Job 26
KingCommentsJob 26:1
Job Challenges to Test Him
If only they could convince him of a sin he had committed (Job 6:24)! The only thing he wants to know from them is if he has committed an injustice in any way, and therefore, as they say, this mischief has come upon him. Job’s plea is that he has a clean conscience and therefore defends himself against the false accusations of his friends.
He asks them to make him understand where he has gone astray, for this is what they accuse him of. Job takes an open, transparent and vulnerable attitude here. In New Testament language, Job is open to a washing of his feet by the three friends. Eliphaz – and through him the other two friends – have made a number of accusations, but without proving anything. Let them do their best to substantiate their accusations.
Genuine friendship is also evidenced by the naming of sin, through which sin can be confessed and the way is free again for contact with God and with one another. Vaguely alluding to sin is a trick of the devil with which he creates much dissatisfaction. We should not accuse anyone of sin unless we can provide clear proof of guilt.
With some sarcasm Job says that the friends speak “honest words”, which he also calls “painful” (Job 6:25). That they are meant to be sarcastic is clear from the following line. There he says that their punitive words prove nothing at all. They just imagine things, without really realizing what they are saying (Job 6:26). Their words have no content and no basis, while they themselves feel that they are honest words. On the other hand, they consider the words of the plagued Job as wind, as futile, without substance, though they are spoken out of great despair. They have not really listened to Job’s agonizing words, have ignored his suffering, have not taken his heart’s cry seriously.
Paul writes that he has also been desperate, that he and others “despaired even of life” (2 Corinthians 1:8). The circumstances were different from those in which Job found himself. The big difference between Job and Paul, however, is that Job despaired of both life and God, whereas Paul did not. Paul did not despair of God, but trusted in Him “who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a [peril] of death, and will deliver [us]” (2 Corinthians 1:9-10).
Once again Job outbursts against his friends. He now calls them the most ruthless people he can think of. He considers them capable of throwing a dice for a defenseless orphan to make money (Job 6:27). Also, according to him, they wouldn’t shun to sell their friend. Job is so disappointed in them that he accuses them of things that are not true. But for his feeling it is like this. He is totally ruined by their mercilessness and lack of sympathy. His outburst is inexcusable, but can be understood by what the friends say to him.
Then he regains some self-control and asks them if they still want to come his way, that is to say if they will be able to have some sympathy for him (Job 6:28). He doesn’t lie to them in the face, does he? He is really desperate, and he cannot think of a reason for this. He calls them to desist and come to their senses, that they will reconsider their opinion of him and the cause of his distress (Job 6:29). With their view of him and the cause of his distress they commit injustice. He is truly in his right. His “righteousness is yet in it”. So let them desist.
Job argues that it was not he who made a mistake, but that they made a mistake. There is no injustice on his tongue (Job 6:30). He has not uttered a single false word. He even suggests that he is a taster, that he really would know it if he had fallen into these “calamities” through his own fault. Job emphasizes that he is honest and sincere. He claims that he is still righteous and sincere, that he is perfectly capable of judging his own situation, and that his conscience is perfectly clean and not burdened by some unconfessed sin.
Job wrongly boasts here that he is impeccable in his words. He forgets that he is not perfect. There is only One Who could say: “Which one of you convicts Me of sin?” (John 8:46a).
Job 26:2
Job Challenges to Test Him
If only they could convince him of a sin he had committed (Job 6:24)! The only thing he wants to know from them is if he has committed an injustice in any way, and therefore, as they say, this mischief has come upon him. Job’s plea is that he has a clean conscience and therefore defends himself against the false accusations of his friends.
He asks them to make him understand where he has gone astray, for this is what they accuse him of. Job takes an open, transparent and vulnerable attitude here. In New Testament language, Job is open to a washing of his feet by the three friends. Eliphaz – and through him the other two friends – have made a number of accusations, but without proving anything. Let them do their best to substantiate their accusations.
Genuine friendship is also evidenced by the naming of sin, through which sin can be confessed and the way is free again for contact with God and with one another. Vaguely alluding to sin is a trick of the devil with which he creates much dissatisfaction. We should not accuse anyone of sin unless we can provide clear proof of guilt.
With some sarcasm Job says that the friends speak “honest words”, which he also calls “painful” (Job 6:25). That they are meant to be sarcastic is clear from the following line. There he says that their punitive words prove nothing at all. They just imagine things, without really realizing what they are saying (Job 6:26). Their words have no content and no basis, while they themselves feel that they are honest words. On the other hand, they consider the words of the plagued Job as wind, as futile, without substance, though they are spoken out of great despair. They have not really listened to Job’s agonizing words, have ignored his suffering, have not taken his heart’s cry seriously.
Paul writes that he has also been desperate, that he and others “despaired even of life” (2 Corinthians 1:8). The circumstances were different from those in which Job found himself. The big difference between Job and Paul, however, is that Job despaired of both life and God, whereas Paul did not. Paul did not despair of God, but trusted in Him “who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a [peril] of death, and will deliver [us]” (2 Corinthians 1:9-10).
Once again Job outbursts against his friends. He now calls them the most ruthless people he can think of. He considers them capable of throwing a dice for a defenseless orphan to make money (Job 6:27). Also, according to him, they wouldn’t shun to sell their friend. Job is so disappointed in them that he accuses them of things that are not true. But for his feeling it is like this. He is totally ruined by their mercilessness and lack of sympathy. His outburst is inexcusable, but can be understood by what the friends say to him.
Then he regains some self-control and asks them if they still want to come his way, that is to say if they will be able to have some sympathy for him (Job 6:28). He doesn’t lie to them in the face, does he? He is really desperate, and he cannot think of a reason for this. He calls them to desist and come to their senses, that they will reconsider their opinion of him and the cause of his distress (Job 6:29). With their view of him and the cause of his distress they commit injustice. He is truly in his right. His “righteousness is yet in it”. So let them desist.
Job argues that it was not he who made a mistake, but that they made a mistake. There is no injustice on his tongue (Job 6:30). He has not uttered a single false word. He even suggests that he is a taster, that he really would know it if he had fallen into these “calamities” through his own fault. Job emphasizes that he is honest and sincere. He claims that he is still righteous and sincere, that he is perfectly capable of judging his own situation, and that his conscience is perfectly clean and not burdened by some unconfessed sin.
Job wrongly boasts here that he is impeccable in his words. He forgets that he is not perfect. There is only One Who could say: “Which one of you convicts Me of sin?” (John 8:46a).
