Job's Mistake

Job 10

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And these things hast thou hid in thine heart:

I know that this is with thee.

14 If I sin, then thou markest me,

And thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity.

15 If I be wicked, woe unto me;

And if I be righteous, yet will I not lift up my head.

I am full of confusion; therefore see thou mine affliction;

16 For it increaseth. Thou huntest me as a fierce lion:

And again thou shewest thyself marvellous upon me.

17 Thou renewest thy witnesses against me,

And increasest thine indignation upon me;

Changes and war are against me.

18 Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb?

Oh that I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me!

19 I should have been as though I had not been;

I should have been carried from the womb to the grave.

20 Are not my days few? cease then,

And let me alone, that I may take comfort a little,

21 Before I go whence I shall not return,

Even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death;

22 A land of darkness, as darkness itself;

And of the shadow of death, without any order,

And where the light is as darkness.

Job 10:13-22

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Job's friends are easy to target for their misconceptions about God. Job had some misconceptions too. If we are honest, we all do. We may try our best to view God according to scripture, but we are finite creatures trying to understand an infinite Creator. It is an impossible task. All we can do is keep growing in our relationship with him to know him better.

I'm not going to go line by line on the above text. I want to point out some highlights. In the first section, Job expresses that he feels targeted by God. While we may look at this and say, "Well yeah, he was", that is not the case. God permitted these things to happen to Job, but the one who "targeted" was Satan. We should be very careful in making accusations against God.

Job also said "I am full of confusion". This is an instance where the English language has changed over time. When we think of confusion, we think "disorientation" or "lack of understanding". That is not what the word means here. This word means "shame" or "disgrace". Job is speaking of the physical estate, not his mental estate.

Job's mindset is shifting from seeing God has sovereign over his creation, to being the victim of God's injustice. There is an undertone of self-righteousness. I'm not trying to belittle Job. I feel pretty certain that I would not have handled this situation with nearly as much grace as Job did. However, for us to understand how Job grew through all of this, to understand what God will teach him in the final chapters of this book, we must understand that Job was not perfect in all that he did. God allowed this to happen to Job, not simply to win a cosmic bet, but to grow Job in his knowledge of who He (God) is. It brought Job closer to God.

In the final section of text, Job seems to have an attitude of "knowing better than God". No longer is he simply longing to have never been born, but he is questioning God for allowing his life. Look at his words, "Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb?" (verse 18). "I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave" (verse 19). "Are not my days few? cease then, And let me alone, that I may take comfort a little" (verse 20). I do not think Job intended to be irreverent. He has allowed his feelings to take control of his thoughts.

Please understand, it is very easy for me to sit here and "Monday morning quarterback". I am not in Job's shoes. As I said, I probably would not have handled this as well as Job did. However, this story was included in the Bible from us to learn from. We need to learn these lessons for when our trials come.

When Job got caught up in his feelings, he began to think that he knew better than God. Sure, like any good worshiper of God, he would not have vocalized this, but the undertone is there. Many of us have done that very thing. We may even have been as brazen as to say it. I have. "God what are you doing?" "God why would you allow this?" "What king of God...?" You may never have been in that place, but I have been. Honestly for much less than Job suffered. Also, Job's suffering was not of his own making; mine often is.

In just a few short chapters we see a shift in Job's thinking. Before, he was speaking of God's sovereignty. Sovereignty means God can do with his creation what every he wills. We can be so thankful that we serve a holy God. Because he is holy, he will never do anything that violates he holy nature. This does not mean that bad things will never happen to us. God is a God of love, but he also hates. He is a God of mercy, but also a God of wrath and judgment. He is a God of peace and a God of war. He builds up and tears down. He is always just and righteous though. If he hates, it is a justified and righteous hate. If he judges, his judgement is just and righteous.

In his defense of himself to his friends, Job began defending himself against God. God is never the defendant. We may try to make him such, but he is not on trial. He is the judge. Job tried to put God on the stand, but later God will say "Order in the court" and Job will recognize his place and God's place. It will be a humbling and growing point for Job. I for one and looking forward to getting there!

Father, forgive me for the times that I have tried to justify myself by bringing you down. I have falsely accused you of injustice. Just like Job, I have felt that you have wronged me. Help me to always remember that you are Holy, just, and righteous. Help me to trust that whatever you allow, it is for good. It might not feel good, but you are doing something amazing that I do not yet understand.