Jan 5: Job 6-9

Jan 5: Job 6-9

Chapters 6 is when Job responds to Eliphaz’s accusations explaining that Job knows that the terrible things that have fallen on him are not because he has denied God. But the opposite is true. After Job talks back to Eliphaz, Job turns his attentions to God and goes so far as to ask God to take his life, not by suicide, but by God, to alleviate his suffering. Circumstantially, let us not forget, that Job has lost almost everything earthly and additionally he is now severely diseased - none of this was because of his own sin. We too, can find understanding in this as some of our hardships are not by any fault of our own. Job’s heart continues to cry out for understanding and he confidently states before God his innocence. 

Chapter 7. Job continues to talk about the hopelessness of his life and the brevity of life to his friends. Then he goes on to inquire about why it seems that God has his eyes directly on Job. Sometimes during the storms of our life, we can either feel that God is distant or that God is punishing us, but He possibly is doing neither… What I love about this chapter is that it is honest. Sometimes we don’t think that we can state to God how we really feel, but this shows that we can and have the freedom to tell God how we really feel about what is going on in life. We later find out that Job never sins in his response to God and therefore we can conclude that it is perfectly fine to be honest, angry, and hopeless - as long as we speak to the One who is in control of all things. Because God sees all, He also accepts us as being human, and having our feelings out in the open. 

Chapter 8 is where Bildad, Job’s other friend, gives his advice to Job. We later learn that Bildad’s advice isn’t honoring to God. So therefore in his advice, he is wrong, his counsel is horrible. Bildad accuses Job that his kids died because of their sin. We know that Job’s kids died not because of their sin or Job’s - it was an attack of Satan against Job (remember, we only see in part. We have the benefit of seeing behind the scenes in this book, but life is not usually that way). He furthermore takes some assumptions against Job, assuming that he is not seeking God and that he is not upright. Again, Bildad is wrong, bad counsel again. After saying all of that, Bildad makes it sound holy and good that God wouldn't reject a blameless man, implying that Job is not blameless. And we all know from reading the beginning of Job, that he was blameless (Job 1:1).

Chapter 9 is where Job accepts the truth in a question - how a man can stand in the right before God? He knows who Yahweh is - Personal Creator of the world and rightful judge over it. He describes the enormity of God in the realm of Creation and the things that God created, in direct contrast to how small Job really is. Job explains that both the wicked and the righteous suffer. Notice still, how Job holds God in such high esteem. He knows that his friends advice is lacking, and he knows that they won’t believe him. He also knows that he is in no position to put God on trial, for God is not a man. He is yearning for answers for his current circumstances. Does this ring true for any unexplainable sufferings that you have gone through? I am not talking about self-inflicted pain caused by your own sin. If you have been in an unexplainable circumstance, take comfort in knowing that God does have a plan - a Master Plan, where He sees the beginning and the end, and He takes care of all the details in between. Remember, He is Sovereign (In control). Sing with me, “He’s got the whole world, in His hands. He’s got the whole wide world…” I know its a ‘kids’ song, but, trust the Bible - God’s got this and God has you.

To sum it all up:

• Why are these ‘wise friends of Job’s’ sermons even in the bible if they aren’t all truth? My simple answer would be that this is in the bible to express a huge importance. We get advice from all over the place. Including churches, sermons, songs, and the like. In times of hurt, suffering, or need, we often go to them and trust in what they have to say and some of the time they sound so good and so right. Regardless of what someone may be telling you, you need to weigh it against the Bible, what God says about it. Just because they sound good doesn’t mean that they are good.
• If we are pursuing righteousness and we are brought into various trials of life, we must hold fast to the truths of an Everlasting God, who is orchestrating everything behind the scenes. I explain it to my kids this way: Life is kind of like a big chess board and I just want to be a pawn - God can move me where He wants me to be. I cannot see the whole chess board as a little pawn, but I have to trust that where God is moving me is in step with all of the other things that are going on. Not that life is a game to God, but that He sees the whole picture, and we only see in part… therefore we have to trust that He knows better than us…