After Bildad described the terrors of death, Job described he is already experiencing them (terrors of death) right now.
Job described how he felt inside:
like an animal trapped (v6)
like a criminal in court (v7)
like a traveler fenced in (v8)
like a king dethroned (v9)
like a structure destroyed (v10)
like a tree uprooted (v10)
Then he described how all his family and friends have forsaken him:
his brothers distance themselves from him(v13,17)
his acquaintances completely estranged from him (v13)
his kinsmen have gone away (v14)
his friends have forgotten him (v14)
his guests and his maidservants count him as stranger (v15)
his servant does not answer him (v16)
his wife despised him because of his breath (v17)
little boys scorn him (v18)
all his intimate friends detest him (v19)
all he love turned against him (v19)
Then, suddenly, out of the depths of despair, as the sunlights breaks through a rift in the clouds, Job bursts forth into one of the most sublime expressions of faith ever uttered: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes. I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! (v25-27).
When we are in the most despair situation, God frequently reveal new lights to us. We would often experience revelation about the characters of God in the midst of our suffering. Job suddenly received the light that he has a Redeemer, who will stand for him to the end, who he will meet after he died. Lord Jesus Christ is our Kindsman Redeemer. He will often reveal himself to us, when we are at the edge of our tolerance of suffering, the Lord would often show up and let us experience Him in a way we could not experience when everything in our life is in good shape.
Bildad opened his second speech with similar tone of his first speech (8:2 [How long will you say such things? Your words are a blustering wind]?. Comparing to 18:2 [When will you end these speeches?].
The friends were growing impatient with Job because their conversation seemed to be getting nowhere.
It never dawned on Bildad that he and his two friends were playing the same tunes over and over again: 1) God is just; 2) God punishes the wicked and blesses the righteous; 3) since Job is suffering, he mush be wicked; 4) if he turns from his sins, God will again bless him. They were going around in circles.
Bildad, like his friends, ruthlessly attacked Job in his second speech, by telling Job to stop complaining and to become sensible (v2). Bildad said Job was treating them like dumb cattle instead of like the wise men (v3). Job was also being irritable and displaying anger instead of humility (v4).
Bildad said in sarcasm that should the earth to be abandoned and rocks be moved just because of Job? (v4)
In a fit of anger, he cries to Job, why do you “tear yourself to pieces in your anger?” (v4). And assuming Job’s wickedness, he tries to frighten Job into repentance by depicting the awful doom of the wicked. Since they could not successfully reason with Job, or shame Job into repenting, perhaps they could frighten Job by describing what happens when wicked people die.
Fear is a part of human emotion. It is a useful emotion to keep us from trouble. For example we use the fear of sickness, injury, or death to teach children to wash their hands, stay away from power lines, and look carefully before crossing the street.
Adults fear of financial loss and buy insurance. Our fear of sickness and death drives us to have annual physical checkup.
Fear of death and judgement after death is a legitimate motive for trusting Jesus Christ and being saved. ” Jesus said [.. and do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul, but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell] (Matt 10:28).
Paul wrote [knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men”] (2 Cor. 5:11).
Jonathan Edwards famous sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” turned many sinners to Christ.
However Bildad made two mistakes when he gave this speech about the horrors of death. 1) He preached to the wrong man, Job was already a believer (1:1). 2) he preached it without love.
Dr. R.W. Dale, the British preacher, once asked evangelist D.L. Moody if he ever used “the element of terror” in his preaching. Moody replied that he usually preached one sermon on heaven and one on hell in each of his campaigns, but that a “man’s heart ought to be very tender” when preaching about the doom of the lost.
v5-6: [..lamp..flame.. light..lamp..] Light is associated with life and darkness is associated with death. The picture here is that of a lamp hanging in a tent and a fire smoldering in a fire pot. Suddenly, the lamp goes out, and the last spark of the fire vanishes, and the tent is in total darkness.
v7-10: [..his step.. his feet.. a net…a snare.. noose..a trap..] The picture is the man is frightened by the lights out in his tent, he leaved his tent and started down the road, looking for a place of safety. But the road turns out to be the most dangerous place of all, for it is punctuated with traps.
These traps are used to catch animals. But the wicked person is like a beast because he has left God out of his life.
v11-15: v13: [First firstborn of death]… A poetical expression meaning the most deadly disease death ever produced. v14: [the king of terrors]… this is death, with all its terrors to the ungodly, personified. Death is the king of terrors determined to arrest the culprit no matter where he is. If the escaped criminal runs on the path and escapes the traps, then death will send some of his helpers to chase him. Terror frightens him, calamity eats away at his strength, and disaster waits for him to fall.
