As we continue this study, we know that Job was under distress. The grief and the pain were quite great. In verse 9 we see that Job had no intention to take his own life. He was not approving the current system of our country, which is trying to kill off people they deem to be too costly to keep alive. Job was in a difficult place according to his thinking. God knew what He was doing, but Job did not know what God was doing. Job asked God to take his life. In spite of Job’s frustrations, he was still willing to put his life in the hands of God. He was asking God to end his life, but he was not going to end his own life.
Job believed he would be better off dead. Obviously God did not agree with him. Man is not on this earth for his own benefit. God created man to glorify Him. Man is God’s creation. Thus man needs to keep in mind that we are here to serve God. Job was suffering. No one knew this better than God. It was not God’s desire to hurt Job. The devil wanted to destroy Job. He wanted to prove that God was unfair and biased. Satan would be proved wrong.
We are reminded here again of how important it is to know the true God. If you do not know the Lord God as your personal God and Saviour, you will not be prepared to face the challenges of life. Panic is not necessary for the child of God. Lost people become unglued when they face severe difficulties.
Some years ago, as a young pastor, I witnessed the grieving of a mother who had lost her seventeen year old son to suicide. That mother was out in public calling her son’s name as she was grieving her loss. It was a tragic loss. It was a loss that could have been avoided. If the parents would have known the Lord, they could have raised their son with a foundation of God’s truth. That son would still need to choose to trust in the Lord, but he was not given that option as a young person. He was not without excuse when he died. He made a wrong choice that has caused him great torment ever since his death.
It is imperative that people know the Lord. God does not force anyone to believe in Him. He warns of the extreme danger of rejecting the true God. It is tragic when a lost person dies. It is tragic when parents choose not to be saved. They need to teach their children the truth. Many children are growing up in a vacuum. The attraction to drugs is on the increase. People need to be reminded that this life is not all there is. This life is a short little blip in comparison to eternity. God gives everyone the opportunity to choose to know Him in this short life. No true child of God will ever regret trusting in God for salvation.
Job testified that he had not been a secret saint. He had been very open with his faith. He had tried to help others to believe the truth. Yet he was now facing this suffering that he did not understand. He did not know what his end would be. He did not know if he would die from these boils.
Job thought his strength, his hope and his wisdom were gone. What was the point of living any further. Job diminished his worthiness for no good reason. His life was not defined by his health. His life was defined by God in chapters 1 and 2. Job was a man who feared God. He eschewed evil. He cared greatly for his family. He sought to help others to know the truth.
In the scheme of things, Job was allowing this short period of suffering to overshadow all the blessings he had known for many years. Again, we can see how quickly we can become overwhelmed by suffering. God wants us to be equipped for the troubles in life. While life is going good, we need to take advantage of God’s truth and be sure we build a right foundation upon God.
In verse 14 Job states that he should be shown pity by his friends. Eliphaz had forsaken the fear of God with his false theology. In spite of his words, he proved that he did not function under the fear of God. He operated under the direction of the devil. He was a destroyer, not a friend. He was seeking to ruin Job’s life.
According to Job’s words, he had hoped his friends would be there to encourage him in his time of distress. However, they were like a deceitful brook. They were like a brook that has dried up or frozen over. They were no help to him at all. What a shame.
God intends for those who are not troubled, to be a help to those who are suffering. When a person is thirsty, it is a blessing to find a flowing brook with fresh water. It is no blessing to find a brook that is dried up or frozen over. We do not need friends who just want to condemn the just. If there is obvious sin, that certainly needs to be addressed. When there is no obvious sin, it is not wise to insist there must be sin that is the cause of the trouble.
Job was not guilty of sin. Job was being tested by the devil, under God’s permission. We know the rest of the story and we know that Job would come out of this on top. We can also know that if we face troubles, we can come out on top if we know the Lord and walk humbly with Him.
We need to take our counsel from the sure Word of God. Don’t chase after false theology. Don’t follow after those who talk big but are not true to the Word of God. Be sure you know the Lord and are following Him faithfully. Be sure you are part of a true church where you can fellowship with God the Father and with the Lord Jesus Christ and with other saints. God’s Word is the source of all hope for us. Be sure you know Him and follow Him faithfully.
Pastor Bartel