Day 1,047: Job 6- The Requests Of Suffering

Then Job answered and said:
2 “Oh that my vexation were weighed,
    and all my calamity laid in the balances!
3 For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea;
    therefore my words have been rash.
4 For the arrows of the Almighty are in me;
    my spirit drinks their poison;
    the terrors of God are arrayed against me.
5 Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass,
    or the ox low over his fodder?
6 Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt,
    or is there any taste in the juice of the mallow?
 
7 My appetite refuses to touch them;
    they are as food that is loathsome to me.
8 “Oh that I might have my request,
    and that God would fulfill my hope,
9 that it would please God to crush me,
    that he would let loose his hand and cut me off!
10 This would be my comfort;
    I would even exult in pain unsparing,
    for 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 be patient?
12 Is my strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh bronze?
13 Have I any help in me,
    when resource is driven from me?
14 “He who withholds[d] kindness from a friend
    forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
15 My brothers are treacherous as a torrent-bed,
    as torrential streams that pass away,
16 which are dark with ice,
    and where the snow hides itself.
17 When they melt, they disappear;
    when it is hot, they vanish from their place.
18 The caravans turn aside from their course;
    they go up into the waste and perish.
19 The caravans of Tema look,
    the travelers of Sheba hope.

20 They are ashamed because they were confident;
    they come there and are disappointed.
21 For you have now become nothing;
    you see my calamity and are afraid.
22 Have I said, ‘Make me a gift’?
    Or, ‘From your wealth offer a bribe for me’?
23 Or, ‘Deliver me from the adversary's hand’?
    Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the ruthless’?
24 “Teach me, and I will be silent;
    make me understand how I have gone astray.

25 How forceful are upright words!
    But what does reproof from you reprove?
26 Do you think that you can reprove words,
    when the speech of a despairing man is wind?
27 You would even cast lots over the fatherless,
    and bargain over your friend.
28 “But now, be pleased to look at me,
    for I will not lie to your face.
29 Please turn; let no injustice be done.
    Turn now; my vindication is at stake.
30 Is there any injustice on my tongue?
    Cannot my palate discern the cause of calamity?
 
Meditation
Requests from suffering reveal our limitations, an invitation for deeper understanding of the cross of Christ. Job’s requests compel us to look deeper into our heart and hurt during seasons of suffering to discover the depth of God’s covenant love.
 
Job’s friend falsely accused him of wrong, assuming Job’s suffering was from secret sin. Job’s defense is littered with requests to God, asking for God to prove his innocence and stop the pain. Suffering forces people to lean on something greater than our own understanding.
 
From a place of self-justification, Job requests for God to reveal His motive for allowing suffering. “Teach me… make me understand... what does my reproof from you prove?” (24-30) Job is looking for God to vindicate his innocence. Deeper than this, Job’s request reveals his lack of ability to endure. “…my request… my hope… is that it would please God to crush me… this would be my comfort” (8-10). From a human perspective, the end of suffering is the goal, and to die for Job would be comfort.
 
God has a greater goal in suffering, deeper dependance on Him and deeper understanding of His love for us. Using the same language, Isaiah reveals God’s request to crush the Servant for the joy of reconciliation with His people. The Servant was “crushed for our iniquities… and it was the Lord’s will to crush Him” (Isaiah 53:5, 10). Jesus embraced suffering for our sake, that we can have a greater hope than death to comfort us in the pain of this life.
 
Richly Dwelling
-Which of Job’s requests resonates with you the most?
 
-Why are Job’s friends wrong to assume Job’s secret sin as the reason for his suffering, and why is Job wrong to claim innocence? How does this tension reveal our need for the cross!?
 
-The suffering of Jesus on the cross is the only paradigm through which we can process the suffering of this fallen world. Why is it significant that Job requested to be crushed to end his suffering and Jesus was crushed so we can have a greater hope than death in the midst of our suffering?
 
Key Verse
8 “Oh that I might have my request, and that God would fulfill my hope, 9 that it would please God to crush me, that he would let loose his hand and cut me off!