Job 36

Job 36:1

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 36:2

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 36:3

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 36:4

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 36:5

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 36:6

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 36:7

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 36:8

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 36:9

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 36:10

The Dark View of Sheol

Contrary to the misrepresentation the friends give about a life in the light that Job could share (Job 17:12), Job speaks of what really awaits him (Job 17:13). He sees Sheol as his home and the darkness as the atmosphere where he spreads his bed to finally rest. He calls the pit “my father” (Job 17:14). He calls the worm, the maggot, who feed on dead bodies, “my mother and my sister”. He also sees them as blood relatives. Job sees himself in a family relationship with death and the pit and the maggots that are there; otherwise he has nothing left.

His view of Sheol and the darkness and the close connection with it completely shut him off to anything else. There is nothing on which he could pin his hopes (Job 17:15). His plans and desires (Job 17:11), all his perspectives, will “go down with me to Sheol” (Job 17:16). Then his body and his plans will have returned to the dust (Genesis 3:19).

Job 36:11

The Dark View of Sheol

Contrary to the misrepresentation the friends give about a life in the light that Job could share (Job 17:12), Job speaks of what really awaits him (Job 17:13). He sees Sheol as his home and the darkness as the atmosphere where he spreads his bed to finally rest. He calls the pit “my father” (Job 17:14). He calls the worm, the maggot, who feed on dead bodies, “my mother and my sister”. He also sees them as blood relatives. Job sees himself in a family relationship with death and the pit and the maggots that are there; otherwise he has nothing left.

His view of Sheol and the darkness and the close connection with it completely shut him off to anything else. There is nothing on which he could pin his hopes (Job 17:15). His plans and desires (Job 17:11), all his perspectives, will “go down with me to Sheol” (Job 17:16). Then his body and his plans will have returned to the dust (Genesis 3:19).

Job 36:12

The Dark View of Sheol

Contrary to the misrepresentation the friends give about a life in the light that Job could share (Job 17:12), Job speaks of what really awaits him (Job 17:13). He sees Sheol as his home and the darkness as the atmosphere where he spreads his bed to finally rest. He calls the pit “my father” (Job 17:14). He calls the worm, the maggot, who feed on dead bodies, “my mother and my sister”. He also sees them as blood relatives. Job sees himself in a family relationship with death and the pit and the maggots that are there; otherwise he has nothing left.

His view of Sheol and the darkness and the close connection with it completely shut him off to anything else. There is nothing on which he could pin his hopes (Job 17:15). His plans and desires (Job 17:11), all his perspectives, will “go down with me to Sheol” (Job 17:16). Then his body and his plans will have returned to the dust (Genesis 3:19).

Job 36:13

The Dark View of Sheol

Contrary to the misrepresentation the friends give about a life in the light that Job could share (Job 17:12), Job speaks of what really awaits him (Job 17:13). He sees Sheol as his home and the darkness as the atmosphere where he spreads his bed to finally rest. He calls the pit “my father” (Job 17:14). He calls the worm, the maggot, who feed on dead bodies, “my mother and my sister”. He also sees them as blood relatives. Job sees himself in a family relationship with death and the pit and the maggots that are there; otherwise he has nothing left.

His view of Sheol and the darkness and the close connection with it completely shut him off to anything else. There is nothing on which he could pin his hopes (Job 17:15). His plans and desires (Job 17:11), all his perspectives, will “go down with me to Sheol” (Job 17:16). Then his body and his plans will have returned to the dust (Genesis 3:19).

Job 36:15

Introduction

In this chapter Bildad’s second speech follows. In it he too is sharper in his judgment of Job than in his first speech. He neither advises nor counsels Job, but merely charges against him accusation on accusation. His condemnation of Job is razor-sharp. His approach has not changed. He follows the pattern of his friends. This means that he continues to accuse Job of sins as the cause of his suffering according to the reasoning:

1. Evil people are punished by God. 2. Job is punished by God. 3. Job must be an evil man.

With his analysis of Job’s situation, Bildad proves once again that he is totally incapable of understanding any of the questions that torment Job. Job has rightly spoken of “sorry comforters” (Job 16:2). Bildad is simply on a completely different wavelength. We hear from God’s mouth at the end of this book that he is completely wrong with his judgment and condemnation.

From the certainty with which Bildad speaks, we have to learn that in our most established beliefs we may be completely wrong. We are just as responsible for our beliefs as we are for our words and actions. The only one who can give us the right thoughts and pure feelings is God. He alone can give wisdom and strength to properly deal with our beliefs toward others.

New Reproaches

When Job has finished his reaction to Eliphaz’s second speech, Bildad takes the floor for the second time (Job 18:1). Again he has heard so much from Job’s mouth, which is contrary to his theology, that he cannot keep his mouth shut and has to answer Job. He begins by accusing Job of continuing to oppose the arguments of his friends (Job 18:2). They have come to give him an insight into the cause of his suffering. If he now acknowledges this, they can continue to speak.

