Job 35

Job 35:1

God’s Wrath and His Use of Man

Job has told his friends in no uncertain terms how wrongly they treat him, how he lacks compassion with them, and how he would be if the roles were reversed. He has vented his heart about them, but his suffering has not been softened by it (Job 16:6). Even when he ceases to speak, the misery does not depart from him. Nothing, neither speaking nor silencing, can change his grief. His suffering is unbearable and hopeless. Today these are the two conditions to end your life (or to let it end). With Job we notice nothing of such an attitude.

Certainly, he holds God responsible for his suffering. God has exhausted him (Job 16:7). In a direct appeal to God he throws before Him that He has destroyed his whole company. All those he valued have been taken away by force from him by God. God has destroyed his whole environment, including his friends, who also turn against him.

He feels grasped by God, not to support him, but to deprive him of all support (Job 16:8). God is like a witness who comes with incriminating statements. His leanness comes from hunger, and hunger is the consequence of his sins, so the friends claim. He cannot deny his lean body and poverty. Everyone sees it and it is like a public witness against him. He can argue all he wants about his innocence, but his situation is a denial of everything he argues in his defense.

He fights a hopeless battle. But what do you want if God’s anger tears you to pieces, if He hates you (Job 16:9)? Job hears God grinding His teeth against him, so to speak. Yes, he experiences God as his Adversary. He feels God’s eyes fixed on him, not lovingly, but critically, with a gaze that looks right through him.

Also from the side of the people – not only from the three friends, but from his whole environment – Job experiences only resistance and defamation (Job 16:10). He feels attacked by all of them together. It is one mighty hostile stronghold that opposes him. And who is behind it? God (Job 16:11)! But then God must be mistaken. He has handed Job over to the wrong one and delivered him into the hands of the wicked. He cannot have meant this, can He? Surely God knows he is innocent? But why is He acting like this with him?

Job remembers the time when he had peace. He was happy and safe, surrounded by everything a man could wish for (Job 16:12). But God has “shattered” everything, especially him. He is a broken man. God grasped him by the neck like a predator does with his prey. He who has someone by the neck has him completely under control and in his power. After God has so overwhelmed Job and made him powerless, He has “set me up as His target”, as a target for all His arrows.

God, Job says, uses “His arrows” (Job 16:13) to shoot at him. By this he means his friends, who constantly bombard him with their condemning words. He sees them as God’s instruments. They act under His control.

God splits his kidneys open, not they. The kidneys are sensitive, vital organs, representing the deepest inner self of man. Job says that God doesn’t spare him, that He doesn’t keep him safe. His gall is poured out on the earth by God. Gall is also connected with bitterness. The whole of Job’s life is poured out on the earth as bitterness.

And so it goes on and on. It is “breach after breach” (Job 16:14). Job feels like the walls of a city besieged by God Himself. Everywhere He breaks the walls and breaks through them. Time and again Job is physically and mentally affected by disasters and illnesses that he suffers.

Job is completely overwhelmed by emotion. He speaks harsh words about God. Still, here too we must be careful not to form a harsh judgment about Job. God allows Job to rage without saying a single word of warning to Job that he is now going out of line.

We can compare Job’s attitude and statements with those of the Lord Jesus when it comes to His response to the suffering that people are inflicting on Him. Then we see a big difference. From His mouth we never hear an accusation toward God. Yet no one has ever experienced God as a stronger adversary than He. We should think of what happened during the three hours of darkness on the cross. When God judges Him, not a single rebellious word comes out of His mouth to God. On the contrary, He says: “But you are holy” (Psalms 22:3). He has always justified God.

Another difference is that the Lord Jesus distinguishes between what God does to Him and what people do to Him (Psalms 22:11-18). To Job, God and people act together in their attacks on him. He sees them conspiring against him.

Job 35:2

God’s Wrath and His Use of Man

Job has told his friends in no uncertain terms how wrongly they treat him, how he lacks compassion with them, and how he would be if the roles were reversed. He has vented his heart about them, but his suffering has not been softened by it (Job 16:6). Even when he ceases to speak, the misery does not depart from him. Nothing, neither speaking nor silencing, can change his grief. His suffering is unbearable and hopeless. Today these are the two conditions to end your life (or to let it end). With Job we notice nothing of such an attitude.

Certainly, he holds God responsible for his suffering. God has exhausted him (Job 16:7). In a direct appeal to God he throws before Him that He has destroyed his whole company. All those he valued have been taken away by force from him by God. God has destroyed his whole environment, including his friends, who also turn against him.

He feels grasped by God, not to support him, but to deprive him of all support (Job 16:8). God is like a witness who comes with incriminating statements. His leanness comes from hunger, and hunger is the consequence of his sins, so the friends claim. He cannot deny his lean body and poverty. Everyone sees it and it is like a public witness against him. He can argue all he wants about his innocence, but his situation is a denial of everything he argues in his defense.

He fights a hopeless battle. But what do you want if God’s anger tears you to pieces, if He hates you (Job 16:9)? Job hears God grinding His teeth against him, so to speak. Yes, he experiences God as his Adversary. He feels God’s eyes fixed on him, not lovingly, but critically, with a gaze that looks right through him.

Also from the side of the people – not only from the three friends, but from his whole environment – Job experiences only resistance and defamation (Job 16:10). He feels attacked by all of them together. It is one mighty hostile stronghold that opposes him. And who is behind it? God (Job 16:11)! But then God must be mistaken. He has handed Job over to the wrong one and delivered him into the hands of the wicked. He cannot have meant this, can He? Surely God knows he is innocent? But why is He acting like this with him?

Job remembers the time when he had peace. He was happy and safe, surrounded by everything a man could wish for (Job 16:12). But God has “shattered” everything, especially him. He is a broken man. God grasped him by the neck like a predator does with his prey. He who has someone by the neck has him completely under control and in his power. After God has so overwhelmed Job and made him powerless, He has “set me up as His target”, as a target for all His arrows.

God, Job says, uses “His arrows” (Job 16:13) to shoot at him. By this he means his friends, who constantly bombard him with their condemning words. He sees them as God’s instruments. They act under His control.

God splits his kidneys open, not they. The kidneys are sensitive, vital organs, representing the deepest inner self of man. Job says that God doesn’t spare him, that He doesn’t keep him safe. His gall is poured out on the earth by God. Gall is also connected with bitterness. The whole of Job’s life is poured out on the earth as bitterness.

And so it goes on and on. It is “breach after breach” (Job 16:14). Job feels like the walls of a city besieged by God Himself. Everywhere He breaks the walls and breaks through them. Time and again Job is physically and mentally affected by disasters and illnesses that he suffers.

Job is completely overwhelmed by emotion. He speaks harsh words about God. Still, here too we must be careful not to form a harsh judgment about Job. God allows Job to rage without saying a single word of warning to Job that he is now going out of line.

We can compare Job’s attitude and statements with those of the Lord Jesus when it comes to His response to the suffering that people are inflicting on Him. Then we see a big difference. From His mouth we never hear an accusation toward God. Yet no one has ever experienced God as a stronger adversary than He. We should think of what happened during the three hours of darkness on the cross. When God judges Him, not a single rebellious word comes out of His mouth to God. On the contrary, He says: “But you are holy” (Psalms 22:3). He has always justified God.

Another difference is that the Lord Jesus distinguishes between what God does to Him and what people do to Him (Psalms 22:11-18). To Job, God and people act together in their attacks on him. He sees them conspiring against him.

Job 35:3

God’s Wrath and His Use of Man

Job has told his friends in no uncertain terms how wrongly they treat him, how he lacks compassion with them, and how he would be if the roles were reversed. He has vented his heart about them, but his suffering has not been softened by it (Job 16:6). Even when he ceases to speak, the misery does not depart from him. Nothing, neither speaking nor silencing, can change his grief. His suffering is unbearable and hopeless. Today these are the two conditions to end your life (or to let it end). With Job we notice nothing of such an attitude.

Certainly, he holds God responsible for his suffering. God has exhausted him (Job 16:7). In a direct appeal to God he throws before Him that He has destroyed his whole company. All those he valued have been taken away by force from him by God. God has destroyed his whole environment, including his friends, who also turn against him.