The frightened criminal gets weaker and weaker but still tries to keep going. If he goes back to his tent to hide, the pursuers find him, arrest him, drag him out, and take him to the king of terrors. They take everything out of his tent, burn the tent, and then scatter sulfer over the ashes. The end of that man is fire and brimstone.
v16-21: Sometimes death is not as dramatic and sudden as the arresting of a criminal. Death may be gradual, like that dying of a tree. The roots dry up, the branches start to wither, and the dead branches are cut off one by one. Soon the tree is completely dead, and men chop it down. The death of a tree illustrates the extinction of a family tree. Not only is the wicked man himself cut down, but all the branches are cut down too. and he leaves no descendants to carry on his name.
Job had used a tree as an illustration of the hope of resurrection (14:7-11), but Bildad did not agree with him. According to Bildad, one the tree is down, that is the end; the wicked man has no future hope.
Death is real and should be taken seriously. The only way to prepare is to trust in Jesus Christ. [I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believers him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.] (John 5:24).
For christians, death means going home to the Father in heaven (John 14:1-6), falling asleep on earth and waking up in heaven, entering into rest, and moving into greater light. [Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” (Rev 14:13).
Ch 16 – 17 is Job’s response to Eliphaz’s second speech.
Job said he could have make fine speeches if they switch places. The difference is Job would encourage and comfort to bring them relief instead of accusation (16:4-5).
6-14: Unlike some of us, Job did not hide his feeling to God in front of his friends. He was making statements of how God has turn his life upside down, how God has worn him out, how God has devastated his entire household (v6-7). It is interesting that Job did not seem to know although God allowed the tragedy in his life, Satan was actually the one who caused the suffering in his life.
v19: Job some how knew there is an advocate between him and God. On behalf of Job, this advocate pleaded with God as a man pleads for his friend. Jesus is our advocate before God.
v22: Job felt like dying. He felt his days are short, the grave was awaiting for him (17:1). When we are in extreme pain and suffering, he wanted our life to end sooner.
This is the start of the second round of the debate (15:1-21:34).
Job’s resistance to their viewpoint and his appeals energized them to greater intensity in their confrontation.
In Eliphaz first speech, he had displayed some kindness toward Job; but you find neither patience nor kindness in this second address. Nor do you find any new ideas: Eliphaz merely repeats his former thesis that man is a sinner and God must punish sinners.
v1-6: Eliphaz accused Job for sinning with his mouth against God. [your own lips testify against you].
v7-13: Eliphaz condemned Job for rejecting the conventional wisdom, as if he had more insight than other people (v7-9), and could reject the wisdom of the aged (v10) and the kindness of God (v11).
v14-16: Eliphaz said all men are sinners. However Job did not suffer because of his sins.
v17-35: Eliphaz tells a story of a wicked man (v20) whom received punishment from God. He was using this story to tell Job he is like the man in the story, a sinner who deserved to be punished by God.
Ch 12 -14 is Job response to Zophar’s three accusations:
Chapter 12 – Zophar accused Job had no knowledge of God (11:5-12)
Job affirmed that he had wisdom and understanding just a they did (Job 12).
Job said:
“But I have a mind as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know all these things?” (v12:3).
“What you know, I also know; I am not interior to you.” (v13:1)
Job pointed out God is completely sovereign in what He does with nature (v14-15) and with people (v16-25). God has the wisdom to know what to do, and He has the power to accomplish it (v13,16).
Chapter 13 – Zophar accused Job was a guilty sinner (11:1-4)
Job affirm his integrity (Job 13)
Job would rather speak and argue his case to the Almighty God, instead of debating with his friends (v13:3). He would rather his friends to silent (v13:5,13) instead of trying to be by “physicians” on Job’s case (v13:4).
Job challenged his friends that if God examine them as if Job did to him, they will surely not turn out good (v13:9).
Staring from v13:20, Job speak to God directly.
Job asked God to grant him two things:
to withdraw His hand from him (v13:21)
to know him how many wrongs and sins Job has committed (v13:23), so he could determine if his measure of suffering matched the severity of his sin.
Job felt God might be punishing him for sins committed years earlier in his youth. (v13:26).
Chapter 14 – Zophar assured Job there was still hope if he acknowledge his sins and repent(11:13-20)
Job admits that his hope is almost gone (Job 14).
In ch 14:1-12, Job used several images to illustrate the hopeless condition of man in this world.