Job 26:3
Job Challenges to Test Him
If only they could convince him of a sin he had committed (Job 6:24)! The only thing he wants to know from them is if he has committed an injustice in any way, and therefore, as they say, this mischief has come upon him. Job’s plea is that he has a clean conscience and therefore defends himself against the false accusations of his friends.
He asks them to make him understand where he has gone astray, for this is what they accuse him of. Job takes an open, transparent and vulnerable attitude here. In New Testament language, Job is open to a washing of his feet by the three friends. Eliphaz – and through him the other two friends – have made a number of accusations, but without proving anything. Let them do their best to substantiate their accusations.
Genuine friendship is also evidenced by the naming of sin, through which sin can be confessed and the way is free again for contact with God and with one another. Vaguely alluding to sin is a trick of the devil with which he creates much dissatisfaction. We should not accuse anyone of sin unless we can provide clear proof of guilt.
With some sarcasm Job says that the friends speak “honest words”, which he also calls “painful” (Job 6:25). That they are meant to be sarcastic is clear from the following line. There he says that their punitive words prove nothing at all. They just imagine things, without really realizing what they are saying (Job 6:26). Their words have no content and no basis, while they themselves feel that they are honest words. On the other hand, they consider the words of the plagued Job as wind, as futile, without substance, though they are spoken out of great despair. They have not really listened to Job’s agonizing words, have ignored his suffering, have not taken his heart’s cry seriously.
Paul writes that he has also been desperate, that he and others “despaired even of life” (2 Corinthians 1:8). The circumstances were different from those in which Job found himself. The big difference between Job and Paul, however, is that Job despaired of both life and God, whereas Paul did not. Paul did not despair of God, but trusted in Him “who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a [peril] of death, and will deliver [us]” (2 Corinthians 1:9-10).
Once again Job outbursts against his friends. He now calls them the most ruthless people he can think of. He considers them capable of throwing a dice for a defenseless orphan to make money (Job 6:27). Also, according to him, they wouldn’t shun to sell their friend. Job is so disappointed in them that he accuses them of things that are not true. But for his feeling it is like this. He is totally ruined by their mercilessness and lack of sympathy. His outburst is inexcusable, but can be understood by what the friends say to him.
Then he regains some self-control and asks them if they still want to come his way, that is to say if they will be able to have some sympathy for him (Job 6:28). He doesn’t lie to them in the face, does he? He is really desperate, and he cannot think of a reason for this. He calls them to desist and come to their senses, that they will reconsider their opinion of him and the cause of his distress (Job 6:29). With their view of him and the cause of his distress they commit injustice. He is truly in his right. His “righteousness is yet in it”. So let them desist.
Job argues that it was not he who made a mistake, but that they made a mistake. There is no injustice on his tongue (Job 6:30). He has not uttered a single false word. He even suggests that he is a taster, that he really would know it if he had fallen into these “calamities” through his own fault. Job emphasizes that he is honest and sincere. He claims that he is still righteous and sincere, that he is perfectly capable of judging his own situation, and that his conscience is perfectly clean and not burdened by some unconfessed sin.
Job wrongly boasts here that he is impeccable in his words. He forgets that he is not perfect. There is only One Who could say: “Which one of you convicts Me of sin?” (John 8:46a).
Job 26:5
The Briefness of Life
Job here continues his answer to Eliphaz. He continues with the justification of his vehement expressions of despair. The words in this chapter are of a general nature, but are spoken in the presence of the three friends. Later he addresses his complaint to God. That is why Job’s argument increases in vehemence. Job knows like no other mortal man that he is forced to labor on earth (Job 7:1). Life means forced labor for every human being.
The Hebrew word for forced labor, tsava, originally meant heavy military service; later it took on the meaning of heavy labor in general. For one person the forced labor is heavier than for another, but forced labor is there. For the Christian it is always true because he is in military service and as a soldier of Jesus Christ has to suffer hardship (2 Timothy 2:3). In the case of Job, the forced labor is so hard that he longs for its end. For him, every day is a day of hard work, as is the case for a hired man.
Job feels like a slave who has to work in the burning sun and yearns for the shadow of evening (Job 7:2). He wants to escape the heat of the trial. As a hired man for whom the day cannot pass quickly enough, because he is paid his wages at the end of it, Job longs for the day of misery to be over.
That day of misery has been going on for months (Job 7:3). They are “months of vanity”. The days of Job’s illness are not only days of misery, but also days in which, with all your toil, you perform nothing and achieve nothing. That gives the feeling of vanity, meaninglessness and emptiness. For God it is not so. We have to learn to accept that God does have a purpose in our lives, even if in our own opinion we spend our days in vanity.
Even during the nights Job does not come loose from misery, because they are “nights of trouble”. He feels the trouble all the time. Those nights are “appointed” to him, similar to the months of vanity he is “allotted”. What is appointed to you, you get. You also get what is allotted. For both, Job didn’t have to do anything. It seems that he uses these words to indicate that he did not deserve the vanity and the trouble.
Normally you get rest by sleeping. A good sleep is refreshing and gives new strength. Sleep can also have a healing effect (John 11:12), but even this effect is not given to Job (Job 7:4). If he wants to go to sleep, he knows that it will be another long night of trouble. That is why he longs to arise right away. But when he is risen, he thinks about how long the day will be again before God makes it evening. Until dawn he will be saturated with restlessness all day long (cf. Deuteronomy 28:67). What agony! Nowhere rest and never rest!
The unrest that torments his spirit is accompanied by terrible physical suffering (Job 7:5). In addition, he looks hideous. There are worms everywhere on his skin. On his wounds there is not an ordinary crust associated with a healing process, but a crust of dirt, which only makes the wound dirtier and the pain more severe. His skin is cleft, cracked open, and the pus is everywhere.
The days that have passed have always gone faster than we were aware, whether they are days of prosperity or days of adversity (Job 7:6). The days behind us have flown at the speed of “a weaver’s shuttle” (cf. James 4:14b; 1 Peter 1:24). The days we experience and the days ahead of us always last longer than we wish when they are days of hopeless pain and sorrow.
Job appeals to God in Job 7:7 to remember that his life is but a “breath” (cf. Psalms 78:39). He says this without hope that God will do it. He does not expect his eye to ever see the good again. Nor will anyone ever see him again from those who see him now (Job 7:8). They will no longer perceive him, for he will not be there. He has no hope that God will once again turn His eyes away from him for good.
