Lenten Study Job Ch 6
Job gets his turn in chapter six, and he’s not happy with what Eliphaz has said. He’s still a man of God even though he believes all of his calamities come from God. He remains a willing follower of the Most High.
"There was a man in the land of Uz" by andrevanb is marked with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
1 Then Job answered,
Job 6:1 (NASB)
Job’s turn. Here we go.
2 “Oh that my grief were actually weighed And laid in the balances together with my calamity!
3 “For then it would be heavier than the sand of the seas; Therefore my words have been rash.
Job 6:2-3 (NASB)
Job’s statement here is that what he feels is far, far greater than what has happened to him. It is a statement of how unfair it is because he can see no reason for it.
4 “For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, Their poison my spirit drinks; The terrors of God are arrayed against me.
Job 6:4 (NASB)
Job clearly sees the calamities he is suffering as authored by God.
5 “Does the wild donkey bray over his grass, Or does the ox low over his fodder?
6 “Can something tasteless be eaten without salt, Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?
7 “My soul refuses to touch them; They are like loathsome food to me.
Job 6:5-7 (NASB)
All of the flavor of life has been removed for Job. His point is that even domestic animals have food they like but not him.
8 “Oh that my request might come to pass, And that God would grant my longing!
Job 6:8 (NASB)
We are about to find out what Job has been praying for. He is under so much grief he can see no other way out. He sees no reason for what has happened to him in a world where his worldview is such that troubles only come on people who deserve it.
9 “Would that God were willing to crush me, That He would loose His hand and cut me off!
Job 6:9 (NASB)
Job sees no way out and has prayed to God to let him die too. It is just he and his wife at this point. He wants to die, but God has not answered that prayer because he is still alive. On this side of scripture, we know how this ends for Job and a good end. He does not see that right now and just wants his grief to end.
10 “But it is still my consolation, And I rejoice in unsparing pain, That I have not denied the words of the Holy One.
11 “What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is my end, that I should endure?
12 “Is my strength the strength of stones, Or is my flesh bronze?
Job 6:10-12 (NASB)
Job still is with God, on God’s side, and holds to God’s word. He doesn’t know why this is happening. God appears to be ignoring his prayers. All the troubles appear to be coming from God, yet Job is still praising God, which is God’s point to Satan back from chapter one.
13 “Is it that my help is not within me, And that deliverance is driven from me?
Job 6:13 (NASB)
Job still sees God as his source of help in difficulties, but he isn’t receiving it. The first half of this verse juxtaposes the second half. Job knows God is the source of relief, but for some reason, He isn’t sending any in answer to Job’s prayers.
14 “For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; So that he does not forsake the fear of the Almighty.
Job 6:14 (NASB)
It is all about community. We establish a church family specifically to build this sort of relationship. One of the reasons to have a church family is to have a support group to rally around you if you have trouble. Job knows this and believes this. In his grief, Job is completely missing Eliphaz’s words to this effect, the encouraging words. Job is only hearing the condemning words, as we will see next.
15 “My brothers have acted deceitfully like a wadi, Like the torrents of wadis which vanish,
16 Which are turbid because of ice And into which the snow melts.
17 “When they become waterless, they are silent, When it is hot, they vanish from their place.
18 “The paths of their course wind along, They go up into nothing and perish.
Job 6:15-18 (NASB)
To understand Job’s view of his friends, we have to understand what a wadi is. A wadi is essentially a dry creek or gully. It is dry most of the time except for the spring melt and during times of torrential rain. It is a torrential rainstorm Job is referring to here. During a downpour that happens quickly and violently, a wadi fills suddenly and violently. These flash floods wash away everything in their path with great force. Eliphaz’s words have struck Job like a wadi flooding during a torrential rainstorm.
19 “The caravans of Tema looked, The travelers of Sheba hoped for them.
20 “They were disappointed for they had trusted, They came there and were confounded.
21 “Indeed, you have now become such, You see a terror and are afraid.
Job 6:19-21 (NASB)
Caravans moved merchandise from ports to markets for sale. Some of them ran into troubles based on rain, wadis, floods, and the like. When the skies darkened, fear set in for some. Job suggests his friends are all like those afraid when the skies darken.
22 “Have I said, ‘Give me something,’ Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth,’
23 Or, ‘Deliver me from the hand of the adversary,’ Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the tyrants’?
Job 6:22-23 (NASB)
Job’s point here is that he has not done these things that are an offense to God or an imposition on his friends. He is right. Job has neither asked for nor done any of this.
24 “Teach me, and I will be silent; And show me how I have erred.
25 “How painful are honest words! But what does your argument prove?
Job 6:24-25 (NASB)
Job knows he has done nothing to warrant the calamities he is suffering. He also knows his friends do not have specific instances of anything Job has done or not done that warrants this treatment. Here, Job is challenging Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar to present hard, concrete, indisputable, and specific instances that back up their opinions that Job is deserving of his troubles.
26 “Do you intend to reprove my words, When the words of one in despair belong to the wind?
Job 6:26 (NASB)
They all know that people in despair do and say things they don’t mean because of the grief they are suffering. This is not unusual to anyone of the time period lest of all these four men.
27 “You would even cast lots for the orphans And barter over your friend.
28 “Now please look at me, And see if I lie to your face.
29 “Desist now, let there be no injustice; Even desist, my righteousness is yet in it.
30 “Is there injustice on my tongue? Cannot my palate discern calamities?
Job 6:27-30 (NASB)
Job has some righteous indignation now based on what Eliphaz has said. He is certain he hasn’t done anything wrong. He is also certain none of his friends know about an action or event Job has done or not done that could be construed as sinful. He challenges them to disagree with him and present specifics rather than generalities as Eliphaz has.