Editor's Note: I will attempt to summarize some of the themes and statements made by Job and his visitors. My observations are by no means the final word on this; please feel free to weigh in and give your thoughts on what's going on
Job 8
Bildad's' Response to Job
...the Almighty will do what's right
...seek advice from "the fathers"
...God helps the blameless, but the Godless will fail
Job 9
Job Answers
...Yep, I agree.
...who can dispute with the LORD? Who can dispute what he does?
"He can go right by me, and I don't see him; he moves past without my being aware of him."
...even if I were right, I could still only ask for mercy
...no one can overpower or outmaneuver Him; there is no arbiter with Him
Job 10
[Job continues]
...I will speak to the LORD and ask "why?"
...have you waited for me to sin and then to condemn me?
...why did you give me life, just to take it all away?
...can I have a little respite before I die?
I don't remember seeing this before:
ReplyDeleteJob 9:8 He alone stretches out the heavens, and treads on the waves of the sea.
Joh 6:19-20 19 When therefore they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing near to the boat; and they were afraid. 20 But he said to them, “It is I (I Am). Do not be afraid.”
It seems like his friend is trying to remind him of a formula: the righteous are blessed and the wicked are destroyed.
So what does it mean when you're putting in all the right things but the current result doesn't appear to follow the proven formula?
I've heard it said "The journey's not over until it's over."
I can't imagine how bone and spirit weary Job is during this moment and yet he declares the goodness of his Heavenly Father.
Job 10:11-12 11 You have clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. 12 You have granted me life and loving kindness. Your visitation has preserved my spirit.
-Stacy
I was reminded of a few things about the book of Job. It's a beautiful poetic account with many play on words we may not see in translations, and much like Ecclesiastes, we may not want to over analyze the back and forth without knowing the conclusion. Knowing what our Heavenly Father has to say about a matter gives proper understanding.
ReplyDelete-Stacy
I agree about the wordplay and translation thing. I think there's a lot of foreshadowing and clues hidden in plain sight, too - like when Job mentions about being unaware of the nearness or activity of the Almighty, which is certainly true as we consider the setup of this story and the behind-the-scenes parts that Job and friends are unaware of...might not have ever known about.
Delete...it's also great advice to take a wait-and-see approach to how it's all coming together. Good reminder, brother.