With this Bildad says that there is really no point in continuing to talk to Job if he sticks to his stubborn view of his situation. Nevertheless, he does not wait for Job’s reaction and continues his sharp argument imperturbably. Bildad is blind to the fact that in reality it is exactly the other way around. He and his friends don’t want to admit how stubborn they are. Their increasingly severe accusations are the result of not getting a grip on Job. The fact that he addresses Job in the plural (“you” is plural here) means that he sees in Job the representative of a certain class of people who question the position of the friends.

The reproach to Job that he considers the friends to be stupid, mindless beasts (Job 18:3) shows hurt pride. Job takes an attitude in their eyes that he does not even want to touch them, as if they were unclean. Bildad and his friends feel very offended by Job’s reaction. He pays no attention at all to their vision. They came with all their wisdom and intellect to help Job understand his situation, and now Job dares to portray them as stupid “beasts”. People who have a high opinion of themselves feel very hurt when others do not acknowledge this. They will not come to their senses and humiliate themselves, but humiliate the other.

Job 36:16

Introduction

In this chapter Bildad’s second speech follows. In it he too is sharper in his judgment of Job than in his first speech. He neither advises nor counsels Job, but merely charges against him accusation on accusation. His condemnation of Job is razor-sharp. His approach has not changed. He follows the pattern of his friends. This means that he continues to accuse Job of sins as the cause of his suffering according to the reasoning:

1. Evil people are punished by God. 2. Job is punished by God. 3. Job must be an evil man.

With his analysis of Job’s situation, Bildad proves once again that he is totally incapable of understanding any of the questions that torment Job. Job has rightly spoken of “sorry comforters” (Job 16:2). Bildad is simply on a completely different wavelength. We hear from God’s mouth at the end of this book that he is completely wrong with his judgment and condemnation.

From the certainty with which Bildad speaks, we have to learn that in our most established beliefs we may be completely wrong. We are just as responsible for our beliefs as we are for our words and actions. The only one who can give us the right thoughts and pure feelings is God. He alone can give wisdom and strength to properly deal with our beliefs toward others.

New Reproaches

When Job has finished his reaction to Eliphaz’s second speech, Bildad takes the floor for the second time (Job 18:1). Again he has heard so much from Job’s mouth, which is contrary to his theology, that he cannot keep his mouth shut and has to answer Job. He begins by accusing Job of continuing to oppose the arguments of his friends (Job 18:2). They have come to give him an insight into the cause of his suffering. If he now acknowledges this, they can continue to speak.

With this Bildad says that there is really no point in continuing to talk to Job if he sticks to his stubborn view of his situation. Nevertheless, he does not wait for Job’s reaction and continues his sharp argument imperturbably. Bildad is blind to the fact that in reality it is exactly the other way around. He and his friends don’t want to admit how stubborn they are. Their increasingly severe accusations are the result of not getting a grip on Job. The fact that he addresses Job in the plural (“you” is plural here) means that he sees in Job the representative of a certain class of people who question the position of the friends.

The reproach to Job that he considers the friends to be stupid, mindless beasts (Job 18:3) shows hurt pride. Job takes an attitude in their eyes that he does not even want to touch them, as if they were unclean. Bildad and his friends feel very offended by Job’s reaction. He pays no attention at all to their vision. They came with all their wisdom and intellect to help Job understand his situation, and now Job dares to portray them as stupid “beasts”. People who have a high opinion of themselves feel very hurt when others do not acknowledge this. They will not come to their senses and humiliate themselves, but humiliate the other.

Job 36:17

Introduction

In this chapter Bildad’s second speech follows. In it he too is sharper in his judgment of Job than in his first speech. He neither advises nor counsels Job, but merely charges against him accusation on accusation. His condemnation of Job is razor-sharp. His approach has not changed. He follows the pattern of his friends. This means that he continues to accuse Job of sins as the cause of his suffering according to the reasoning:

1. Evil people are punished by God. 2. Job is punished by God. 3. Job must be an evil man.

With his analysis of Job’s situation, Bildad proves once again that he is totally incapable of understanding any of the questions that torment Job. Job has rightly spoken of “sorry comforters” (Job 16:2). Bildad is simply on a completely different wavelength. We hear from God’s mouth at the end of this book that he is completely wrong with his judgment and condemnation.

From the certainty with which Bildad speaks, we have to learn that in our most established beliefs we may be completely wrong. We are just as responsible for our beliefs as we are for our words and actions. The only one who can give us the right thoughts and pure feelings is God. He alone can give wisdom and strength to properly deal with our beliefs toward others.