He feels grasped by God, not to support him, but to deprive him of all support (Job 16:8). God is like a witness who comes with incriminating statements. His leanness comes from hunger, and hunger is the consequence of his sins, so the friends claim. He cannot deny his lean body and poverty. Everyone sees it and it is like a public witness against him. He can argue all he wants about his innocence, but his situation is a denial of everything he argues in his defense.

He fights a hopeless battle. But what do you want if God’s anger tears you to pieces, if He hates you (Job 16:9)? Job hears God grinding His teeth against him, so to speak. Yes, he experiences God as his Adversary. He feels God’s eyes fixed on him, not lovingly, but critically, with a gaze that looks right through him.

Also from the side of the people – not only from the three friends, but from his whole environment – Job experiences only resistance and defamation (Job 16:10). He feels attacked by all of them together. It is one mighty hostile stronghold that opposes him. And who is behind it? God (Job 16:11)! But then God must be mistaken. He has handed Job over to the wrong one and delivered him into the hands of the wicked. He cannot have meant this, can He? Surely God knows he is innocent? But why is He acting like this with him?

Job remembers the time when he had peace. He was happy and safe, surrounded by everything a man could wish for (Job 16:12). But God has “shattered” everything, especially him. He is a broken man. God grasped him by the neck like a predator does with his prey. He who has someone by the neck has him completely under control and in his power. After God has so overwhelmed Job and made him powerless, He has “set me up as His target”, as a target for all His arrows.

God, Job says, uses “His arrows” (Job 16:13) to shoot at him. By this he means his friends, who constantly bombard him with their condemning words. He sees them as God’s instruments. They act under His control.

God splits his kidneys open, not they. The kidneys are sensitive, vital organs, representing the deepest inner self of man. Job says that God doesn’t spare him, that He doesn’t keep him safe. His gall is poured out on the earth by God. Gall is also connected with bitterness. The whole of Job’s life is poured out on the earth as bitterness.

And so it goes on and on. It is “breach after breach” (Job 16:14). Job feels like the walls of a city besieged by God Himself. Everywhere He breaks the walls and breaks through them. Time and again Job is physically and mentally affected by disasters and illnesses that he suffers.

Job is completely overwhelmed by emotion. He speaks harsh words about God. Still, here too we must be careful not to form a harsh judgment about Job. God allows Job to rage without saying a single word of warning to Job that he is now going out of line.

We can compare Job’s attitude and statements with those of the Lord Jesus when it comes to His response to the suffering that people are inflicting on Him. Then we see a big difference. From His mouth we never hear an accusation toward God. Yet no one has ever experienced God as a stronger adversary than He. We should think of what happened during the three hours of darkness on the cross. When God judges Him, not a single rebellious word comes out of His mouth to God. On the contrary, He says: “But you are holy” (Psalms 22:3). He has always justified God.

Another difference is that the Lord Jesus distinguishes between what God does to Him and what people do to Him (Psalms 22:11-18). To Job, God and people act together in their attacks on him. He sees them conspiring against him.

Job 35:4

God’s Wrath and His Use of Man

Job has told his friends in no uncertain terms how wrongly they treat him, how he lacks compassion with them, and how he would be if the roles were reversed. He has vented his heart about them, but his suffering has not been softened by it (Job 16:6). Even when he ceases to speak, the misery does not depart from him. Nothing, neither speaking nor silencing, can change his grief. His suffering is unbearable and hopeless. Today these are the two conditions to end your life (or to let it end). With Job we notice nothing of such an attitude.

Certainly, he holds God responsible for his suffering. God has exhausted him (Job 16:7). In a direct appeal to God he throws before Him that He has destroyed his whole company. All those he valued have been taken away by force from him by God. God has destroyed his whole environment, including his friends, who also turn against him.

He feels grasped by God, not to support him, but to deprive him of all support (Job 16:8). God is like a witness who comes with incriminating statements. His leanness comes from hunger, and hunger is the consequence of his sins, so the friends claim. He cannot deny his lean body and poverty. Everyone sees it and it is like a public witness against him. He can argue all he wants about his innocence, but his situation is a denial of everything he argues in his defense.

He fights a hopeless battle. But what do you want if God’s anger tears you to pieces, if He hates you (Job 16:9)? Job hears God grinding His teeth against him, so to speak. Yes, he experiences God as his Adversary. He feels God’s eyes fixed on him, not lovingly, but critically, with a gaze that looks right through him.

Also from the side of the people – not only from the three friends, but from his whole environment – Job experiences only resistance and defamation (Job 16:10). He feels attacked by all of them together. It is one mighty hostile stronghold that opposes him. And who is behind it? God (Job 16:11)! But then God must be mistaken. He has handed Job over to the wrong one and delivered him into the hands of the wicked. He cannot have meant this, can He? Surely God knows he is innocent? But why is He acting like this with him?

Job remembers the time when he had peace. He was happy and safe, surrounded by everything a man could wish for (Job 16:12). But God has “shattered” everything, especially him. He is a broken man. God grasped him by the neck like a predator does with his prey. He who has someone by the neck has him completely under control and in his power. After God has so overwhelmed Job and made him powerless, He has “set me up as His target”, as a target for all His arrows.

God, Job says, uses “His arrows” (Job 16:13) to shoot at him. By this he means his friends, who constantly bombard him with their condemning words. He sees them as God’s instruments. They act under His control.

God splits his kidneys open, not they. The kidneys are sensitive, vital organs, representing the deepest inner self of man. Job says that God doesn’t spare him, that He doesn’t keep him safe. His gall is poured out on the earth by God. Gall is also connected with bitterness. The whole of Job’s life is poured out on the earth as bitterness.

And so it goes on and on. It is “breach after breach” (Job 16:14). Job feels like the walls of a city besieged by God Himself. Everywhere He breaks the walls and breaks through them. Time and again Job is physically and mentally affected by disasters and illnesses that he suffers.

Job is completely overwhelmed by emotion. He speaks harsh words about God. Still, here too we must be careful not to form a harsh judgment about Job. God allows Job to rage without saying a single word of warning to Job that he is now going out of line.

We can compare Job’s attitude and statements with those of the Lord Jesus when it comes to His response to the suffering that people are inflicting on Him. Then we see a big difference. From His mouth we never hear an accusation toward God. Yet no one has ever experienced God as a stronger adversary than He. We should think of what happened during the three hours of darkness on the cross. When God judges Him, not a single rebellious word comes out of His mouth to God. On the contrary, He says: “But you are holy” (Psalms 22:3). He has always justified God.

Another difference is that the Lord Jesus distinguishes between what God does to Him and what people do to Him (Psalms 22:11-18). To Job, God and people act together in their attacks on him. He sees them conspiring against him.

Job 35:5

Job Appeals to God

Job again describes his deep sorrow. It is so great, that he speaks of a goat-haired sackcloth that he has sewn over his skin (Job 16:15). With this he indicates that he does not wear a sackcloth temporarily, but that it is inseparably attached to him and that he will never be free of it. His “horn”, a picture of strength, has not been raised, but he has “thrust in the dust”, humiliated, indicating that there is nothing left of his strength.

Job has cried so long that his face is red and swollen (Job 16:16). His eyes resemble the hollow eyes of a dying man through sorrow and the many sleepless nights. He wonders to what he has deserved all this misery and destruction, all this violence that has come upon him. He knows of himself that he has obtained nothing of his possessions by violence (Job 16:17). His closest and dearest cannot accuse him of anything. Toward them he is free in his conscience. Even toward God there is nothing that burdens his conscience. His prayer is pure, without ulterior motives, and free from the hypocrisy of which his friends accuse him (Job 8:6). He can freely express himself toward God.

Job wants the injustice done to him not to be forgotten after his death. Therefore he proclaims to the earth that it should not cover his blood (Job 16:18). Like the blood of Abel, he wants it to continue to cry out to God (Genesis 4:10; Ezekiel 24:7-8), Who is in heaven. If during his suffering he cannot obtain a judgment that justifies him, and so he dies in the eyes of others as a guilty person, then may justice be done through blood vengeance after his death. He wants his cries to continue to sound without rest until he is justified.