Job feels like a cloud, also to be translated as ‘fog’ or ‘mist’, which you see for a moment and then dissolves or disappears out of sight (Job 7:9). That is how it is, he says, with someone who goes down to Sheol, the realm of the dead. He disappears from sight and nothing is left of him. Never will he return to live on earth. It does not mean that Job does not believe in the resurrection, but that life on earth has ended for him, and that others will not see him there once he has disappeared from the earth.
What torments him most at this thought is that he will never return to the familiar place of his home and that his familiar place of living will not see him again (Job 7:10). The familiar streetscape has disappeared for him and he has disappeared from the familiar streetscape. They will no longer see his appearance, hear his footstep and his voice. Thus is death. It puts an end to all that is familiar and valued on earth. Whoever is left behind, must go on without him. The old familiar never returns.
Such are the thoughts of someone who is tormented by questions about the why of what happens to him. However, the believer may know that he is going to a better place, where countless believers have already gone before him. Above all, he may know that death brings him to the Lord Jesus, in paradise, where it is very much better (Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:23).
Job 26:6
The Briefness of Life
Job here continues his answer to Eliphaz. He continues with the justification of his vehement expressions of despair. The words in this chapter are of a general nature, but are spoken in the presence of the three friends. Later he addresses his complaint to God. That is why Job’s argument increases in vehemence. Job knows like no other mortal man that he is forced to labor on earth (Job 7:1). Life means forced labor for every human being.
The Hebrew word for forced labor, tsava, originally meant heavy military service; later it took on the meaning of heavy labor in general. For one person the forced labor is heavier than for another, but forced labor is there. For the Christian it is always true because he is in military service and as a soldier of Jesus Christ has to suffer hardship (2 Timothy 2:3). In the case of Job, the forced labor is so hard that he longs for its end. For him, every day is a day of hard work, as is the case for a hired man.
Job feels like a slave who has to work in the burning sun and yearns for the shadow of evening (Job 7:2). He wants to escape the heat of the trial. As a hired man for whom the day cannot pass quickly enough, because he is paid his wages at the end of it, Job longs for the day of misery to be over.
That day of misery has been going on for months (Job 7:3). They are “months of vanity”. The days of Job’s illness are not only days of misery, but also days in which, with all your toil, you perform nothing and achieve nothing. That gives the feeling of vanity, meaninglessness and emptiness. For God it is not so. We have to learn to accept that God does have a purpose in our lives, even if in our own opinion we spend our days in vanity.
Even during the nights Job does not come loose from misery, because they are “nights of trouble”. He feels the trouble all the time. Those nights are “appointed” to him, similar to the months of vanity he is “allotted”. What is appointed to you, you get. You also get what is allotted. For both, Job didn’t have to do anything. It seems that he uses these words to indicate that he did not deserve the vanity and the trouble.
Normally you get rest by sleeping. A good sleep is refreshing and gives new strength. Sleep can also have a healing effect (John 11:12), but even this effect is not given to Job (Job 7:4). If he wants to go to sleep, he knows that it will be another long night of trouble. That is why he longs to arise right away. But when he is risen, he thinks about how long the day will be again before God makes it evening. Until dawn he will be saturated with restlessness all day long (cf. Deuteronomy 28:67). What agony! Nowhere rest and never rest!
The unrest that torments his spirit is accompanied by terrible physical suffering (Job 7:5). In addition, he looks hideous. There are worms everywhere on his skin. On his wounds there is not an ordinary crust associated with a healing process, but a crust of dirt, which only makes the wound dirtier and the pain more severe. His skin is cleft, cracked open, and the pus is everywhere.
The days that have passed have always gone faster than we were aware, whether they are days of prosperity or days of adversity (Job 7:6). The days behind us have flown at the speed of “a weaver’s shuttle” (cf. James 4:14b; 1 Peter 1:24). The days we experience and the days ahead of us always last longer than we wish when they are days of hopeless pain and sorrow.
Job appeals to God in Job 7:7 to remember that his life is but a “breath” (cf. Psalms 78:39). He says this without hope that God will do it. He does not expect his eye to ever see the good again. Nor will anyone ever see him again from those who see him now (Job 7:8). They will no longer perceive him, for he will not be there. He has no hope that God will once again turn His eyes away from him for good.
Job feels like a cloud, also to be translated as ‘fog’ or ‘mist’, which you see for a moment and then dissolves or disappears out of sight (Job 7:9). That is how it is, he says, with someone who goes down to Sheol, the realm of the dead. He disappears from sight and nothing is left of him. Never will he return to live on earth. It does not mean that Job does not believe in the resurrection, but that life on earth has ended for him, and that others will not see him there once he has disappeared from the earth.
What torments him most at this thought is that he will never return to the familiar place of his home and that his familiar place of living will not see him again (Job 7:10). The familiar streetscape has disappeared for him and he has disappeared from the familiar streetscape. They will no longer see his appearance, hear his footstep and his voice. Thus is death. It puts an end to all that is familiar and valued on earth. Whoever is left behind, must go on without him. The old familiar never returns.
Such are the thoughts of someone who is tormented by questions about the why of what happens to him. However, the believer may know that he is going to a better place, where countless believers have already gone before him. Above all, he may know that death brings him to the Lord Jesus, in paradise, where it is very much better (Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:23).
Job 26:7
The Briefness of Life
Job here continues his answer to Eliphaz. He continues with the justification of his vehement expressions of despair. The words in this chapter are of a general nature, but are spoken in the presence of the three friends. Later he addresses his complaint to God. That is why Job’s argument increases in vehemence. Job knows like no other mortal man that he is forced to labor on earth (Job 7:1). Life means forced labor for every human being.
The Hebrew word for forced labor, tsava, originally meant heavy military service; later it took on the meaning of heavy labor in general. For one person the forced labor is heavier than for another, but forced labor is there. For the Christian it is always true because he is in military service and as a soldier of Jesus Christ has to suffer hardship (2 Timothy 2:3). In the case of Job, the forced labor is so hard that he longs for its end. For him, every day is a day of hard work, as is the case for a hired man.
Job feels like a slave who has to work in the burning sun and yearns for the shadow of evening (Job 7:2). He wants to escape the heat of the trial. As a hired man for whom the day cannot pass quickly enough, because he is paid his wages at the end of it, Job longs for the day of misery to be over.
That day of misery has been going on for months (Job 7:3). They are “months of vanity”. The days of Job’s illness are not only days of misery, but also days in which, with all your toil, you perform nothing and achieve nothing. That gives the feeling of vanity, meaninglessness and emptiness. For God it is not so. We have to learn to accept that God does have a purpose in our lives, even if in our own opinion we spend our days in vanity.
