Job 14

1 “Mortals, born of woman, are of few days and full of trouble. 2 They spring up like flowers and wither away; like fleeting shadows, they do not endure. 3 Do you fix your eye on them? Will you bring them before you for judgment? 4 Who can bring what is pure from the impure? No one!  5 A person's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed. 6 So look away from him and let him alone, till he has put in his time like a hired laborer.

7 “At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail. 8 Its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump die in the soil,  9 yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant.  10 But a man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last and is no more. 11 As the water of a lake dries up or a riverbed becomes parched and dry, 12 so he lies down and does not rise; till the heavens are no more, people will not awake or be roused from their sleep.

13 “If only you would hide me in the grave and conceal me till your anger has passed! If only you would set me a time and then remember me!  14 If someone dies, will they live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come. 15 You will call and I will answer you; you will long for the creature your hands have made. 16 Surely then you will count my steps but not keep track of my sin. 17 My offenses will be sealed up in a bag; you will cover over my sin.

18 “But as a mountain erodes and crumbles and as a rock is moved from its place, 19 as water wears away stones and torrents wash away the soil, so you destroy a person's hope.  20 You overpower them once for all, and they are gone; you change their countenance and send them away. 21 If their children are honored, they do not know it; if their offspring are brought low, they do not see it.  22 They feel but the pain of their own bodies and mourn only for themselves.”

Job 15

1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied: 2 “Would a wise person answer with empty notions or fill their belly with the hot east wind? 3 Would they argue with useless words, with speeches that have no value? 4 But you even undermine piety and hinder devotion to God.

5 Your sin prompts your mouth; you adopt the tongue of the crafty. 6 Your own mouth condemns you, not mine; your own lips testify against you. 7 “Are you the first man ever born? Were you brought forth before the hills? 8 Do you listen in on God's council? Do you have a monopoly on wisdom? 9 What do you know that we do not know? What insights do you have that we do not have?

10 The gray-haired and the aged are on our side, men even older than your father.   11 Are God's consolations not enough for you, words spoken gently to you?  12 Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash,  13 so that you vent your rage against God and pour out such words from your mouth?  14 “What are mortals, that they could be pure, or those born of woman, that they could be righteous?

15 If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes, 16 how much less mortals, who are vile and corrupt, who drink up evil like water!  

17 “Listen to me and I will explain to you; let me tell you what I have seen,  18 what the wise have declared, hiding nothing received from their ancestors  19 (to whom alone the land was given when no foreigners moved among them): 20 All his days the wicked man suffers torment, the ruthless man through all the years stored up for him. 21 Terrifying sounds fill his ears; when all seems well, marauders attack him. 22 He despairs of escaping the realm of darkness; he is marked for the sword. 23 He wanders about for food like a vulture; he knows the day of darkness is at hand. 24 Distress and anguish fill him with terror; troubles overwhelm him, like a king poised to attack, 25 because he shakes his fist at God and vaunts himself against the Almighty, 26 defiantly charging against him with a thick, strong shield.

27 “Though his face is covered with fat and his waist bulges with flesh, 28 he will inhabit ruined towns and houses where no one lives, houses crumbling to rubble. 29 He will no longer be rich and his wealth will not endure, nor will his possessions spread over the land. 30 He will not escape the darkness; a flame will wither his shoots, and the breath of God's mouth will carry him away.

31 Let him not deceive himself by trusting what is worthless, for he will get nothing in return. 32 Before his time he will wither, and his branches will not flourish. 33 He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes, like an olive tree shedding its blossoms. 34 For the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of those who love bribes. 35 They conceive trouble and give birth to evil; their womb fashions deceit.”

Job 16

1 Then Job replied: 2 “I have heard many things like these; you are miserable comforters, all of you! 3 Will your long-winded speeches never end? What ails you that you keep on arguing?

4 I also could speak like you, if you were in my place; I could make fine speeches against you and shake my head at you. 5 But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief. 6 “Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved; and if I refrain, it does not go away.

7 Surely, God, you have worn me out; you have devastated my entire household. 8 You have shriveled me up—and it has become a witness; my gauntness rises up and testifies against me. 9 God assails me and tears me in hi

s anger and gnashes his teeth at me; my opponent fastens on me his piercing eyes.

10 People open their mouths to jeer at me; they strike my cheek in scorn and unite together against me. 11 God has turned me over to the ungodly and thrown me into the clutches of the wicked. 12 All was well with me, but he shattered me; he seized me by the neck and crushed me. He has made me his target; 13 his archers surround me. Without pity, he pierces my kidneys and spills my gall on the ground. 14 Again and again he bursts upon me; he rushes at me like a warrior.

15 “I have sewed sackcloth over my skin and buried my brow in the dust. 16 My face is red with weeping, dark shadows ring my eyes; 17 yet my hands have been free of violence and my prayer is pure.

18 “Earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry never be laid to rest! 19 Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. 20 My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; 21 on behalf of a man he pleads with God as one pleads for a friend.  22 “Only a few years will pass before I take the path of no return.

SS 21.  F*R*I*E*N*D*S

Job 14-16

Job continues to rant at God here:

People are as short lived as flowers.  They do not resprout once gone.  Why do You waste time judging them?  Can't you let them live their short lives in peace?  