New Reproaches

When Job has finished his reaction to Eliphaz’s second speech, Bildad takes the floor for the second time (Job 18:1). Again he has heard so much from Job’s mouth, which is contrary to his theology, that he cannot keep his mouth shut and has to answer Job. He begins by accusing Job of continuing to oppose the arguments of his friends (Job 18:2). They have come to give him an insight into the cause of his suffering. If he now acknowledges this, they can continue to speak.

With this Bildad says that there is really no point in continuing to talk to Job if he sticks to his stubborn view of his situation. Nevertheless, he does not wait for Job’s reaction and continues his sharp argument imperturbably. Bildad is blind to the fact that in reality it is exactly the other way around. He and his friends don’t want to admit how stubborn they are. Their increasingly severe accusations are the result of not getting a grip on Job. The fact that he addresses Job in the plural (“you” is plural here) means that he sees in Job the representative of a certain class of people who question the position of the friends.

The reproach to Job that he considers the friends to be stupid, mindless beasts (Job 18:3) shows hurt pride. Job takes an attitude in their eyes that he does not even want to touch them, as if they were unclean. Bildad and his friends feel very offended by Job’s reaction. He pays no attention at all to their vision. They came with all their wisdom and intellect to help Job understand his situation, and now Job dares to portray them as stupid “beasts”. People who have a high opinion of themselves feel very hurt when others do not acknowledge this. They will not come to their senses and humiliate themselves, but humiliate the other.

Job 36:18

The Certain Destiny of the Wicked

With the remark that Job ‘tears himself in his anger’, Bildad blames him for being out of his mind, that he talks like a madman, like someone who does not know what he is saying (Job 18:4). Job has claimed that God is tearing him (Job 16:9). No, Bildad says, you do that yourself, God does not. Everyone and everything has to give way to the statements of Job. Everyone can disappear and what is a symbol of steadfastness can be moved, but the thinking of Job is stuck. We would say: even if everyone stands upside down, Job does not change his mind and holds on to it rigidly.

Bildad’s way of arguing proves nothing more than the weakness of his own arguments. What Bildad says has nothing to do with the content. Someone who cannot convince his opponent, but does not want to acknowledge his loss, will accuse the other of total immovability. He gets irritated by it and accuses the other person of being ‘inflexible’ in his opinions, that he is ‘stuck’ in his opinion, that he ‘doesn’t want to be open’ to other insights and so on.

Well Job, Bildad continues his speech and repeats his argument as a teacher to a student who is slow in understanding, you can be sure that “the light of the wicked goes out” (Job 18:5; Job 21:17). By this he means that Job may well think that he has the light, that he can judge his situation well, but that his light will go out because he is a wicked man. Even the flame of his fire will no longer give light, which means that his house will be uninhabited. For Bildad it is clear from God’s judgments about Job and his statements about them that Job is a hypocrite and a sinner.

The light that he had over his life, through which he could see everything in its proper meaning, has been darkened (Job 18:6). Job can no longer see how things really are, because his mind is darkened, Bildad judges. By “his lamp” can be meant the spirit of a human being (Proverbs 20:27). When a person dies, his spirit does not die, but he can no longer let his light shine over the things of this life. On the day his spirit leaves him, “in that very day his thoughts perish” (Psalms 146:4).

As long as Job is still alive, he can no longer make the vigorous strides of the past (Job 18:7). He is hindered in this by his troubles and sicknesses that have come upon him because of his sins. What he has recommended to others has become his trap. He perishes in his own counsel. His counsel was to sin for the purpose of prosperity. But that counsel has become his downfall.

Job 36:19

The Certain Destiny of the Wicked

With the remark that Job ‘tears himself in his anger’, Bildad blames him for being out of his mind, that he talks like a madman, like someone who does not know what he is saying (Job 18:4). Job has claimed that God is tearing him (Job 16:9). No, Bildad says, you do that yourself, God does not. Everyone and everything has to give way to the statements of Job. Everyone can disappear and what is a symbol of steadfastness can be moved, but the thinking of Job is stuck. We would say: even if everyone stands upside down, Job does not change his mind and holds on to it rigidly.

Bildad’s way of arguing proves nothing more than the weakness of his own arguments. What Bildad says has nothing to do with the content. Someone who cannot convince his opponent, but does not want to acknowledge his loss, will accuse the other of total immovability. He gets irritated by it and accuses the other person of being ‘inflexible’ in his opinions, that he is ‘stuck’ in his opinion, that he ‘doesn’t want to be open’ to other insights and so on.

Well Job, Bildad continues his speech and repeats his argument as a teacher to a student who is slow in understanding, you can be sure that “the light of the wicked goes out” (Job 18:5; Job 21:17). By this he means that Job may well think that he has the light, that he can judge his situation well, but that his light will go out because he is a wicked man. Even the flame of his fire will no longer give light, which means that his house will be uninhabited. For Bildad it is clear from God’s judgments about Job and his statements about them that Job is a hypocrite and a sinner.