Man is like a flower, springs up and withers away, like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure (2). Our life is short, what are you doing in your life to make this short life a meaningful life?
“Look away from him and let him alone…” (v6). Job has no more hope, he does not want to be bother. He just want to be lone for the remaining of his life. Often when we go through extreme pain, we just want to be alone. We feel that no want understand our pains, not even the closest friends, maybe not even God. Sometimes as friends, all we can do for our suffering friends is to pray for them.
Job said at least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail (v8). But man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last and is no more (v10).
Job asked “If a man dies, will he live again?” (v14). Job did not think man could have life after death. Thank God we who life in the NT world know! [but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.] (2 Tim 1:10). 1 Corinthians 15 tells us there resurrection after death: [For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.] (1 Cor 15:21-22).
Chapter 9 was talking to his friends, in chapter 10 Job is talking to God directly.
The entire chapter 9 and 10 is a court scene. Job knew he could never win against God in a court, so he asked for a mediator to arbitrate between him and God (9:32). Lord Jesus is our mediator between us and God.
Job acknowledged God is the creator of heavens (9:5 – 10) and earth, as well as God’s sovereignty is on His creations. God is the one who makes the earth quake (v6), God could darken the sky, day or night (9:7).
Job still believe he is innocent and blameless (9:15,20,21;10:7). He concluded that God destroys both the blameless and the wicked (9:22).
Job believed his suffering is from God, that is why he is in fear of God (9:35;10:8).
Job also acknowledged that God created him (10:8-12). But now God’s rod is upon him, he wished he was never born (10:18).
Job acknowledged God’s power and wisdom in His creation. But due to his suffering, Job now think God treat all people the same way, God destroys both the blamsless and the wicked (9:22). When wicked sinned on earth, God covers the eyes of the judges (v24).
“Are not my few days almost over”? Job pleads to God to turn away from him so that he can have a moment of joy before death. (10:20)
Ancient Jewish tradition ascribed the book to Moses. Moses potentially heart about the story of Job and inspired by the Holy Spirit to write this book while he was in the wilderness of Midian for 40 years.
Another possible author is Job or Elihu.
Background of Job
Job in Hebrew means “the afflicted ones”, “the persecuted one”.
Job is a real historic man. He was mention in Ezekiel 14:14,20 and James 5:11. He lived in Uz (1:1).
Let’s try to find Job in other OT scriptures.
In a postscript of the book of Job, the Septuagint, following the ancient tradition, identified Job with Jobab, the second king of Edom (Gene 36:33).
Since Job came from Uz, and in OT time, it was common to name a place after the person who live there. In OT there are three persons named Uz:
Grandson of Shem (Gen 10:23)
son of Nahor, the brother of Abraham (Gen 22:21)
descendent of Esau (Gen 36:28)
One theory is Job was one of the sons of Nahor, because Nahor has another son named Buz (Gen 22:21), and Elihu was a Buzite (Job 32:2). So it is possible that Elihu was one of the sons or grandsons of Buz.
Job was the greatest man among all the people of the East (1:3). East is defined as the land between Egypt and Euphrates River. He was a rich man, owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 5,00 oxen, and 500 donkeys, and large number of servants.
He was blessed by God with 7 sons and 3 daughters (1:2)
He was a person that feared God, as a result he was blameless and upright, and away from evils (1:1).
God called Job His servant at least twice (1:8;2:3). So we know Job was a person that knows about God and served God.
Timeframe
The history of Israel with God, as well as Mosaic’s laws, sacrifices and tabernacle is not mentioned at all in this book. Thus the time frame of Job is probably before Moses time.
Job lived over 180 years (140 + 60) (Job 42:16). Based on Genesis, people in Abraham time lived this long age, so Job was probably lived a couple of hundreds years before or after Abraham.
Significant in the bible
Job is the first of the five wisdom books in OT, along with Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Songs of Songs.
Job 3:1 – 42:6 was arranged in Hymns like manner.
These wisdom books talk about life and came to the same conclusion:
1) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Prov 9:10)
2) The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom (Job 28:28)
3) Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man (Ecclesiastes 12:13)
Regardless of whether it was Job, Elihu or Moses whom wrote this book by the inspiration from Holy Spirit, this book was probably the first completed book in the bible.