Even during the nights Job does not come loose from misery, because they are “nights of trouble”. He feels the trouble all the time. Those nights are “appointed” to him, similar to the months of vanity he is “allotted”. What is appointed to you, you get. You also get what is allotted. For both, Job didn’t have to do anything. It seems that he uses these words to indicate that he did not deserve the vanity and the trouble.
Normally you get rest by sleeping. A good sleep is refreshing and gives new strength. Sleep can also have a healing effect (John 11:12), but even this effect is not given to Job (Job 7:4). If he wants to go to sleep, he knows that it will be another long night of trouble. That is why he longs to arise right away. But when he is risen, he thinks about how long the day will be again before God makes it evening. Until dawn he will be saturated with restlessness all day long (cf. Deuteronomy 28:67). What agony! Nowhere rest and never rest!
The unrest that torments his spirit is accompanied by terrible physical suffering (Job 7:5). In addition, he looks hideous. There are worms everywhere on his skin. On his wounds there is not an ordinary crust associated with a healing process, but a crust of dirt, which only makes the wound dirtier and the pain more severe. His skin is cleft, cracked open, and the pus is everywhere.
The days that have passed have always gone faster than we were aware, whether they are days of prosperity or days of adversity (Job 7:6). The days behind us have flown at the speed of “a weaver’s shuttle” (cf. James 4:14b; 1 Peter 1:24). The days we experience and the days ahead of us always last longer than we wish when they are days of hopeless pain and sorrow.
Job appeals to God in Job 7:7 to remember that his life is but a “breath” (cf. Psalms 78:39). He says this without hope that God will do it. He does not expect his eye to ever see the good again. Nor will anyone ever see him again from those who see him now (Job 7:8). They will no longer perceive him, for he will not be there. He has no hope that God will once again turn His eyes away from him for good.
Job feels like a cloud, also to be translated as ‘fog’ or ‘mist’, which you see for a moment and then dissolves or disappears out of sight (Job 7:9). That is how it is, he says, with someone who goes down to Sheol, the realm of the dead. He disappears from sight and nothing is left of him. Never will he return to live on earth. It does not mean that Job does not believe in the resurrection, but that life on earth has ended for him, and that others will not see him there once he has disappeared from the earth.
What torments him most at this thought is that he will never return to the familiar place of his home and that his familiar place of living will not see him again (Job 7:10). The familiar streetscape has disappeared for him and he has disappeared from the familiar streetscape. They will no longer see his appearance, hear his footstep and his voice. Thus is death. It puts an end to all that is familiar and valued on earth. Whoever is left behind, must go on without him. The old familiar never returns.
Such are the thoughts of someone who is tormented by questions about the why of what happens to him. However, the believer may know that he is going to a better place, where countless believers have already gone before him. Above all, he may know that death brings him to the Lord Jesus, in paradise, where it is very much better (Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:23).
Job 26:8
The Briefness of Life
Job here continues his answer to Eliphaz. He continues with the justification of his vehement expressions of despair. The words in this chapter are of a general nature, but are spoken in the presence of the three friends. Later he addresses his complaint to God. That is why Job’s argument increases in vehemence. Job knows like no other mortal man that he is forced to labor on earth (Job 7:1). Life means forced labor for every human being.
The Hebrew word for forced labor, tsava, originally meant heavy military service; later it took on the meaning of heavy labor in general. For one person the forced labor is heavier than for another, but forced labor is there. For the Christian it is always true because he is in military service and as a soldier of Jesus Christ has to suffer hardship (2 Timothy 2:3). In the case of Job, the forced labor is so hard that he longs for its end. For him, every day is a day of hard work, as is the case for a hired man.
Job feels like a slave who has to work in the burning sun and yearns for the shadow of evening (Job 7:2). He wants to escape the heat of the trial. As a hired man for whom the day cannot pass quickly enough, because he is paid his wages at the end of it, Job longs for the day of misery to be over.
That day of misery has been going on for months (Job 7:3). They are “months of vanity”. The days of Job’s illness are not only days of misery, but also days in which, with all your toil, you perform nothing and achieve nothing. That gives the feeling of vanity, meaninglessness and emptiness. For God it is not so. We have to learn to accept that God does have a purpose in our lives, even if in our own opinion we spend our days in vanity.
Even during the nights Job does not come loose from misery, because they are “nights of trouble”. He feels the trouble all the time. Those nights are “appointed” to him, similar to the months of vanity he is “allotted”. What is appointed to you, you get. You also get what is allotted. For both, Job didn’t have to do anything. It seems that he uses these words to indicate that he did not deserve the vanity and the trouble.
Normally you get rest by sleeping. A good sleep is refreshing and gives new strength. Sleep can also have a healing effect (John 11:12), but even this effect is not given to Job (Job 7:4). If he wants to go to sleep, he knows that it will be another long night of trouble. That is why he longs to arise right away. But when he is risen, he thinks about how long the day will be again before God makes it evening. Until dawn he will be saturated with restlessness all day long (cf. Deuteronomy 28:67). What agony! Nowhere rest and never rest!
The unrest that torments his spirit is accompanied by terrible physical suffering (Job 7:5). In addition, he looks hideous. There are worms everywhere on his skin. On his wounds there is not an ordinary crust associated with a healing process, but a crust of dirt, which only makes the wound dirtier and the pain more severe. His skin is cleft, cracked open, and the pus is everywhere.
The days that have passed have always gone faster than we were aware, whether they are days of prosperity or days of adversity (Job 7:6). The days behind us have flown at the speed of “a weaver’s shuttle” (cf. James 4:14b; 1 Peter 1:24). The days we experience and the days ahead of us always last longer than we wish when they are days of hopeless pain and sorrow.
Job appeals to God in Job 7:7 to remember that his life is but a “breath” (cf. Psalms 78:39). He says this without hope that God will do it. He does not expect his eye to ever see the good again. Nor will anyone ever see him again from those who see him now (Job 7:8). They will no longer perceive him, for he will not be there. He has no hope that God will once again turn His eyes away from him for good.
Job feels like a cloud, also to be translated as ‘fog’ or ‘mist’, which you see for a moment and then dissolves or disappears out of sight (Job 7:9). That is how it is, he says, with someone who goes down to Sheol, the realm of the dead. He disappears from sight and nothing is left of him. Never will he return to live on earth. It does not mean that Job does not believe in the resurrection, but that life on earth has ended for him, and that others will not see him there once he has disappeared from the earth.