Then all of a sudden there is this revival of faith and hope. No matter how much Job had a profound conflict with God, he still hoped for Him. No matter how, out of deep distress and carried away by his emotions, he rages against God, he does not let go of God. He always returns to Him. Satan had claimed that Job would curse God to His face (Job 1:11; Job 2:5), but Job keeps clinging to God.

Job sees God as his Prosecutor, but at the same time as his Witness in heaven (Job 16:19; cf. Psalms 89:37). He is certain that God is a Witness to his innocence and that therefore he is also his Advocate. This seems to be a contradiction, but it is not. It is a mystery in God that is recognized by the converted sinner and for which he worships God. God, Who must judge the sinner, has given His Son. He has not spared His Son so that He may spare the repentant sinner. In this way the believer can say: ‘If God, Who was first against me, is now before me, who could be against me?’ (Romans 8:31).

What to Job is more like a vague hope, we may be sure of. We know that we have an Advocate, Someone we know, our High Priest and Advocate, our Lord Jesus Christ. He lives as High Priest to always intercede for us and to help us in our weaknesses (Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 4:15). He lives as Advocate to restore us in the fellowship with the Father when we have sinned (1 John 2:1).

Job does not need to expect help from his friends. They only scoff at him (Job 16:20). His tears do not arouse pity in them. They are not meant for them either, but for God (Psalms 56:8). God will see them and will, as he believes for certain, examine his case once and then establish his innocence.

In Job 16:21 Job asks for a man to plead with God. By this Job asks God Himself to defend a man with God. Here we see again that wonderful identification of God the Advocate with God the Prosecutor. Job adds another comparison. He says that defending is something a man does with his neighbor. “A man” can also be translated as ‘son of man’. The Lord Jesus often calls Himself “Son of Man” in the Gospels. We who know the Lord Jesus discover here in what Job says the true Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). He is the Umpire of Whom Job has spoken before (Job 9:33), Who lays His hand on both, on God and on man.

For himself Job sees only a few years of life left (Job 16:22). Then he will go the path on which no return is possible. It is the path to the grave. He will go that path, but it will be easier for him to go that path if he can trust that his right will be brought to light within a short time.

Job 35:6

Job Appeals to God

Job again describes his deep sorrow. It is so great, that he speaks of a goat-haired sackcloth that he has sewn over his skin (Job 16:15). With this he indicates that he does not wear a sackcloth temporarily, but that it is inseparably attached to him and that he will never be free of it. His “horn”, a picture of strength, has not been raised, but he has “thrust in the dust”, humiliated, indicating that there is nothing left of his strength.

Job has cried so long that his face is red and swollen (Job 16:16). His eyes resemble the hollow eyes of a dying man through sorrow and the many sleepless nights. He wonders to what he has deserved all this misery and destruction, all this violence that has come upon him. He knows of himself that he has obtained nothing of his possessions by violence (Job 16:17). His closest and dearest cannot accuse him of anything. Toward them he is free in his conscience. Even toward God there is nothing that burdens his conscience. His prayer is pure, without ulterior motives, and free from the hypocrisy of which his friends accuse him (Job 8:6). He can freely express himself toward God.

Job wants the injustice done to him not to be forgotten after his death. Therefore he proclaims to the earth that it should not cover his blood (Job 16:18). Like the blood of Abel, he wants it to continue to cry out to God (Genesis 4:10; Ezekiel 24:7-8), Who is in heaven. If during his suffering he cannot obtain a judgment that justifies him, and so he dies in the eyes of others as a guilty person, then may justice be done through blood vengeance after his death. He wants his cries to continue to sound without rest until he is justified.

Then all of a sudden there is this revival of faith and hope. No matter how much Job had a profound conflict with God, he still hoped for Him. No matter how, out of deep distress and carried away by his emotions, he rages against God, he does not let go of God. He always returns to Him. Satan had claimed that Job would curse God to His face (Job 1:11; Job 2:5), but Job keeps clinging to God.

Job sees God as his Prosecutor, but at the same time as his Witness in heaven (Job 16:19; cf. Psalms 89:37). He is certain that God is a Witness to his innocence and that therefore he is also his Advocate. This seems to be a contradiction, but it is not. It is a mystery in God that is recognized by the converted sinner and for which he worships God. God, Who must judge the sinner, has given His Son. He has not spared His Son so that He may spare the repentant sinner. In this way the believer can say: ‘If God, Who was first against me, is now before me, who could be against me?’ (Romans 8:31).

What to Job is more like a vague hope, we may be sure of. We know that we have an Advocate, Someone we know, our High Priest and Advocate, our Lord Jesus Christ. He lives as High Priest to always intercede for us and to help us in our weaknesses (Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 4:15). He lives as Advocate to restore us in the fellowship with the Father when we have sinned (1 John 2:1).

Job does not need to expect help from his friends. They only scoff at him (Job 16:20). His tears do not arouse pity in them. They are not meant for them either, but for God (Psalms 56:8). God will see them and will, as he believes for certain, examine his case once and then establish his innocence.

In Job 16:21 Job asks for a man to plead with God. By this Job asks God Himself to defend a man with God. Here we see again that wonderful identification of God the Advocate with God the Prosecutor. Job adds another comparison. He says that defending is something a man does with his neighbor. “A man” can also be translated as ‘son of man’. The Lord Jesus often calls Himself “Son of Man” in the Gospels. We who know the Lord Jesus discover here in what Job says the true Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). He is the Umpire of Whom Job has spoken before (Job 9:33), Who lays His hand on both, on God and on man.

For himself Job sees only a few years of life left (Job 16:22). Then he will go the path on which no return is possible. It is the path to the grave. He will go that path, but it will be easier for him to go that path if he can trust that his right will be brought to light within a short time.

Job 35:7

Job Appeals to God

Job again describes his deep sorrow. It is so great, that he speaks of a goat-haired sackcloth that he has sewn over his skin (Job 16:15). With this he indicates that he does not wear a sackcloth temporarily, but that it is inseparably attached to him and that he will never be free of it. His “horn”, a picture of strength, has not been raised, but he has “thrust in the dust”, humiliated, indicating that there is nothing left of his strength.

Job has cried so long that his face is red and swollen (Job 16:16). His eyes resemble the hollow eyes of a dying man through sorrow and the many sleepless nights. He wonders to what he has deserved all this misery and destruction, all this violence that has come upon him. He knows of himself that he has obtained nothing of his possessions by violence (Job 16:17). His closest and dearest cannot accuse him of anything. Toward them he is free in his conscience. Even toward God there is nothing that burdens his conscience. His prayer is pure, without ulterior motives, and free from the hypocrisy of which his friends accuse him (Job 8:6). He can freely express himself toward God.

Job wants the injustice done to him not to be forgotten after his death. Therefore he proclaims to the earth that it should not cover his blood (Job 16:18). Like the blood of Abel, he wants it to continue to cry out to God (Genesis 4:10; Ezekiel 24:7-8), Who is in heaven. If during his suffering he cannot obtain a judgment that justifies him, and so he dies in the eyes of others as a guilty person, then may justice be done through blood vengeance after his death. He wants his cries to continue to sound without rest until he is justified.

Then all of a sudden there is this revival of faith and hope. No matter how much Job had a profound conflict with God, he still hoped for Him. No matter how, out of deep distress and carried away by his emotions, he rages against God, he does not let go of God. He always returns to Him. Satan had claimed that Job would curse God to His face (Job 1:11; Job 2:5), but Job keeps clinging to God.

Job sees God as his Prosecutor, but at the same time as his Witness in heaven (Job 16:19; cf. Psalms 89:37). He is certain that God is a Witness to his innocence and that therefore he is also his Advocate. This seems to be a contradiction, but it is not. It is a mystery in God that is recognized by the converted sinner and for which he worships God. God, Who must judge the sinner, has given His Son. He has not spared His Son so that He may spare the repentant sinner. In this way the believer can say: ‘If God, Who was first against me, is now before me, who could be against me?’ (Romans 8:31).

