaz to “cause [him] to understand wherein [he has] erred” (Job 6:24).
Then Job begins to bitterly complain about his “wearisome nights” spent “tossing” and turning until the dawning of the day (Job 7:3-4). His sorrow appears to be exacerbated by the contention with his friends (Job 6:27). Utter hopelessness plunges him deeper into darkness and depravity (Job 7:6-7)! A hellish desperation to be vindicated comes over him, an urge that is partly inspired by a sense that he is soon to vanish away suddenly in death and thus is doomed to be forgotten (Job 7:7-10), so Job decides to no longer “refrain” his “mouth” from speaking against God (Job 7:11). Alas! The mouth that worshipped and blessed God is now moved to speak against God (James 3:9-11; Job 1:20-21). The man who refused to “sin with his lips” so as to think evil of the Almighty and “charge God foolishly” (Job 1:22, 2:10), is moved to cross a threshold of diabolical boldness against the LORD that is unimaginable.
However, strangely, even though misery makes a man hunched over and drooping for sadness, if misery is given the chance to preach – then suddenly it becomes lively and fervent in an embellished description of the pain! Why? Because sad and hopeless souls are strong believers in bad news. God help them! What’s worse is that they feel deeply misunderstood by their friends, family, and brethren, especially if they refuse to commiserate about the situation. Job felt betrayed by his friends and brethren (Job 6:14-15, 27), which is partly why he rashly went off on a rant about his wish to be destroyed by God (Job 6:8-9)! At this point even Job knows that he is hardening himself in sorrow (“…yea, I would harden myself in sorrow” – Job 6:10).
Job was clearly being provoked by Eliphaz (Job 6:27). It’s not that he disagrees with the doctrine of Eliphaz. Expressing agreement, Job says, “How forcible are right words!” (Job 6:25). Job agrees that these calamities are the just desert of the wicked! However, seeing that Job was indeed a man that “feared God” and “eschewed evil” before these calamities came upon him (Job 1:1, 8), he puts the burden of proof upon Eliphaz, saying, “but what doth your arguing reprove?” (Job 6:26). In other words, if Eliphaz believes that Job is justly suffering because of wickedness, Job askes Eliphaz to “cause [him] to understand wherein [he has] erred” (Job 6:24).
Then Job begins to bitterly complain about his “wearisome nights” spent “tossing” and turning until the dawning of the day (Job 7:3-4). His sorrow appears to be exacerbated by the contention with his friends (Job 6:27). Utter hopelessness plunges him deeper into darkness and depravity (Job 7:6-7)! A hellish desperation to be vindicated comes over him, an urge that is partly inspired by a sense that he is soon to vanish away suddenly in death and thus is doomed to be forgotten (Job 7:7-10), so Job decides to no longer “refrain” his “mouth” from speaking against God (Job 7:11). Alas! The mouth that worshipped and blessed God is now moved to speak against God (James 3:9-11; Job 1:20-21). The man who refused to “sin with his lips” so as to think evil of the Almighty and “charge God foolishly” (Job 1:22, 2:10), is moved to cross a threshold of diabolical boldness against the LORD that is unimaginable.
“Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.” - Job 7:11
In directing his speech against God personally for the first time, Job complains and slanderously misrepresents the Almighty for 10 verses… and then falls silent (Job 7:11-21). Before this point in the discourse Job only spoke against himself, his situation, and his brethren, but he never spoke directly against God. When he finally does, lo and behold: Job is still complaining about his sleepless nights and miserable days upon his couch or bed (Job 7:3-4, 13-14), blaming God for everything as if divine cruelty will not even allow him swallow down his spittle (Job 7:19). This is blasphemy.
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