March 20, 2009
LIFE IS NOT FAIR, BUT GOD IS GOOD!
Job 16
Angela Andrews
Central Truth
People will eventually disappoint me, no matter how well meaning and concerned they try to be. God is the only one who always has the right answers!
Key Verse | Job 16:19
"Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high." (Job 16:19)
Job 16
Job Replies: Miserable Comforters Are You
1 Then Job answered and said:
2
“I have heard many such things;
miserable comforters are you all.
3
Shall windy words have an end?
Or what provokes you that you answer?
4
I also could speak as you do,
if you were in my place;
I could join words together against you
and shake my head at you.
5
I could strengthen you with my mouth,
and the solace of my lips would assuage your pain.
6
If I speak, my pain is not assuaged,
and if I forbear, how much of it leaves me?
7
Surely now God has worn me out;
he has
1
16:7
Hebrew you have; also verse 8
made desolate all my company.
8
And he has shriveled me up,
which is a witness against me,
and my leanness has risen up against me;
it testifies to my face.
9
He has torn me in his wrath and hated me;
he has gnashed his teeth at me;
my adversary sharpens his eyes against me.
10
Men have gaped at me with their mouth;
they have struck me insolently on the cheek;
they mass themselves together against me.
11
God gives me up to the ungodly
and casts me into the hands of the wicked.
12
I was at ease, and he broke me apart;
he seized me by the neck and dashed me to pieces;
he set me up as his target;
13
his archers surround me.
He slashes open my kidneys and does not spare;
he pours out my gall on the ground.
14
He breaks me with breach upon breach;
he runs upon me like a warrior.
15
I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin
and have laid my strength in the dust.
16
My face is red with weeping,
and on my eyelids is deep darkness,
17
although there is no violence in my hands,
and my prayer is pure.
18
O earth, cover not my blood,
and let my cry find no resting place.
19
Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven,
and he who testifies for me is on high.
20
My friends scorn me;
my eye pours out tears to God,
21
that he would argue the case of a man with God,
as
2
16:21
Hebrew and
a son of man does with his neighbor.
22
For when a few years have come
I shall go the way from which I shall not return.
Dive Deeper | Job 16
Have you ever found yourself in a very discouraging set of circumstances? That is what I have experienced often in this life. But while you are trying to remember the goodness of our Lord, have you found that friends simply want to tell you what you are doing wrong, rather than entering into your life and its messiness? And in some cases, their suggestions may even be right! I believe that this is where Job finds himself in Chapter 16.
His friend Eliphaz has just delivered a heartfelt speech. But Eliphaz does not seem to seek to know what is really going on in Job’s heart. Our actions may seem inappropriate to others, but the real question is, “Where is my heart?” God is much more concerned about my heart than my actions. If someone wants to help a friend through a difficult time, it is essential to understand the state of that friend’s heart.
Eliphaz came to console and comfort Job (2:11), but he seemed to miss the point. Job did not want to know what he had done wrong. He simply wanted kindness and encouragement from his friends (6:14). Job ultimately learned that no human will give exactly what is wanted in every circumstance. Ultimately, God is the only one who will perfectly advocate for me all of the time. (16:19)
But Job’s realization that all is not hopeless, even in the midst of friends who were not helpful, is quite encouraging to me. True contentment is not based on my circumstances. God is always good, and my circumstances have absolutely nothing to do with it. I can often be discouraged by the places I find myself. God, however, has a plan, and He will carry it out! (Jeremiah 29:11) It encourages me to see Job, in dire circumstances, understand that the Lord is ultimately his complete advocate.
I have learned that my circumstances should not hinder my trust in our Lord. I cannot see the entire picture, and I know that God has a plan. The challenge for me is to live this out daily.
Discussion Questions
1. Think about a situation in which you have conflict. How can you be “kind” instead of being “right” to show humility?
2. Are you looking to others for encouragement during challenging circumstances? If so, how can you turn to the Lord first? Find a passage to memorize to draw your mind to Him rather than to other coping mechanisms.
3. Are you allowing your challenging circumstances to rob you of your joy? What can encourage you to remember God’s goodness during circumstances that you do not like?