What to Job is more like a vague hope, we may be sure of. We know that we have an Advocate, Someone we know, our High Priest and Advocate, our Lord Jesus Christ. He lives as High Priest to always intercede for us and to help us in our weaknesses (Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 4:15). He lives as Advocate to restore us in the fellowship with the Father when we have sinned (1 John 2:1).

Job does not need to expect help from his friends. They only scoff at him (Job 16:20). His tears do not arouse pity in them. They are not meant for them either, but for God (Psalms 56:8). God will see them and will, as he believes for certain, examine his case once and then establish his innocence.

In Job 16:21 Job asks for a man to plead with God. By this Job asks God Himself to defend a man with God. Here we see again that wonderful identification of God the Advocate with God the Prosecutor. Job adds another comparison. He says that defending is something a man does with his neighbor. “A man” can also be translated as ‘son of man’. The Lord Jesus often calls Himself “Son of Man” in the Gospels. We who know the Lord Jesus discover here in what Job says the true Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). He is the Umpire of Whom Job has spoken before (Job 9:33), Who lays His hand on both, on God and on man.

For himself Job sees only a few years of life left (Job 16:22). Then he will go the path on which no return is possible. It is the path to the grave. He will go that path, but it will be easier for him to go that path if he can trust that his right will be brought to light within a short time.

Job 35:8

Job Appeals to God

Job again describes his deep sorrow. It is so great, that he speaks of a goat-haired sackcloth that he has sewn over his skin (Job 16:15). With this he indicates that he does not wear a sackcloth temporarily, but that it is inseparably attached to him and that he will never be free of it. His “horn”, a picture of strength, has not been raised, but he has “thrust in the dust”, humiliated, indicating that there is nothing left of his strength.

Job has cried so long that his face is red and swollen (Job 16:16). His eyes resemble the hollow eyes of a dying man through sorrow and the many sleepless nights. He wonders to what he has deserved all this misery and destruction, all this violence that has come upon him. He knows of himself that he has obtained nothing of his possessions by violence (Job 16:17). His closest and dearest cannot accuse him of anything. Toward them he is free in his conscience. Even toward God there is nothing that burdens his conscience. His prayer is pure, without ulterior motives, and free from the hypocrisy of which his friends accuse him (Job 8:6). He can freely express himself toward God.

Job wants the injustice done to him not to be forgotten after his death. Therefore he proclaims to the earth that it should not cover his blood (Job 16:18). Like the blood of Abel, he wants it to continue to cry out to God (Genesis 4:10; Ezekiel 24:7-8), Who is in heaven. If during his suffering he cannot obtain a judgment that justifies him, and so he dies in the eyes of others as a guilty person, then may justice be done through blood vengeance after his death. He wants his cries to continue to sound without rest until he is justified.

Then all of a sudden there is this revival of faith and hope. No matter how much Job had a profound conflict with God, he still hoped for Him. No matter how, out of deep distress and carried away by his emotions, he rages against God, he does not let go of God. He always returns to Him. Satan had claimed that Job would curse God to His face (Job 1:11; Job 2:5), but Job keeps clinging to God.

Job sees God as his Prosecutor, but at the same time as his Witness in heaven (Job 16:19; cf. Psalms 89:37). He is certain that God is a Witness to his innocence and that therefore he is also his Advocate. This seems to be a contradiction, but it is not. It is a mystery in God that is recognized by the converted sinner and for which he worships God. God, Who must judge the sinner, has given His Son. He has not spared His Son so that He may spare the repentant sinner. In this way the believer can say: ‘If God, Who was first against me, is now before me, who could be against me?’ (Romans 8:31).

What to Job is more like a vague hope, we may be sure of. We know that we have an Advocate, Someone we know, our High Priest and Advocate, our Lord Jesus Christ. He lives as High Priest to always intercede for us and to help us in our weaknesses (Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 4:15). He lives as Advocate to restore us in the fellowship with the Father when we have sinned (1 John 2:1).

Job does not need to expect help from his friends. They only scoff at him (Job 16:20). His tears do not arouse pity in them. They are not meant for them either, but for God (Psalms 56:8). God will see them and will, as he believes for certain, examine his case once and then establish his innocence.

In Job 16:21 Job asks for a man to plead with God. By this Job asks God Himself to defend a man with God. Here we see again that wonderful identification of God the Advocate with God the Prosecutor. Job adds another comparison. He says that defending is something a man does with his neighbor. “A man” can also be translated as ‘son of man’. The Lord Jesus often calls Himself “Son of Man” in the Gospels. We who know the Lord Jesus discover here in what Job says the true Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). He is the Umpire of Whom Job has spoken before (Job 9:33), Who lays His hand on both, on God and on man.

For himself Job sees only a few years of life left (Job 16:22). Then he will go the path on which no return is possible. It is the path to the grave. He will go that path, but it will be easier for him to go that path if he can trust that his right will be brought to light within a short time.

Job 35:9

Job Appeals to God

Job again describes his deep sorrow. It is so great, that he speaks of a goat-haired sackcloth that he has sewn over his skin (Job 16:15). With this he indicates that he does not wear a sackcloth temporarily, but that it is inseparably attached to him and that he will never be free of it. His “horn”, a picture of strength, has not been raised, but he has “thrust in the dust”, humiliated, indicating that there is nothing left of his strength.

Job has cried so long that his face is red and swollen (Job 16:16). His eyes resemble the hollow eyes of a dying man through sorrow and the many sleepless nights. He wonders to what he has deserved all this misery and destruction, all this violence that has come upon him. He knows of himself that he has obtained nothing of his possessions by violence (Job 16:17). His closest and dearest cannot accuse him of anything. Toward them he is free in his conscience. Even toward God there is nothing that burdens his conscience. His prayer is pure, without ulterior motives, and free from the hypocrisy of which his friends accuse him (Job 8:6). He can freely express himself toward God.

Job wants the injustice done to him not to be forgotten after his death. Therefore he proclaims to the earth that it should not cover his blood (Job 16:18). Like the blood of Abel, he wants it to continue to cry out to God (Genesis 4:10; Ezekiel 24:7-8), Who is in heaven. If during his suffering he cannot obtain a judgment that justifies him, and so he dies in the eyes of others as a guilty person, then may justice be done through blood vengeance after his death. He wants his cries to continue to sound without rest until he is justified.

Then all of a sudden there is this revival of faith and hope. No matter how much Job had a profound conflict with God, he still hoped for Him. No matter how, out of deep distress and carried away by his emotions, he rages against God, he does not let go of God. He always returns to Him. Satan had claimed that Job would curse God to His face (Job 1:11; Job 2:5), but Job keeps clinging to God.

Job sees God as his Prosecutor, but at the same time as his Witness in heaven (Job 16:19; cf. Psalms 89:37). He is certain that God is a Witness to his innocence and that therefore he is also his Advocate. This seems to be a contradiction, but it is not. It is a mystery in God that is recognized by the converted sinner and for which he worships God. God, Who must judge the sinner, has given His Son. He has not spared His Son so that He may spare the repentant sinner. In this way the believer can say: ‘If God, Who was first against me, is now before me, who could be against me?’ (Romans 8:31).

What to Job is more like a vague hope, we may be sure of. We know that we have an Advocate, Someone we know, our High Priest and Advocate, our Lord Jesus Christ. He lives as High Priest to always intercede for us and to help us in our weaknesses (Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 4:15). He lives as Advocate to restore us in the fellowship with the Father when we have sinned (1 John 2:1).

Job does not need to expect help from his friends. They only scoff at him (Job 16:20). His tears do not arouse pity in them. They are not meant for them either, but for God (Psalms 56:8). God will see them and will, as he believes for certain, examine his case once and then establish his innocence.

In Job 16:21 Job asks for a man to plead with God. By this Job asks God Himself to defend a man with God. Here we see again that wonderful identification of God the Advocate with God the Prosecutor. Job adds another comparison. He says that defending is something a man does with his neighbor. “A man” can also be translated as ‘son of man’. The Lord Jesus often calls Himself “Son of Man” in the Gospels. We who know the Lord Jesus discover here in what Job says the true Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). He is the Umpire of Whom Job has spoken before (Job 9:33), Who lays His hand on both, on God and on man.

