Year 2, Day 100: Job 6

Back to Job and His Humanity

In Job 6, we change from Eliphaz’s speech to Job’s speech.  We also get to see a bit of a misstep in Job’s words.  Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not saying that Job loses his faith or anything.  But we do see a misstep in his faith.  Job proves his humanity.  But you know what, I’ve been there.  I’ve done that.  I’ve said things out of my pain – or even out of my ignorance! – that were simply wrong. 

I’ve said it a number of times here on the blog and I’ll probably say it more.  God does not demand perfection, he demands humble repentance.  Before this book is over, we’ll see God call Job and the friends into repentance.  So for now, let’s look at how Job also takes a misstep as he tries to understand the world around him and the God who created it.

Lie: God Is An Adversary

Job’s first misstep is to paint God as an adversary.  In Job 6:4 we hear that “the arrows of the Almighty are within me and my spirit drinks their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me.”  Don’t get me wrong.  If what happened to Job happened to me, then I could see myself saying these very same things.  What Job says is very understandable given his circumstance.  He is not able to be objective or accurate.  I understand that and I am willing to cut him a little slack.  But that doesn’t change the fact that he is still wrong.

In reality, the Lord has not sought to destroy him!  In fact, the Lord has actually presented him with an opportunity to be a witness to the world!  Sure, it might be really hard to see it from Job’s perspective, so I’m not going to lay any fault upon him for that.  But from the perspective of the outsider that we have – that is exactly what God has done.

Think about the story so far.  Satan comes before God and accuses God of being loved solely because He is generous to the people who love Him.  God challenges Satan on this point and Job is selected.  Job is given the honor of being “God’s test-case.”  Job is a sort of “test-case” scenario for all of humanity.  And how does it end?  Job is still faithful!  Job is a witness against Satan’s accusation!  Then Eliphaz comes along.  He puts out some decently shallow theology which is actually all wrong in the end.  Job has the opportunity now be a witness to Eliphaz and be a challenge to his theology.  Just for the record, although he makes a few mistakes of his own along the way he is still a faithful witness.

From the outside, we can see that Job has not actually been God’s target of wrath.  Job is actually God’s target of righteousness.  I know what you might be thinking … if this is how God treats the righteous, then we might not want to be righteous!  But let’s put that in perspective, shall we?  Do we believe in God or not?  Do we submit to God humbly or not?  Do we trust that in the life to come God can demonstrate His righteousness or not?  If so, then why would we not desire to be a demonstration of His righteousness here on earth?  Is not a little temporal pain something worth enduring in order to experience His eternal glory?

Lie: Desiring that God Would Crush One’s Life

This misstep launches into a secondary misstep.  Job honestly begs that God would crush his life.  Then Job asks what strength he has in order to be able to wait.  He wonders what future he has in order that he should be patient.  He then believes that all resource has been driven from him.

This is a classic error of short-sighted human nature.  We simply do not perpetually focus on God and His promises.  Instead we do perpetually focus on our own present circumstances.  Furthermore, humanity has a pessimistic streak within us that assumes that when bad things come upon us that they will linger forever.  We have a much easier time believing things will go from good to bad and stay bad than believing things can go from bad to good and stay good. 

On this point, though, I cannot judge Job.  While I do confess that what he says here is absolutely wrong, I must also confess that I am guilty of the same thing.  I know what it is like to beg and plead that God would crush my life.  I know what it is like to be in so much pain and attack that I desired to be released from both living and having to endure it.  But I also confess that in all circumstances I have been wrong.  God has yet to not provide.  God has yet to not have some further plan for me beyond the turmoil.  I am simply impatient.

Job does have hope.  He is the Lord’s!  We should be mindful of that fact more often.

Truth: We Need Community

The middle part of this chapter speaks to the spiritual bond that should be between people of the faith.  Look at what Job seems to be indicating in his words.  Job looks around and he sees people who look to mistreat him, who look to withhold their presence from him, who actually look to avoid him, who express disappointment in Job, and who are forceful in their correction.  What Job desires is to have people who will be there to help him walk through life.  He wants people who can help him find truth, but not do it in a way that tears him down.  He wants people who will be neighborly in his affliction.

Don’t we all?

Summarizing Job’s Reply

We do see hope and faithfulness in Job – even among his missteps.  Job is open to being taught and he is open to correction, see Job 6:24.  Job believes that he still remains faithful to God, see Job 6:10.  And in the end he has.  Job may have made a few missteps and he may have gotten the wrong perspective a little, but he hasn’t violated God’s dominion and His authority.  He is asserting what he is thinking; yet he still remains open. 

We can learn a good lesson from Job on this point.  It is good to get our thoughts out into the open.  But we need to do so in a way that we continue to be open to the fact that we may be wrong.  Truthfully, in times of turmoil we probably are wrong.

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