What torments him most at this thought is that he will never return to the familiar place of his home and that his familiar place of living will not see him again (Job 7:10). The familiar streetscape has disappeared for him and he has disappeared from the familiar streetscape. They will no longer see his appearance, hear his footstep and his voice. Thus is death. It puts an end to all that is familiar and valued on earth. Whoever is left behind, must go on without him. The old familiar never returns.
Such are the thoughts of someone who is tormented by questions about the why of what happens to him. However, the believer may know that he is going to a better place, where countless believers have already gone before him. Above all, he may know that death brings him to the Lord Jesus, in paradise, where it is very much better (Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:23).
Job 26:9
The Briefness of Life
Job here continues his answer to Eliphaz. He continues with the justification of his vehement expressions of despair. The words in this chapter are of a general nature, but are spoken in the presence of the three friends. Later he addresses his complaint to God. That is why Job’s argument increases in vehemence. Job knows like no other mortal man that he is forced to labor on earth (Job 7:1). Life means forced labor for every human being.
The Hebrew word for forced labor, tsava, originally meant heavy military service; later it took on the meaning of heavy labor in general. For one person the forced labor is heavier than for another, but forced labor is there. For the Christian it is always true because he is in military service and as a soldier of Jesus Christ has to suffer hardship (2 Timothy 2:3). In the case of Job, the forced labor is so hard that he longs for its end. For him, every day is a day of hard work, as is the case for a hired man.
Job feels like a slave who has to work in the burning sun and yearns for the shadow of evening (Job 7:2). He wants to escape the heat of the trial. As a hired man for whom the day cannot pass quickly enough, because he is paid his wages at the end of it, Job longs for the day of misery to be over.
That day of misery has been going on for months (Job 7:3). They are “months of vanity”. The days of Job’s illness are not only days of misery, but also days in which, with all your toil, you perform nothing and achieve nothing. That gives the feeling of vanity, meaninglessness and emptiness. For God it is not so. We have to learn to accept that God does have a purpose in our lives, even if in our own opinion we spend our days in vanity.
Even during the nights Job does not come loose from misery, because they are “nights of trouble”. He feels the trouble all the time. Those nights are “appointed” to him, similar to the months of vanity he is “allotted”. What is appointed to you, you get. You also get what is allotted. For both, Job didn’t have to do anything. It seems that he uses these words to indicate that he did not deserve the vanity and the trouble.
Normally you get rest by sleeping. A good sleep is refreshing and gives new strength. Sleep can also have a healing effect (John 11:12), but even this effect is not given to Job (Job 7:4). If he wants to go to sleep, he knows that it will be another long night of trouble. That is why he longs to arise right away. But when he is risen, he thinks about how long the day will be again before God makes it evening. Until dawn he will be saturated with restlessness all day long (cf. Deuteronomy 28:67). What agony! Nowhere rest and never rest!
The unrest that torments his spirit is accompanied by terrible physical suffering (Job 7:5). In addition, he looks hideous. There are worms everywhere on his skin. On his wounds there is not an ordinary crust associated with a healing process, but a crust of dirt, which only makes the wound dirtier and the pain more severe. His skin is cleft, cracked open, and the pus is everywhere.
The days that have passed have always gone faster than we were aware, whether they are days of prosperity or days of adversity (Job 7:6). The days behind us have flown at the speed of “a weaver’s shuttle” (cf. James 4:14b; 1 Peter 1:24). The days we experience and the days ahead of us always last longer than we wish when they are days of hopeless pain and sorrow.
Job appeals to God in Job 7:7 to remember that his life is but a “breath” (cf. Psalms 78:39). He says this without hope that God will do it. He does not expect his eye to ever see the good again. Nor will anyone ever see him again from those who see him now (Job 7:8). They will no longer perceive him, for he will not be there. He has no hope that God will once again turn His eyes away from him for good.
Job feels like a cloud, also to be translated as ‘fog’ or ‘mist’, which you see for a moment and then dissolves or disappears out of sight (Job 7:9). That is how it is, he says, with someone who goes down to Sheol, the realm of the dead. He disappears from sight and nothing is left of him. Never will he return to live on earth. It does not mean that Job does not believe in the resurrection, but that life on earth has ended for him, and that others will not see him there once he has disappeared from the earth.
What torments him most at this thought is that he will never return to the familiar place of his home and that his familiar place of living will not see him again (Job 7:10). The familiar streetscape has disappeared for him and he has disappeared from the familiar streetscape. They will no longer see his appearance, hear his footstep and his voice. Thus is death. It puts an end to all that is familiar and valued on earth. Whoever is left behind, must go on without him. The old familiar never returns.
Such are the thoughts of someone who is tormented by questions about the why of what happens to him. However, the believer may know that he is going to a better place, where countless believers have already gone before him. Above all, he may know that death brings him to the Lord Jesus, in paradise, where it is very much better (Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:23).
Job 26:10
The Briefness of Life
Job here continues his answer to Eliphaz. He continues with the justification of his vehement expressions of despair. The words in this chapter are of a general nature, but are spoken in the presence of the three friends. Later he addresses his complaint to God. That is why Job’s argument increases in vehemence. Job knows like no other mortal man that he is forced to labor on earth (Job 7:1). Life means forced labor for every human being.
The Hebrew word for forced labor, tsava, originally meant heavy military service; later it took on the meaning of heavy labor in general. For one person the forced labor is heavier than for another, but forced labor is there. For the Christian it is always true because he is in military service and as a soldier of Jesus Christ has to suffer hardship (2 Timothy 2:3). In the case of Job, the forced labor is so hard that he longs for its end. For him, every day is a day of hard work, as is the case for a hired man.
Job feels like a slave who has to work in the burning sun and yearns for the shadow of evening (Job 7:2). He wants to escape the heat of the trial. As a hired man for whom the day cannot pass quickly enough, because he is paid his wages at the end of it, Job longs for the day of misery to be over.
That day of misery has been going on for months (Job 7:3). They are “months of vanity”. The days of Job’s illness are not only days of misery, but also days in which, with all your toil, you perform nothing and achieve nothing. That gives the feeling of vanity, meaninglessness and emptiness. For God it is not so. We have to learn to accept that God does have a purpose in our lives, even if in our own opinion we spend our days in vanity.
Even during the nights Job does not come loose from misery, because they are “nights of trouble”. He feels the trouble all the time. Those nights are “appointed” to him, similar to the months of vanity he is “allotted”. What is appointed to you, you get. You also get what is allotted. For both, Job didn’t have to do anything. It seems that he uses these words to indicate that he did not deserve the vanity and the trouble.