For himself Job sees only a few years of life left (Job 16:22). Then he will go the path on which no return is possible. It is the path to the grave. He will go that path, but it will be easier for him to go that path if he can trust that his right will be brought to light within a short time.

Job 35:10

Job Appeals to God

Job again describes his deep sorrow. It is so great, that he speaks of a goat-haired sackcloth that he has sewn over his skin (Job 16:15). With this he indicates that he does not wear a sackcloth temporarily, but that it is inseparably attached to him and that he will never be free of it. His “horn”, a picture of strength, has not been raised, but he has “thrust in the dust”, humiliated, indicating that there is nothing left of his strength.

Job has cried so long that his face is red and swollen (Job 16:16). His eyes resemble the hollow eyes of a dying man through sorrow and the many sleepless nights. He wonders to what he has deserved all this misery and destruction, all this violence that has come upon him. He knows of himself that he has obtained nothing of his possessions by violence (Job 16:17). His closest and dearest cannot accuse him of anything. Toward them he is free in his conscience. Even toward God there is nothing that burdens his conscience. His prayer is pure, without ulterior motives, and free from the hypocrisy of which his friends accuse him (Job 8:6). He can freely express himself toward God.

Job wants the injustice done to him not to be forgotten after his death. Therefore he proclaims to the earth that it should not cover his blood (Job 16:18). Like the blood of Abel, he wants it to continue to cry out to God (Genesis 4:10; Ezekiel 24:7-8), Who is in heaven. If during his suffering he cannot obtain a judgment that justifies him, and so he dies in the eyes of others as a guilty person, then may justice be done through blood vengeance after his death. He wants his cries to continue to sound without rest until he is justified.

Then all of a sudden there is this revival of faith and hope. No matter how much Job had a profound conflict with God, he still hoped for Him. No matter how, out of deep distress and carried away by his emotions, he rages against God, he does not let go of God. He always returns to Him. Satan had claimed that Job would curse God to His face (Job 1:11; Job 2:5), but Job keeps clinging to God.

Job sees God as his Prosecutor, but at the same time as his Witness in heaven (Job 16:19; cf. Psalms 89:37). He is certain that God is a Witness to his innocence and that therefore he is also his Advocate. This seems to be a contradiction, but it is not. It is a mystery in God that is recognized by the converted sinner and for which he worships God. God, Who must judge the sinner, has given His Son. He has not spared His Son so that He may spare the repentant sinner. In this way the believer can say: ‘If God, Who was first against me, is now before me, who could be against me?’ (Romans 8:31).

What to Job is more like a vague hope, we may be sure of. We know that we have an Advocate, Someone we know, our High Priest and Advocate, our Lord Jesus Christ. He lives as High Priest to always intercede for us and to help us in our weaknesses (Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 4:15). He lives as Advocate to restore us in the fellowship with the Father when we have sinned (1 John 2:1).

Job does not need to expect help from his friends. They only scoff at him (Job 16:20). His tears do not arouse pity in them. They are not meant for them either, but for God (Psalms 56:8). God will see them and will, as he believes for certain, examine his case once and then establish his innocence.

In Job 16:21 Job asks for a man to plead with God. By this Job asks God Himself to defend a man with God. Here we see again that wonderful identification of God the Advocate with God the Prosecutor. Job adds another comparison. He says that defending is something a man does with his neighbor. “A man” can also be translated as ‘son of man’. The Lord Jesus often calls Himself “Son of Man” in the Gospels. We who know the Lord Jesus discover here in what Job says the true Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). He is the Umpire of Whom Job has spoken before (Job 9:33), Who lays His hand on both, on God and on man.

For himself Job sees only a few years of life left (Job 16:22). Then he will go the path on which no return is possible. It is the path to the grave. He will go that path, but it will be easier for him to go that path if he can trust that his right will be brought to light within a short time.

Job 35:11

Job Appeals to God

Job again describes his deep sorrow. It is so great, that he speaks of a goat-haired sackcloth that he has sewn over his skin (Job 16:15). With this he indicates that he does not wear a sackcloth temporarily, but that it is inseparably attached to him and that he will never be free of it. His “horn”, a picture of strength, has not been raised, but he has “thrust in the dust”, humiliated, indicating that there is nothing left of his strength.

Job has cried so long that his face is red and swollen (Job 16:16). His eyes resemble the hollow eyes of a dying man through sorrow and the many sleepless nights. He wonders to what he has deserved all this misery and destruction, all this violence that has come upon him. He knows of himself that he has obtained nothing of his possessions by violence (Job 16:17). His closest and dearest cannot accuse him of anything. Toward them he is free in his conscience. Even toward God there is nothing that burdens his conscience. His prayer is pure, without ulterior motives, and free from the hypocrisy of which his friends accuse him (Job 8:6). He can freely express himself toward God.

Job wants the injustice done to him not to be forgotten after his death. Therefore he proclaims to the earth that it should not cover his blood (Job 16:18). Like the blood of Abel, he wants it to continue to cry out to God (Genesis 4:10; Ezekiel 24:7-8), Who is in heaven. If during his suffering he cannot obtain a judgment that justifies him, and so he dies in the eyes of others as a guilty person, then may justice be done through blood vengeance after his death. He wants his cries to continue to sound without rest until he is justified.

Then all of a sudden there is this revival of faith and hope. No matter how much Job had a profound conflict with God, he still hoped for Him. No matter how, out of deep distress and carried away by his emotions, he rages against God, he does not let go of God. He always returns to Him. Satan had claimed that Job would curse God to His face (Job 1:11; Job 2:5), but Job keeps clinging to God.

Job sees God as his Prosecutor, but at the same time as his Witness in heaven (Job 16:19; cf. Psalms 89:37). He is certain that God is a Witness to his innocence and that therefore he is also his Advocate. This seems to be a contradiction, but it is not. It is a mystery in God that is recognized by the converted sinner and for which he worships God. God, Who must judge the sinner, has given His Son. He has not spared His Son so that He may spare the repentant sinner. In this way the believer can say: ‘If God, Who was first against me, is now before me, who could be against me?’ (Romans 8:31).

What to Job is more like a vague hope, we may be sure of. We know that we have an Advocate, Someone we know, our High Priest and Advocate, our Lord Jesus Christ. He lives as High Priest to always intercede for us and to help us in our weaknesses (Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 4:15). He lives as Advocate to restore us in the fellowship with the Father when we have sinned (1 John 2:1).

Job does not need to expect help from his friends. They only scoff at him (Job 16:20). His tears do not arouse pity in them. They are not meant for them either, but for God (Psalms 56:8). God will see them and will, as he believes for certain, examine his case once and then establish his innocence.

In Job 16:21 Job asks for a man to plead with God. By this Job asks God Himself to defend a man with God. Here we see again that wonderful identification of God the Advocate with God the Prosecutor. Job adds another comparison. He says that defending is something a man does with his neighbor. “A man” can also be translated as ‘son of man’. The Lord Jesus often calls Himself “Son of Man” in the Gospels. We who know the Lord Jesus discover here in what Job says the true Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). He is the Umpire of Whom Job has spoken before (Job 9:33), Who lays His hand on both, on God and on man.

For himself Job sees only a few years of life left (Job 16:22). Then he will go the path on which no return is possible. It is the path to the grave. He will go that path, but it will be easier for him to go that path if he can trust that his right will be brought to light within a short time.

Job 35:12

Job Appeals to God

Job again describes his deep sorrow. It is so great, that he speaks of a goat-haired sackcloth that he has sewn over his skin (Job 16:15). With this he indicates that he does not wear a sackcloth temporarily, but that it is inseparably attached to him and that he will never be free of it. His “horn”, a picture of strength, has not been raised, but he has “thrust in the dust”, humiliated, indicating that there is nothing left of his strength.