Job was quoted in:
Rom 11:35: Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIMTHAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? (Job 41:11)
1 Cor 3:19: For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE IN THEIR CRAFTINESS” (Job 5:13)
Job was mentioned by Ezekiel is Ezekiel 14:14 and by James in James 5:11
Division
Tragedy of Job (Ch 1- 2)
Three rounds of debates (Ch 4-31)
1st round (ch 4-14)
2nd round (ch 15-21)
3rd round (ch 22-31) (Zophar did not speak on the last round)
Elihu (Ch 32-37)
God speaks (Ch 38-42:6)
Blessing of Job (Ch 42-7-16)
Suffering
Suffering is one of the biggest questions concern by men. Why do people suffer if there is a loving God who created and care for His creation?
The answer is in Genesis chapter 3. There was no suffering before the fall of man. However Adam and Eve disobey God, as a result sins came into the world. Because of sins, God cursed the devil (Gen 3:14), women (Gen 3:16), earth (Gen 3:17), and men (Gen 3:19). The punishment of sin is death, and suffering is part of the process of death.
So sins was the root cause of why human experience suffering.
However our God is good and all powerful. He could and often use suffering to make man repent and turn to Him.
Georges de La Tour – Job Mocked by his Wife – WGA12340 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Discipline
God is our heavenly father, He would discipline us if we disobey Him. And discipline often involves sort level of suffering. (Heb 12).
Spiritual Battle
In the case of Job, there was a reason in the spiritual realm as told in chapter 1 why Job suffered.[For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.] (Ephesians 6.12).
Many people know only the battle between the spirit and the flesh; they do not perceive the conflict that rages between us believers and the evil spirits as described in the sixth chapter of Ephesians. The real spiritual battle is fought between us and Satan with his evil spirits. This battle is joined by all matured believers, for the children of God on earth are frequently attacked by evil spirits. Such attacks sometimes occur in the believers’ environment, sometimes in their physical bodies, sometimes in their thoughts, sometimes in their emotions, and sometimes in their spirits.
Too often believers are not aware of being attacked by evil spirits. They do not understand why everything seems to be against them, creating terrible confusion and trouble. They too often take these things as natural, not realizing that frequently they are being supernaturally oppressed by the evil spirits.
Sins in our life
Suffering could also be caused by sins in our life.
King David sins against Uriah and Bathsheba, although he had repent and asked for forgiveness from God, and God has forgiven him, but David still have to bear the consequences of his sins.
Satan
It is interesting that the first book of the bible (in the order of when the book was written) mentioned Satan, at the beginning of the book.
Similarly, Satan appear in the beginning of Genesis, in chapter 3.
Satan is the deceiver, the destroyer and the accuser. The is the enemy of God. But it is very clear that God has authority over Satan. Satan would not be able to touch the hair of Job if God did not allow it. Satan still needed to come to present himself before God (1:6).
Satan will do anything to get man to stop serving God. His desires is for men to curse God (1:11;2:5)
Satan accused the Job of being faithful to God only for the blessing he received from God.
English: Satan Going Forth from the Presence of the Lord, by William Blake. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Sovereignty of God
The book of Job gives us a picture of God who is the Creator of heaven and earth (chapter 38 and 39), including every things living on earth. He is also in control of everything in this world. He is authority over angels, satan, and man.
Friends of Job
Job’s three friends were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite.
Eliphaz was possibly the son of Esau. One of his son was Amalek, which makes Eliphaz the ancestor of Amalekites (Gen 36:11-12)
Bildad was possibly descendant of Abraham and Keturah (Gen 25:2)
We do not know the background of Zophar.
They were good friends of Job. They heard about Job’s trouble and make arrangement to visit Job to sympathize and to comfort him. When they saw Job from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. They sat on the gound with him for seven days and seven nights without saying a word. (2:11-13).
Chapter 3 to Chapter 31 is a record of three rounds of debates between Job and his three friends. Three of them concluded that although Job seem like a righteous man outside, he must have sinned against God, that was the reason of Job’s suffering, it was punishment from God.
All three friends try to explain there has to be a connection between Job’s present suffering and his past life. They are looking for a logical, cause-and-effect relationship. Their arguments can all be reduced to this:
Job is suffering
God is just and would not allow a person to suffer without reason
Therefore, Job must have sinnedto deserve this suffering
The three friends each base their accusations on different arguments:
Eliphaz appeals to experience and observation:
“Remember now, who ever perished being innocent?Or where were the upright destroyed? “According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity and those who sow trouble harvest it. (Job 4:7-8)
Bildad appeals to tradition:
“Please inquire of past generations,
And consider the things searched out by their fathers.
“For we are only of yesterday and know nothing,
Because our days on earth are as a shadow.