Normally you get rest by sleeping. A good sleep is refreshing and gives new strength. Sleep can also have a healing effect (John 11:12), but even this effect is not given to Job (Job 7:4). If he wants to go to sleep, he knows that it will be another long night of trouble. That is why he longs to arise right away. But when he is risen, he thinks about how long the day will be again before God makes it evening. Until dawn he will be saturated with restlessness all day long (cf. Deuteronomy 28:67). What agony! Nowhere rest and never rest!
The unrest that torments his spirit is accompanied by terrible physical suffering (Job 7:5). In addition, he looks hideous. There are worms everywhere on his skin. On his wounds there is not an ordinary crust associated with a healing process, but a crust of dirt, which only makes the wound dirtier and the pain more severe. His skin is cleft, cracked open, and the pus is everywhere.
The days that have passed have always gone faster than we were aware, whether they are days of prosperity or days of adversity (Job 7:6). The days behind us have flown at the speed of “a weaver’s shuttle” (cf. James 4:14b; 1 Peter 1:24). The days we experience and the days ahead of us always last longer than we wish when they are days of hopeless pain and sorrow.
Job appeals to God in Job 7:7 to remember that his life is but a “breath” (cf. Psalms 78:39). He says this without hope that God will do it. He does not expect his eye to ever see the good again. Nor will anyone ever see him again from those who see him now (Job 7:8). They will no longer perceive him, for he will not be there. He has no hope that God will once again turn His eyes away from him for good.
Job feels like a cloud, also to be translated as ‘fog’ or ‘mist’, which you see for a moment and then dissolves or disappears out of sight (Job 7:9). That is how it is, he says, with someone who goes down to Sheol, the realm of the dead. He disappears from sight and nothing is left of him. Never will he return to live on earth. It does not mean that Job does not believe in the resurrection, but that life on earth has ended for him, and that others will not see him there once he has disappeared from the earth.
What torments him most at this thought is that he will never return to the familiar place of his home and that his familiar place of living will not see him again (Job 7:10). The familiar streetscape has disappeared for him and he has disappeared from the familiar streetscape. They will no longer see his appearance, hear his footstep and his voice. Thus is death. It puts an end to all that is familiar and valued on earth. Whoever is left behind, must go on without him. The old familiar never returns.
Such are the thoughts of someone who is tormented by questions about the why of what happens to him. However, the believer may know that he is going to a better place, where countless believers have already gone before him. Above all, he may know that death brings him to the Lord Jesus, in paradise, where it is very much better (Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:23).
Job 26:11
The Briefness of Life
Job here continues his answer to Eliphaz. He continues with the justification of his vehement expressions of despair. The words in this chapter are of a general nature, but are spoken in the presence of the three friends. Later he addresses his complaint to God. That is why Job’s argument increases in vehemence. Job knows like no other mortal man that he is forced to labor on earth (Job 7:1). Life means forced labor for every human being.
The Hebrew word for forced labor, tsava, originally meant heavy military service; later it took on the meaning of heavy labor in general. For one person the forced labor is heavier than for another, but forced labor is there. For the Christian it is always true because he is in military service and as a soldier of Jesus Christ has to suffer hardship (2 Timothy 2:3). In the case of Job, the forced labor is so hard that he longs for its end. For him, every day is a day of hard work, as is the case for a hired man.
Job feels like a slave who has to work in the burning sun and yearns for the shadow of evening (Job 7:2). He wants to escape the heat of the trial. As a hired man for whom the day cannot pass quickly enough, because he is paid his wages at the end of it, Job longs for the day of misery to be over.
That day of misery has been going on for months (Job 7:3). They are “months of vanity”. The days of Job’s illness are not only days of misery, but also days in which, with all your toil, you perform nothing and achieve nothing. That gives the feeling of vanity, meaninglessness and emptiness. For God it is not so. We have to learn to accept that God does have a purpose in our lives, even if in our own opinion we spend our days in vanity.
Even during the nights Job does not come loose from misery, because they are “nights of trouble”. He feels the trouble all the time. Those nights are “appointed” to him, similar to the months of vanity he is “allotted”. What is appointed to you, you get. You also get what is allotted. For both, Job didn’t have to do anything. It seems that he uses these words to indicate that he did not deserve the vanity and the trouble.
Normally you get rest by sleeping. A good sleep is refreshing and gives new strength. Sleep can also have a healing effect (John 11:12), but even this effect is not given to Job (Job 7:4). If he wants to go to sleep, he knows that it will be another long night of trouble. That is why he longs to arise right away. But when he is risen, he thinks about how long the day will be again before God makes it evening. Until dawn he will be saturated with restlessness all day long (cf. Deuteronomy 28:67). What agony! Nowhere rest and never rest!
The unrest that torments his spirit is accompanied by terrible physical suffering (Job 7:5). In addition, he looks hideous. There are worms everywhere on his skin. On his wounds there is not an ordinary crust associated with a healing process, but a crust of dirt, which only makes the wound dirtier and the pain more severe. His skin is cleft, cracked open, and the pus is everywhere.
The days that have passed have always gone faster than we were aware, whether they are days of prosperity or days of adversity (Job 7:6). The days behind us have flown at the speed of “a weaver’s shuttle” (cf. James 4:14b; 1 Peter 1:24). The days we experience and the days ahead of us always last longer than we wish when they are days of hopeless pain and sorrow.
Job appeals to God in Job 7:7 to remember that his life is but a “breath” (cf. Psalms 78:39). He says this without hope that God will do it. He does not expect his eye to ever see the good again. Nor will anyone ever see him again from those who see him now (Job 7:8). They will no longer perceive him, for he will not be there. He has no hope that God will once again turn His eyes away from him for good.
Job feels like a cloud, also to be translated as ‘fog’ or ‘mist’, which you see for a moment and then dissolves or disappears out of sight (Job 7:9). That is how it is, he says, with someone who goes down to Sheol, the realm of the dead. He disappears from sight and nothing is left of him. Never will he return to live on earth. It does not mean that Job does not believe in the resurrection, but that life on earth has ended for him, and that others will not see him there once he has disappeared from the earth.
What torments him most at this thought is that he will never return to the familiar place of his home and that his familiar place of living will not see him again (Job 7:10). The familiar streetscape has disappeared for him and he has disappeared from the familiar streetscape. They will no longer see his appearance, hear his footstep and his voice. Thus is death. It puts an end to all that is familiar and valued on earth. Whoever is left behind, must go on without him. The old familiar never returns.