Job has cried so long that his face is red and swollen (Job 16:16). His eyes resemble the hollow eyes of a dying man through sorrow and the many sleepless nights. He wonders to what he has deserved all this misery and destruction, all this violence that has come upon him. He knows of himself that he has obtained nothing of his possessions by violence (Job 16:17). His closest and dearest cannot accuse him of anything. Toward them he is free in his conscience. Even toward God there is nothing that burdens his conscience. His prayer is pure, without ulterior motives, and free from the hypocrisy of which his friends accuse him (Job 8:6). He can freely express himself toward God.

Job wants the injustice done to him not to be forgotten after his death. Therefore he proclaims to the earth that it should not cover his blood (Job 16:18). Like the blood of Abel, he wants it to continue to cry out to God (Genesis 4:10; Ezekiel 24:7-8), Who is in heaven. If during his suffering he cannot obtain a judgment that justifies him, and so he dies in the eyes of others as a guilty person, then may justice be done through blood vengeance after his death. He wants his cries to continue to sound without rest until he is justified.

Then all of a sudden there is this revival of faith and hope. No matter how much Job had a profound conflict with God, he still hoped for Him. No matter how, out of deep distress and carried away by his emotions, he rages against God, he does not let go of God. He always returns to Him. Satan had claimed that Job would curse God to His face (Job 1:11; Job 2:5), but Job keeps clinging to God.

Job sees God as his Prosecutor, but at the same time as his Witness in heaven (Job 16:19; cf. Psalms 89:37). He is certain that God is a Witness to his innocence and that therefore he is also his Advocate. This seems to be a contradiction, but it is not. It is a mystery in God that is recognized by the converted sinner and for which he worships God. God, Who must judge the sinner, has given His Son. He has not spared His Son so that He may spare the repentant sinner. In this way the believer can say: ‘If God, Who was first against me, is now before me, who could be against me?’ (Romans 8:31).

What to Job is more like a vague hope, we may be sure of. We know that we have an Advocate, Someone we know, our High Priest and Advocate, our Lord Jesus Christ. He lives as High Priest to always intercede for us and to help us in our weaknesses (Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 4:15). He lives as Advocate to restore us in the fellowship with the Father when we have sinned (1 John 2:1).

Job does not need to expect help from his friends. They only scoff at him (Job 16:20). His tears do not arouse pity in them. They are not meant for them either, but for God (Psalms 56:8). God will see them and will, as he believes for certain, examine his case once and then establish his innocence.

In Job 16:21 Job asks for a man to plead with God. By this Job asks God Himself to defend a man with God. Here we see again that wonderful identification of God the Advocate with God the Prosecutor. Job adds another comparison. He says that defending is something a man does with his neighbor. “A man” can also be translated as ‘son of man’. The Lord Jesus often calls Himself “Son of Man” in the Gospels. We who know the Lord Jesus discover here in what Job says the true Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). He is the Umpire of Whom Job has spoken before (Job 9:33), Who lays His hand on both, on God and on man.

For himself Job sees only a few years of life left (Job 16:22). Then he will go the path on which no return is possible. It is the path to the grave. He will go that path, but it will be easier for him to go that path if he can trust that his right will be brought to light within a short time.

Job 35:14

The Experience of Bitter Trial

Job continues his answer to Eliphaz. Job 17:1 connects directly with the previous chapter. Job sees that his life is a decreasing matter (Job 16:22). His spiritual power is broken. The energy of earlier days is extinguished. The grave is waiting for him. He has nothing to look forward to except death and the grave. He sees no hope of righteousness or relief from his misery in this life. Even when he looks around him, there is nothing from which he can draw any hope for change for the better. His friends surround him with mockery, so Job experiences (Job 17:2). He observes them also in the night, and in its darkness, he feels the bitterness of mockery all the more.

Nobody wants to assist Job. That is why Job addresses himself directly to God again with the question whether He wants to be a pledge for him with God Himself (Job 17:3). A pledge is one who takes on the case of another and represents him in court. He acts as guarantor and undertakes to pay if the other defaults. Though Job may feel himself treated by God as an enemy, he does not turn away from God. On the contrary, he appeals to the God Who is crushing him. Here we see again how Job miraculously identifies God the Prosecutor with God the Defender.

1. The only place of safety for Job is with the same God Who attacks him. 2. His only refuge is with the God Who destroys him. 3. He puts His trust in Him Who drives him to despair. 4. He calls to God to defend him against the God Who condemns him. 5. He asks God to deliver him from the God Who makes him His prisoner.

We can say that Job trusts in God in spite of God. He has proclaimed before that he continues to hope even if God kills him (Job 13:15). He knows that in the end he can’t go to anyone but God for help. He is also deeply convinced that only God is faithful in what He promises, that He keeps His word. Job expresses this in the question who else is there that will be his guarantor and then actually keep his promise. Only God can do this, not a man (cf. Proverbs 17:18; Proverbs 11:15; Proverbs 22:26).

He cannot expect anything from his friends. They have no heart to understand his suffering (Job 17:4). Job attributes their lack of heart to God. God has closed their heart for understanding because they unleash their own theological ideas on Job. In it they show that they have a completely wrong view of God. They reason on the basis of their own views of God and not on the basis of fellowship with God.

It is impossible to have a good view of God without having a relationship with Him. It is not a matter of reason, but of the heart. That is why they do not deserve to be honored. In the dialogue with Job, God will not exalt them. We also see this at the end of the book, where we read that God’s wrath is kindled against the friends because they have not spoken of Him what is right (Job 42:7).

Job, following a saying, describes his friends in Job 17:5 as people who call themselves friends but do not behave like friends, because they behave without mercy. They pretend to be a benefactor who comes to distribute something. They have come to Job to give him comfort. But there is something unnatural in their performance. While the benefactor distributes, the eyes of his children languish, which means that he ignores his first responsibility. Through his performance, the children go to ruin.

The saying makes it clear how the friends deal with Job and what the consequences will be for them. What they sow – sue a friend – they will reap – harm their most precious possessions. They forget that he is their friend who needs pity and not the blows they inflict on him.

Then Job says that God humbles him and has made him a byword of the people (Job 17:6). The bystanders have made known the misery of Job far and wide. He feels he is being spat in the face by them. With this he indicates how deeply he feels despised by them. The fact that he has become a byword among the peoples is also literally true today. The saying ‘as poor as Job’s turkey’ is used for someone who has nothing left.

Behind the contempt of his friends, Job sees God’s actions. He takes everything from the hand of God and that also causes and doubles his inner struggles. In addition to the struggles caused by his suffering, there are also the struggles caused by the incomprehension and defamation of friends and acquaintances.

The Lord Jesus was literally spat in the face (Isaiah 50:6). He took this also from the hand of God. With Him, however, this did not cause a struggle with God, but identification with God. He could say to God: “The reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me” (Psalms 69:9b). Nor was there any rebellion with Him, but submission (1 Peter 2:23).

Through all the grief that tore Job apart, his eye became dull (Job 17:7; cf. Job 16:16). Someone who weeps fiercely, so that the eyes are filled with tears, sees nothing anymore. His eyes are hollow and dark surrounded by the many tears, the many griefs, the sleepless nights, and his sickness. Jobs members, his head and chest and arms and legs, are just skin and bone. He is so emaciated that his members are nothing more than a shadow. His body has become a skeleton. There’s nothing substantial about him anymore.

What has happened to Job, and of which the friends accuse him, will fill sincere people with horror when they hear of it (Job 17:8). Innocent people, people who, like Job, have nothing evil on their conscience, will turn against the hypocrite just like him. Job is accused of hypocrisy by his friends, but he is not a hypocrite. He turns against a hypocrite, just like any innocent man does.

Job defends himself against the false accusations of his friends. He is a righteous one and will hold to his way (Job 17:9). The way he has gone is a way on which his hands have remained clean. He has not committed any dishonest acts. The hidden sins of which his friends accuse him, are not with him. Therefore, the strength of his defense will not weaken, but rather increase.

Then he makes an urgent appeal to the friends, to “all of you”, that they will turn back anyway and come again (Job 17:10). He wants them to turn back to repent of the accusations they make against him. If they do, they may come to him again. All three of them have spoken, but none of them has revealed himself as a sage. Job has searched for such a person among them, but everything the friends have said has not revealed that any of them is a wise one. All three of them spoke from the same conviction: Job suffers heavily, God brings suffering as punishment for sin, so Job has sinned heavily.