“Will they not teach you and tell you,
And bring forth words from their minds? (Job 8:8-10)
Zophar arrogantly speaks as if he knows exactly what God thinks. He appeals to his own view of God:
“But would that God might speak,
And open His lips against you,
And show you the secrets of wisdom!
For sound wisdom has two sides.
Know then that God forgets a part of your iniquity.” (Job 11:5-6)
Job’s Comforters, from the Butts set. Pen and black ink, gray wash, and watercolour, over traces of graphite (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
How Job responded to his suffering
On Satan first attack, Job responded with praises to God.
[He Said,
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked I shall return there.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the LORD.”] (Job 1:10)
Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing (1:22).
On Satan second attack, Job responded with trust in God.
[But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. ](Job 2:10)
But after his friends came and voiced out their opinion that Job must be suffering because of his sins against God. So Job started to defend himself. The more Job defends himself against the logic of his friends, the more he adopts their approach and builds his own argument:
I am suffering
I know that I have done nothing to deserve this suffering
The logical conclusion would be that, therefore, God must be unjust. (Job 40:8)
But Job never quite draws that final conclusion; rather it is:
Therefore, God has some explaining to do.
After Job kept silence with his friends for 7 days and 7 nights, Job finally started to speak. From Job’s words, we slowly know more about what he was thinking inside him.
Job expressed [What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me.] (Job 3:25).
We see that before he experienced these tragedy, he already feared that it would happen to him. It seems to indicate that Job was afraid of God, he lived a righteous life because he wanted to avoid being disciplined from God.
On several occasions Job readily admitted to having sinned:
Why do you not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity? For now I shall lie in the earth; you will seek me, but I shall not be.” (Job 7:21)
For you write bitter things against me and make me inherit the iniquities of my youth. (Job 13:26)
But Job questioned the extent of his sin as compared to the severity of his suffering.
What Job was lacking in his understanding of God is that God is our heavenly father. God wanted us to trust in Him and love Him as son loves his father.
However as Job trying to prove he was a righteous man with out sin, he slowly revealed his sinful nature: self righteousness. Job was pride of himself because he was a righteous man.
Job was so sure of him righteousness that he was willing to condemn God to defense his righteousness (Job 40:8)
At the end, Job acknowledge the power and wisdom of God. Job replied to God “I know that you can do all things, no plan of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2). And then Job continue to say “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”
Job finally repent of his sin of self righteousness. He said to God:
“My ears had heard of You,
but now my eyes have seen You.
Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 40:4-6)
Elihu
Elihu say the the youngest among them. After everybody finished their arguments, it was time for Elihu to speak.
Chapter 32 to 37 is the record of the argument of Elihu.
Elihu explained that Job’s suffering was because God wanted to discipline him, so that Job self righteousness would die and Job would become a better person.
Elihu cautions Job against blaming God.
However when Elihu’s argument was not well accepted, he himself get mad, and revealed his own sinful nature. So he stepped back.
Then came thunder and rain, after that he saw sun rise in the north in golden color. He then describe the magnificent of God.
God spoke
Chapter 38 to 42 is a record of God’s response to them. God did not actually answer Job question, why did he suffer. God did not tell him about Satan. What God did instead of asking Job a bunch of questions:
Who is this that darkens my counsel without knowledge? (38:2)
Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? (38:4)
On what were its footing set, or who laid its cornerstone while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for job? (38:6-7)
Have the gates of death been shown to you? (38-17)
Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? (38:18)
Can you bind the beautiful Pleiades? Can you loose the cords of Orion? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons? (38:32)
Do you know the laws of the heavens (38:33)
The questions go on and on to the end of chapter 39.
And God final question on His first declaration was:
Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!” (40:2)
Job responded with these words:
“Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You?
I lay my hand on my mouth.
“Once I have spoken, and I will not answer;
Even twice, and I will add nothing more.” (40:4-5)
Then God continued to ask Job questions in chapter 40 to the end of chapter 41.
Then Job finally repent:
[Then Job answered the LORD and said,
2 “I know that You can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”
4 ‘Hear, now, and I will speak;
I will ask You, and You instruct me.’
5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear;
But now my eye sees You;
6 Therefore I retract,
And I repent in dust and ashes.”] (Job 42:1-6)
Job no longer question God. He acknowledge God sovereignty, wisdom, power, majesty and authority over him. Job see that the majesty of God. He no longer needed the answer to him question: why did he experience these tragedy, because God is his answer.
James in NT told us that God purpose was to test the steadfastness of Job, to reveal how compassionate and merciful God is. (James 5:11)