Such are the thoughts of someone who is tormented by questions about the why of what happens to him. However, the believer may know that he is going to a better place, where countless believers have already gone before him. Above all, he may know that death brings him to the Lord Jesus, in paradise, where it is very much better (Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:23).
Job 26:12
The Briefness of Life
Job here continues his answer to Eliphaz. He continues with the justification of his vehement expressions of despair. The words in this chapter are of a general nature, but are spoken in the presence of the three friends. Later he addresses his complaint to God. That is why Job’s argument increases in vehemence. Job knows like no other mortal man that he is forced to labor on earth (Job 7:1). Life means forced labor for every human being.
The Hebrew word for forced labor, tsava, originally meant heavy military service; later it took on the meaning of heavy labor in general. For one person the forced labor is heavier than for another, but forced labor is there. For the Christian it is always true because he is in military service and as a soldier of Jesus Christ has to suffer hardship (2 Timothy 2:3). In the case of Job, the forced labor is so hard that he longs for its end. For him, every day is a day of hard work, as is the case for a hired man.
Job feels like a slave who has to work in the burning sun and yearns for the shadow of evening (Job 7:2). He wants to escape the heat of the trial. As a hired man for whom the day cannot pass quickly enough, because he is paid his wages at the end of it, Job longs for the day of misery to be over.
That day of misery has been going on for months (Job 7:3). They are “months of vanity”. The days of Job’s illness are not only days of misery, but also days in which, with all your toil, you perform nothing and achieve nothing. That gives the feeling of vanity, meaninglessness and emptiness. For God it is not so. We have to learn to accept that God does have a purpose in our lives, even if in our own opinion we spend our days in vanity.
Even during the nights Job does not come loose from misery, because they are “nights of trouble”. He feels the trouble all the time. Those nights are “appointed” to him, similar to the months of vanity he is “allotted”. What is appointed to you, you get. You also get what is allotted. For both, Job didn’t have to do anything. It seems that he uses these words to indicate that he did not deserve the vanity and the trouble.
Normally you get rest by sleeping. A good sleep is refreshing and gives new strength. Sleep can also have a healing effect (John 11:12), but even this effect is not given to Job (Job 7:4). If he wants to go to sleep, he knows that it will be another long night of trouble. That is why he longs to arise right away. But when he is risen, he thinks about how long the day will be again before God makes it evening. Until dawn he will be saturated with restlessness all day long (cf. Deuteronomy 28:67). What agony! Nowhere rest and never rest!
The unrest that torments his spirit is accompanied by terrible physical suffering (Job 7:5). In addition, he looks hideous. There are worms everywhere on his skin. On his wounds there is not an ordinary crust associated with a healing process, but a crust of dirt, which only makes the wound dirtier and the pain more severe. His skin is cleft, cracked open, and the pus is everywhere.
The days that have passed have always gone faster than we were aware, whether they are days of prosperity or days of adversity (Job 7:6). The days behind us have flown at the speed of “a weaver’s shuttle” (cf. James 4:14b; 1 Peter 1:24). The days we experience and the days ahead of us always last longer than we wish when they are days of hopeless pain and sorrow.
Job appeals to God in Job 7:7 to remember that his life is but a “breath” (cf. Psalms 78:39). He says this without hope that God will do it. He does not expect his eye to ever see the good again. Nor will anyone ever see him again from those who see him now (Job 7:8). They will no longer perceive him, for he will not be there. He has no hope that God will once again turn His eyes away from him for good.
Job feels like a cloud, also to be translated as ‘fog’ or ‘mist’, which you see for a moment and then dissolves or disappears out of sight (Job 7:9). That is how it is, he says, with someone who goes down to Sheol, the realm of the dead. He disappears from sight and nothing is left of him. Never will he return to live on earth. It does not mean that Job does not believe in the resurrection, but that life on earth has ended for him, and that others will not see him there once he has disappeared from the earth.
What torments him most at this thought is that he will never return to the familiar place of his home and that his familiar place of living will not see him again (Job 7:10). The familiar streetscape has disappeared for him and he has disappeared from the familiar streetscape. They will no longer see his appearance, hear his footstep and his voice. Thus is death. It puts an end to all that is familiar and valued on earth. Whoever is left behind, must go on without him. The old familiar never returns.
Such are the thoughts of someone who is tormented by questions about the why of what happens to him. However, the believer may know that he is going to a better place, where countless believers have already gone before him. Above all, he may know that death brings him to the Lord Jesus, in paradise, where it is very much better (Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:23).
Job 26:13
The Briefness of Life
Job here continues his answer to Eliphaz. He continues with the justification of his vehement expressions of despair. The words in this chapter are of a general nature, but are spoken in the presence of the three friends. Later he addresses his complaint to God. That is why Job’s argument increases in vehemence. Job knows like no other mortal man that he is forced to labor on earth (Job 7:1). Life means forced labor for every human being.
The Hebrew word for forced labor, tsava, originally meant heavy military service; later it took on the meaning of heavy labor in general. For one person the forced labor is heavier than for another, but forced labor is there. For the Christian it is always true because he is in military service and as a soldier of Jesus Christ has to suffer hardship (2 Timothy 2:3). In the case of Job, the forced labor is so hard that he longs for its end. For him, every day is a day of hard work, as is the case for a hired man.
Job feels like a slave who has to work in the burning sun and yearns for the shadow of evening (Job 7:2). He wants to escape the heat of the trial. As a hired man for whom the day cannot pass quickly enough, because he is paid his wages at the end of it, Job longs for the day of misery to be over.
That day of misery has been going on for months (Job 7:3). They are “months of vanity”. The days of Job’s illness are not only days of misery, but also days in which, with all your toil, you perform nothing and achieve nothing. That gives the feeling of vanity, meaninglessness and emptiness. For God it is not so. We have to learn to accept that God does have a purpose in our lives, even if in our own opinion we spend our days in vanity.
Even during the nights Job does not come loose from misery, because they are “nights of trouble”. He feels the trouble all the time. Those nights are “appointed” to him, similar to the months of vanity he is “allotted”. What is appointed to you, you get. You also get what is allotted. For both, Job didn’t have to do anything. It seems that he uses these words to indicate that he did not deserve the vanity and the trouble.