Job resumes the complaint about his fate in Job 17:11. His suffering is indeed very heavy. Just as in Job 17:1 he summarizes it in three powerful sentences. His days are over; his plans are frustrated; his wishes are unfulfilled. The end station of his life, death, is fast approaching. He says strongly that his plans “are torn apart”. They have not failed, but the possibility of seeing the desires of his heart fulfilled has been violently taken away from him. His hopes are gone to achieve the goals he had for his life someday.

For a human being, one of the most difficult things of death is that by dying, he can no longer realize any of his plans. The ambitions he cherished remain unfulfilled. The work he was doing remains unfinished. He can no longer finish what he was doing and achieve nothing he was on his way to. His life feels unfinished. How many plans end up on the ‘unfinished plans’ pile every day due to death? That goes for both good and bad plans.

For the unconverted man, it is to be hoped that through this reality he will resort to Christ Who has accomplished a work that is truly completely finished. For the believer it is to wish that he makes his plans so that he can be called away by God at any moment. Making plans is good, as long as we know that they are plans that have God’s approval. Then it is His plans with us. Then He also determines when our work on His plan is done. It is up to Him to continue His plan through others.

The friends have suggested to Job that the night of misery in which he finds himself may turn into day (Job 17:12). Thus Job summarizes the “wise” message of the three friends. All he has to do, according to them, is confess his sins. The light is so near, within reach, despite the darkness. As long as he listens to them. Haven’t they told him time and again that God is punishing him and that God is doing so because he has sinned? Let him just see that. Then the day will come for him and the light will shine in his life, while the night and darkness will depart.

The friends may say so, but it is only their own assumptions that they base on their theology. Their assumptions do not match reality, that is to say, the way God sees it. This is because they have no relationship with God. That is why their theology is not correct. Without a relationship with God it is impossible to understand God’s thoughts.

Job 35:15

The Experience of Bitter Trial

Job continues his answer to Eliphaz. Job 17:1 connects directly with the previous chapter. Job sees that his life is a decreasing matter (Job 16:22). His spiritual power is broken. The energy of earlier days is extinguished. The grave is waiting for him. He has nothing to look forward to except death and the grave. He sees no hope of righteousness or relief from his misery in this life. Even when he looks around him, there is nothing from which he can draw any hope for change for the better. His friends surround him with mockery, so Job experiences (Job 17:2). He observes them also in the night, and in its darkness, he feels the bitterness of mockery all the more.

Nobody wants to assist Job. That is why Job addresses himself directly to God again with the question whether He wants to be a pledge for him with God Himself (Job 17:3). A pledge is one who takes on the case of another and represents him in court. He acts as guarantor and undertakes to pay if the other defaults. Though Job may feel himself treated by God as an enemy, he does not turn away from God. On the contrary, he appeals to the God Who is crushing him. Here we see again how Job miraculously identifies God the Prosecutor with God the Defender.

1. The only place of safety for Job is with the same God Who attacks him. 2. His only refuge is with the God Who destroys him. 3. He puts His trust in Him Who drives him to despair. 4. He calls to God to defend him against the God Who condemns him. 5. He asks God to deliver him from the God Who makes him His prisoner.

We can say that Job trusts in God in spite of God. He has proclaimed before that he continues to hope even if God kills him (Job 13:15). He knows that in the end he can’t go to anyone but God for help. He is also deeply convinced that only God is faithful in what He promises, that He keeps His word. Job expresses this in the question who else is there that will be his guarantor and then actually keep his promise. Only God can do this, not a man (cf. Proverbs 17:18; Proverbs 11:15; Proverbs 22:26).

He cannot expect anything from his friends. They have no heart to understand his suffering (Job 17:4). Job attributes their lack of heart to God. God has closed their heart for understanding because they unleash their own theological ideas on Job. In it they show that they have a completely wrong view of God. They reason on the basis of their own views of God and not on the basis of fellowship with God.

It is impossible to have a good view of God without having a relationship with Him. It is not a matter of reason, but of the heart. That is why they do not deserve to be honored. In the dialogue with Job, God will not exalt them. We also see this at the end of the book, where we read that God’s wrath is kindled against the friends because they have not spoken of Him what is right (Job 42:7).

Job, following a saying, describes his friends in Job 17:5 as people who call themselves friends but do not behave like friends, because they behave without mercy. They pretend to be a benefactor who comes to distribute something. They have come to Job to give him comfort. But there is something unnatural in their performance. While the benefactor distributes, the eyes of his children languish, which means that he ignores his first responsibility. Through his performance, the children go to ruin.

The saying makes it clear how the friends deal with Job and what the consequences will be for them. What they sow – sue a friend – they will reap – harm their most precious possessions. They forget that he is their friend who needs pity and not the blows they inflict on him.

Then Job says that God humbles him and has made him a byword of the people (Job 17:6). The bystanders have made known the misery of Job far and wide. He feels he is being spat in the face by them. With this he indicates how deeply he feels despised by them. The fact that he has become a byword among the peoples is also literally true today. The saying ‘as poor as Job’s turkey’ is used for someone who has nothing left.

Behind the contempt of his friends, Job sees God’s actions. He takes everything from the hand of God and that also causes and doubles his inner struggles. In addition to the struggles caused by his suffering, there are also the struggles caused by the incomprehension and defamation of friends and acquaintances.

The Lord Jesus was literally spat in the face (Isaiah 50:6). He took this also from the hand of God. With Him, however, this did not cause a struggle with God, but identification with God. He could say to God: “The reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me” (Psalms 69:9b). Nor was there any rebellion with Him, but submission (1 Peter 2:23).

Through all the grief that tore Job apart, his eye became dull (Job 17:7; cf. Job 16:16). Someone who weeps fiercely, so that the eyes are filled with tears, sees nothing anymore. His eyes are hollow and dark surrounded by the many tears, the many griefs, the sleepless nights, and his sickness. Jobs members, his head and chest and arms and legs, are just skin and bone. He is so emaciated that his members are nothing more than a shadow. His body has become a skeleton. There’s nothing substantial about him anymore.

What has happened to Job, and of which the friends accuse him, will fill sincere people with horror when they hear of it (Job 17:8). Innocent people, people who, like Job, have nothing evil on their conscience, will turn against the hypocrite just like him. Job is accused of hypocrisy by his friends, but he is not a hypocrite. He turns against a hypocrite, just like any innocent man does.

Job defends himself against the false accusations of his friends. He is a righteous one and will hold to his way (Job 17:9). The way he has gone is a way on which his hands have remained clean. He has not committed any dishonest acts. The hidden sins of which his friends accuse him, are not with him. Therefore, the strength of his defense will not weaken, but rather increase.

Then he makes an urgent appeal to the friends, to “all of you”, that they will turn back anyway and come again (Job 17:10). He wants them to turn back to repent of the accusations they make against him. If they do, they may come to him again. All three of them have spoken, but none of them has revealed himself as a sage. Job has searched for such a person among them, but everything the friends have said has not revealed that any of them is a wise one. All three of them spoke from the same conviction: Job suffers heavily, God brings suffering as punishment for sin, so Job has sinned heavily.

Job resumes the complaint about his fate in Job 17:11. His suffering is indeed very heavy. Just as in Job 17:1 he summarizes it in three powerful sentences. His days are over; his plans are frustrated; his wishes are unfulfilled. The end station of his life, death, is fast approaching. He says strongly that his plans “are torn apart”. They have not failed, but the possibility of seeing the desires of his heart fulfilled has been violently taken away from him. His hopes are gone to achieve the goals he had for his life someday.

For a human being, one of the most difficult things of death is that by dying, he can no longer realize any of his plans. The ambitions he cherished remain unfulfilled. The work he was doing remains unfinished. He can no longer finish what he was doing and achieve nothing he was on his way to. His life feels unfinished. How many plans end up on the ‘unfinished plans’ pile every day due to death? That goes for both good and bad plans.