Job is waiting for renewal in V14.  He longs for a time when God will miss him.  I like verse 16:

16 Surely then you will count my steps but not keep track of my sin.

What does it mean?  I know there are apps that count steps and calories.  That means attention to all we do, but Job wants God to watch his walk without judging his sin.  He wants his sin to be covered.  We certainly have that with Christ, don't we?  

He is harsh on God next in 19:  You erode all hope.  Yikes!  I would like to say I would never say something like this to God.  But in Job's shoes?  I know just this week I read a study on trusting God.  I was thinking that it is harder than it sounds.  The thing is, sometimes I feel that God did not catch me when I walk out in faith.  Every time I hit the ground, I get up and go back to Him.  But it makes trusting Him the next time harder.  The deal is that God has purposes for things that we just cannot see.  He has a way of doing things that I cannot follow.  God is faithful to do as He has promised, not to do what we want.  Sometimes that means a child dies of cancer or a person fails to come back or that something you cherish is destroyed.  It is hard to trust God when you have lost so much.  Job knows God is good, but God is not feeling good to him in that moment.

When I have Job day, I feel like God has abandoned or forgotten me.  It is interesting that Job feels like God is paying TOO MUCH attention to him.  Guess what, Job is right about God paying special attention.  I guess that is a point of comfort in times of pain, though Job was certainly not feeling it.         

I always get the giggles when people talk about the patience of Job.  It is obvious that they never read the book.  

Chapter 15

Oooh, Terminix is back.  Would a smart person give dumb answers or talk like they are full of hot air?  Ouch!  So much for compassion.  He hits hard: you are undermining your piety and hindering your relationship with God.  Lordy!  Do you listen to God or just yourself?  Why are you raging at God?  

I hate it when I am feeling bad or defeated and someone throws guilt on top.  Terminix is that friend.  

Well, no one told Job that life was going to feel this way.  Clap, clap, clap.  Now Job's a joke, he's broke, his love life's DOA.  Oops, fell into a song.  

He goes on to say his wisdom is shared by people older than Job's father (V10).  It sounds like Job's parents are still alive – reasonable since people lived so long back then.  So, why are Job's parents and siblings not gathered around him mourning and helping?  True story – parents may not always there when you need them.  They might not be on your side.  That certainly seems to be the case in Job's story where is folks are nowhere to be seen.  

I love the way Terminex prefaces his opinion:  17 “Listen to me and I will explain to you; let me tell you what I have seen, 18 what the wise have declared, hiding nothing received from their ancestors…

I speak for myself, smart people and our forefathers.  

Givin' my opinion mucha  gravitas!  His opinion is this:  Bad things happen to bad people.  

Well, I know I feel better- not.  I am sure Job repented right there and then of his impulse to strangle his friend.  

I have to pause a second on my new favorite verse 27:  27 “Though his face is covered with fat and his waist bulges with flesh,

Yes- a muffin top verse!  This is meant to show he is prosperous.  I guess we too are prosperous with our muffin tops.  

He is saying that even prosperous people are subject to God -cankles and all.  If you depend on yourself, you will not be prosperous in the long run.  Is this true?  I do not think so.  Job is right – sometimes evil does prosper and goodness suffers.  I also think muffin tops are not a good measure of a man.   And I say that from a point of strength as I have chubby cheeks.  

Job  16

Job responds again:  You guys are stinky comforters!  Easy for you to say you sick windbags!  Yes, that is in there.  Job assures them that if the tables were turned, he would try to comfort them.  

I was thinking about the situation here.  Notice we have not heard from any enemies or Satan in these verses.  Only Job's friends are attacking him.  How often are out friends our greatest adversaries?  We know how to close our ears to enemies, but how do we guard against unjust attacks from friends?  

I was also noticing that the speech order has a pattern to it. Job, Eliphaz, Job, Bildad, Job and then Zophar. This pattern then repeats. It sounds nothing like a real argument with everyone jumping in and talking over each other. I think it is one reason that some feel it more like a parable than a historical account. I tend to think Job did exist as a historical person since he is mentioned as a real person repeatedly in other parts of the Bible. I do think poetic license was used on the story telling here. We are given a prologue, repetition of speech patterns and repetition of numbers. It think that the story was simplified to make a specific point. But there are many who think this is allegory like Jesus often used to make a point.

In the next breath (V7) , Job goes back to addressing God.  You are wearing me out!  He feels like he is under constant attack.  I have had that year.  

Then Job shifts focus:  

19 Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high.

20 My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God;

21 on behalf of a man he pleads with God as one pleads for a friend.

Who is Job talking about here?  I know if I were talking, I would mean Christ and the Holy Spirit.   The trinity.   I think Job is referencing the same thing without naming it– who else could it be?  

TJ:  Messianic Mentions in the OT.  Job is the first time we start to hear the messianic thread that goes throughout the Bible. Job himself has messianic aspects in that he is pure and yet suffers so others can learn. But some of the verses are more direct. 9:8 Talks about God alone having the power to walk on water. 9:33 He wants a go between himself and God to stand up and argue his case. (Jesus the Defense lawyer- just saying). In 14:14-16 He asks if man can live again and asks God to cover his sins. Chapter 17 had the same sort of language used in the crucifixion (crushed, pierced, struck, turned me over to evil men, shattered, jeers).