Normally you get rest by sleeping. A good sleep is refreshing and gives new strength. Sleep can also have a healing effect (John 11:12), but even this effect is not given to Job (Job 7:4). If he wants to go to sleep, he knows that it will be another long night of trouble. That is why he longs to arise right away. But when he is risen, he thinks about how long the day will be again before God makes it evening. Until dawn he will be saturated with restlessness all day long (cf. Deuteronomy 28:67). What agony! Nowhere rest and never rest!
The unrest that torments his spirit is accompanied by terrible physical suffering (Job 7:5). In addition, he looks hideous. There are worms everywhere on his skin. On his wounds there is not an ordinary crust associated with a healing process, but a crust of dirt, which only makes the wound dirtier and the pain more severe. His skin is cleft, cracked open, and the pus is everywhere.
The days that have passed have always gone faster than we were aware, whether they are days of prosperity or days of adversity (Job 7:6). The days behind us have flown at the speed of “a weaver’s shuttle” (cf. James 4:14b; 1 Peter 1:24). The days we experience and the days ahead of us always last longer than we wish when they are days of hopeless pain and sorrow.
Job appeals to God in Job 7:7 to remember that his life is but a “breath” (cf. Psalms 78:39). He says this without hope that God will do it. He does not expect his eye to ever see the good again. Nor will anyone ever see him again from those who see him now (Job 7:8). They will no longer perceive him, for he will not be there. He has no hope that God will once again turn His eyes away from him for good.
Job feels like a cloud, also to be translated as ‘fog’ or ‘mist’, which you see for a moment and then dissolves or disappears out of sight (Job 7:9). That is how it is, he says, with someone who goes down to Sheol, the realm of the dead. He disappears from sight and nothing is left of him. Never will he return to live on earth. It does not mean that Job does not believe in the resurrection, but that life on earth has ended for him, and that others will not see him there once he has disappeared from the earth.
What torments him most at this thought is that he will never return to the familiar place of his home and that his familiar place of living will not see him again (Job 7:10). The familiar streetscape has disappeared for him and he has disappeared from the familiar streetscape. They will no longer see his appearance, hear his footstep and his voice. Thus is death. It puts an end to all that is familiar and valued on earth. Whoever is left behind, must go on without him. The old familiar never returns.
Such are the thoughts of someone who is tormented by questions about the why of what happens to him. However, the believer may know that he is going to a better place, where countless believers have already gone before him. Above all, he may know that death brings him to the Lord Jesus, in paradise, where it is very much better (Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:23).
Job 26:14
The Briefness of Life
Job here continues his answer to Eliphaz. He continues with the justification of his vehement expressions of despair. The words in this chapter are of a general nature, but are spoken in the presence of the three friends. Later he addresses his complaint to God. That is why Job’s argument increases in vehemence. Job knows like no other mortal man that he is forced to labor on earth (Job 7:1). Life means forced labor for every human being.
The Hebrew word for forced labor, tsava, originally meant heavy military service; later it took on the meaning of heavy labor in general. For one person the forced labor is heavier than for another, but forced labor is there. For the Christian it is always true because he is in military service and as a soldier of Jesus Christ has to suffer hardship (2 Timothy 2:3). In the case of Job, the forced labor is so hard that he longs for its end. For him, every day is a day of hard work, as is the case for a hired man.
Job feels like a slave who has to work in the burning sun and yearns for the shadow of evening (Job 7:2). He wants to escape the heat of the trial. As a hired man for whom the day cannot pass quickly enough, because he is paid his wages at the end of it, Job longs for the day of misery to be over.
That day of misery has been going on for months (Job 7:3). They are “months of vanity”. The days of Job’s illness are not only days of misery, but also days in which, with all your toil, you perform nothing and achieve nothing. That gives the feeling of vanity, meaninglessness and emptiness. For God it is not so. We have to learn to accept that God does have a purpose in our lives, even if in our own opinion we spend our days in vanity.
Even during the nights Job does not come loose from misery, because they are “nights of trouble”. He feels the trouble all the time. Those nights are “appointed” to him, similar to the months of vanity he is “allotted”. What is appointed to you, you get. You also get what is allotted. For both, Job didn’t have to do anything. It seems that he uses these words to indicate that he did not deserve the vanity and the trouble.
Normally you get rest by sleeping. A good sleep is refreshing and gives new strength. Sleep can also have a healing effect (John 11:12), but even this effect is not given to Job (Job 7:4). If he wants to go to sleep, he knows that it will be another long night of trouble. That is why he longs to arise right away. But when he is risen, he thinks about how long the day will be again before God makes it evening. Until dawn he will be saturated with restlessness all day long (cf. Deuteronomy 28:67). What agony! Nowhere rest and never rest!
The unrest that torments his spirit is accompanied by terrible physical suffering (Job 7:5). In addition, he looks hideous. There are worms everywhere on his skin. On his wounds there is not an ordinary crust associated with a healing process, but a crust of dirt, which only makes the wound dirtier and the pain more severe. His skin is cleft, cracked open, and the pus is everywhere.
The days that have passed have always gone faster than we were aware, whether they are days of prosperity or days of adversity (Job 7:6). The days behind us have flown at the speed of “a weaver’s shuttle” (cf. James 4:14b; 1 Peter 1:24). The days we experience and the days ahead of us always last longer than we wish when they are days of hopeless pain and sorrow.
Job appeals to God in Job 7:7 to remember that his life is but a “breath” (cf. Psalms 78:39). He says this without hope that God will do it. He does not expect his eye to ever see the good again. Nor will anyone ever see him again from those who see him now (Job 7:8). They will no longer perceive him, for he will not be there. He has no hope that God will once again turn His eyes away from him for good.
Job feels like a cloud, also to be translated as ‘fog’ or ‘mist’, which you see for a moment and then dissolves or disappears out of sight (Job 7:9). That is how it is, he says, with someone who goes down to Sheol, the realm of the dead. He disappears from sight and nothing is left of him. Never will he return to live on earth. It does not mean that Job does not believe in the resurrection, but that life on earth has ended for him, and that others will not see him there once he has disappeared from the earth.
What torments him most at this thought is that he will never return to the familiar place of his home and that his familiar place of living will not see him again (Job 7:10). The familiar streetscape has disappeared for him and he has disappeared from the familiar streetscape. They will no longer see his appearance, hear his footstep and his voice. Thus is death. It puts an end to all that is familiar and valued on earth. Whoever is left behind, must go on without him. The old familiar never returns.
Such are the thoughts of someone who is tormented by questions about the why of what happens to him. However, the believer may know that he is going to a better place, where countless believers have already gone before him. Above all, he may know that death brings him to the Lord Jesus, in paradise, where it is very much better (Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:23).