For the unconverted man, it is to be hoped that through this reality he will resort to Christ Who has accomplished a work that is truly completely finished. For the believer it is to wish that he makes his plans so that he can be called away by God at any moment. Making plans is good, as long as we know that they are plans that have God’s approval. Then it is His plans with us. Then He also determines when our work on His plan is done. It is up to Him to continue His plan through others.

The friends have suggested to Job that the night of misery in which he finds himself may turn into day (Job 17:12). Thus Job summarizes the “wise” message of the three friends. All he has to do, according to them, is confess his sins. The light is so near, within reach, despite the darkness. As long as he listens to them. Haven’t they told him time and again that God is punishing him and that God is doing so because he has sinned? Let him just see that. Then the day will come for him and the light will shine in his life, while the night and darkness will depart.

The friends may say so, but it is only their own assumptions that they base on their theology. Their assumptions do not match reality, that is to say, the way God sees it. This is because they have no relationship with God. That is why their theology is not correct. Without a relationship with God it is impossible to understand God’s thoughts.

Job 35:16

The Experience of Bitter Trial

Job continues his answer to Eliphaz. Job 17:1 connects directly with the previous chapter. Job sees that his life is a decreasing matter (Job 16:22). His spiritual power is broken. The energy of earlier days is extinguished. The grave is waiting for him. He has nothing to look forward to except death and the grave. He sees no hope of righteousness or relief from his misery in this life. Even when he looks around him, there is nothing from which he can draw any hope for change for the better. His friends surround him with mockery, so Job experiences (Job 17:2). He observes them also in the night, and in its darkness, he feels the bitterness of mockery all the more.

Nobody wants to assist Job. That is why Job addresses himself directly to God again with the question whether He wants to be a pledge for him with God Himself (Job 17:3). A pledge is one who takes on the case of another and represents him in court. He acts as guarantor and undertakes to pay if the other defaults. Though Job may feel himself treated by God as an enemy, he does not turn away from God. On the contrary, he appeals to the God Who is crushing him. Here we see again how Job miraculously identifies God the Prosecutor with God the Defender.

1. The only place of safety for Job is with the same God Who attacks him. 2. His only refuge is with the God Who destroys him. 3. He puts His trust in Him Who drives him to despair. 4. He calls to God to defend him against the God Who condemns him. 5. He asks God to deliver him from the God Who makes him His prisoner.

We can say that Job trusts in God in spite of God. He has proclaimed before that he continues to hope even if God kills him (Job 13:15). He knows that in the end he can’t go to anyone but God for help. He is also deeply convinced that only God is faithful in what He promises, that He keeps His word. Job expresses this in the question who else is there that will be his guarantor and then actually keep his promise. Only God can do this, not a man (cf. Proverbs 17:18; Proverbs 11:15; Proverbs 22:26).

He cannot expect anything from his friends. They have no heart to understand his suffering (Job 17:4). Job attributes their lack of heart to God. God has closed their heart for understanding because they unleash their own theological ideas on Job. In it they show that they have a completely wrong view of God. They reason on the basis of their own views of God and not on the basis of fellowship with God.

It is impossible to have a good view of God without having a relationship with Him. It is not a matter of reason, but of the heart. That is why they do not deserve to be honored. In the dialogue with Job, God will not exalt them. We also see this at the end of the book, where we read that God’s wrath is kindled against the friends because they have not spoken of Him what is right (Job 42:7).

Job, following a saying, describes his friends in Job 17:5 as people who call themselves friends but do not behave like friends, because they behave without mercy. They pretend to be a benefactor who comes to distribute something. They have come to Job to give him comfort. But there is something unnatural in their performance. While the benefactor distributes, the eyes of his children languish, which means that he ignores his first responsibility. Through his performance, the children go to ruin.

The saying makes it clear how the friends deal with Job and what the consequences will be for them. What they sow – sue a friend – they will reap – harm their most precious possessions. They forget that he is their friend who needs pity and not the blows they inflict on him.

Then Job says that God humbles him and has made him a byword of the people (Job 17:6). The bystanders have made known the misery of Job far and wide. He feels he is being spat in the face by them. With this he indicates how deeply he feels despised by them. The fact that he has become a byword among the peoples is also literally true today. The saying ‘as poor as Job’s turkey’ is used for someone who has nothing left.

Behind the contempt of his friends, Job sees God’s actions. He takes everything from the hand of God and that also causes and doubles his inner struggles. In addition to the struggles caused by his suffering, there are also the struggles caused by the incomprehension and defamation of friends and acquaintances.

The Lord Jesus was literally spat in the face (Isaiah 50:6). He took this also from the hand of God. With Him, however, this did not cause a struggle with God, but identification with God. He could say to God: “The reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me” (Psalms 69:9b). Nor was there any rebellion with Him, but submission (1 Peter 2:23).

Through all the grief that tore Job apart, his eye became dull (Job 17:7; cf. Job 16:16). Someone who weeps fiercely, so that the eyes are filled with tears, sees nothing anymore. His eyes are hollow and dark surrounded by the many tears, the many griefs, the sleepless nights, and his sickness. Jobs members, his head and chest and arms and legs, are just skin and bone. He is so emaciated that his members are nothing more than a shadow. His body has become a skeleton. There’s nothing substantial about him anymore.

What has happened to Job, and of which the friends accuse him, will fill sincere people with horror when they hear of it (Job 17:8). Innocent people, people who, like Job, have nothing evil on their conscience, will turn against the hypocrite just like him. Job is accused of hypocrisy by his friends, but he is not a hypocrite. He turns against a hypocrite, just like any innocent man does.

Job defends himself against the false accusations of his friends. He is a righteous one and will hold to his way (Job 17:9). The way he has gone is a way on which his hands have remained clean. He has not committed any dishonest acts. The hidden sins of which his friends accuse him, are not with him. Therefore, the strength of his defense will not weaken, but rather increase.

Then he makes an urgent appeal to the friends, to “all of you”, that they will turn back anyway and come again (Job 17:10). He wants them to turn back to repent of the accusations they make against him. If they do, they may come to him again. All three of them have spoken, but none of them has revealed himself as a sage. Job has searched for such a person among them, but everything the friends have said has not revealed that any of them is a wise one. All three of them spoke from the same conviction: Job suffers heavily, God brings suffering as punishment for sin, so Job has sinned heavily.

Job resumes the complaint about his fate in Job 17:11. His suffering is indeed very heavy. Just as in Job 17:1 he summarizes it in three powerful sentences. His days are over; his plans are frustrated; his wishes are unfulfilled. The end station of his life, death, is fast approaching. He says strongly that his plans “are torn apart”. They have not failed, but the possibility of seeing the desires of his heart fulfilled has been violently taken away from him. His hopes are gone to achieve the goals he had for his life someday.

For a human being, one of the most difficult things of death is that by dying, he can no longer realize any of his plans. The ambitions he cherished remain unfulfilled. The work he was doing remains unfinished. He can no longer finish what he was doing and achieve nothing he was on his way to. His life feels unfinished. How many plans end up on the ‘unfinished plans’ pile every day due to death? That goes for both good and bad plans.

For the unconverted man, it is to be hoped that through this reality he will resort to Christ Who has accomplished a work that is truly completely finished. For the believer it is to wish that he makes his plans so that he can be called away by God at any moment. Making plans is good, as long as we know that they are plans that have God’s approval. Then it is His plans with us. Then He also determines when our work on His plan is done. It is up to Him to continue His plan through others.

The friends have suggested to Job that the night of misery in which he finds himself may turn into day (Job 17:12). Thus Job summarizes the “wise” message of the three friends. All he has to do, according to them, is confess his sins. The light is so near, within reach, despite the darkness. As long as he listens to them. Haven’t they told him time and again that God is punishing him and that God is doing so because he has sinned? Let him just see that. Then the day will come for him and the light will shine in his life, while the night and darkness will depart.

The friends may say so, but it is only their own assumptions that they base on their theology. Their assumptions do not match reality, that is to say, the way God sees it. This is because they have no relationship with God. That is why their theology is not correct. Without a relationship with God it is impossible to understand God’s thoughts.