The light that he had over his life, through which he could see everything in its proper meaning, has been darkened (Job 18:6). Job can no longer see how things really are, because his mind is darkened, Bildad judges. By “his lamp” can be meant the spirit of a human being (Proverbs 20:27). When a person dies, his spirit does not die, but he can no longer let his light shine over the things of this life. On the day his spirit leaves him, “in that very day his thoughts perish” (Psalms 146:4).

As long as Job is still alive, he can no longer make the vigorous strides of the past (Job 18:7). He is hindered in this by his troubles and sicknesses that have come upon him because of his sins. What he has recommended to others has become his trap. He perishes in his own counsel. His counsel was to sin for the purpose of prosperity. But that counsel has become his downfall.

Job 36:20

The Certain Destiny of the Wicked

With the remark that Job ‘tears himself in his anger’, Bildad blames him for being out of his mind, that he talks like a madman, like someone who does not know what he is saying (Job 18:4). Job has claimed that God is tearing him (Job 16:9). No, Bildad says, you do that yourself, God does not. Everyone and everything has to give way to the statements of Job. Everyone can disappear and what is a symbol of steadfastness can be moved, but the thinking of Job is stuck. We would say: even if everyone stands upside down, Job does not change his mind and holds on to it rigidly.

Bildad’s way of arguing proves nothing more than the weakness of his own arguments. What Bildad says has nothing to do with the content. Someone who cannot convince his opponent, but does not want to acknowledge his loss, will accuse the other of total immovability. He gets irritated by it and accuses the other person of being ‘inflexible’ in his opinions, that he is ‘stuck’ in his opinion, that he ‘doesn’t want to be open’ to other insights and so on.

Well Job, Bildad continues his speech and repeats his argument as a teacher to a student who is slow in understanding, you can be sure that “the light of the wicked goes out” (Job 18:5; Job 21:17). By this he means that Job may well think that he has the light, that he can judge his situation well, but that his light will go out because he is a wicked man. Even the flame of his fire will no longer give light, which means that his house will be uninhabited. For Bildad it is clear from God’s judgments about Job and his statements about them that Job is a hypocrite and a sinner.

The light that he had over his life, through which he could see everything in its proper meaning, has been darkened (Job 18:6). Job can no longer see how things really are, because his mind is darkened, Bildad judges. By “his lamp” can be meant the spirit of a human being (Proverbs 20:27). When a person dies, his spirit does not die, but he can no longer let his light shine over the things of this life. On the day his spirit leaves him, “in that very day his thoughts perish” (Psalms 146:4).

As long as Job is still alive, he can no longer make the vigorous strides of the past (Job 18:7). He is hindered in this by his troubles and sicknesses that have come upon him because of his sins. What he has recommended to others has become his trap. He perishes in his own counsel. His counsel was to sin for the purpose of prosperity. But that counsel has become his downfall.

Job 36:21

The Certain Destiny of the Wicked

With the remark that Job ‘tears himself in his anger’, Bildad blames him for being out of his mind, that he talks like a madman, like someone who does not know what he is saying (Job 18:4). Job has claimed that God is tearing him (Job 16:9). No, Bildad says, you do that yourself, God does not. Everyone and everything has to give way to the statements of Job. Everyone can disappear and what is a symbol of steadfastness can be moved, but the thinking of Job is stuck. We would say: even if everyone stands upside down, Job does not change his mind and holds on to it rigidly.

Bildad’s way of arguing proves nothing more than the weakness of his own arguments. What Bildad says has nothing to do with the content. Someone who cannot convince his opponent, but does not want to acknowledge his loss, will accuse the other of total immovability. He gets irritated by it and accuses the other person of being ‘inflexible’ in his opinions, that he is ‘stuck’ in his opinion, that he ‘doesn’t want to be open’ to other insights and so on.

Well Job, Bildad continues his speech and repeats his argument as a teacher to a student who is slow in understanding, you can be sure that “the light of the wicked goes out” (Job 18:5; Job 21:17). By this he means that Job may well think that he has the light, that he can judge his situation well, but that his light will go out because he is a wicked man. Even the flame of his fire will no longer give light, which means that his house will be uninhabited. For Bildad it is clear from God’s judgments about Job and his statements about them that Job is a hypocrite and a sinner.

The light that he had over his life, through which he could see everything in its proper meaning, has been darkened (Job 18:6). Job can no longer see how things really are, because his mind is darkened, Bildad judges. By “his lamp” can be meant the spirit of a human being (Proverbs 20:27). When a person dies, his spirit does not die, but he can no longer let his light shine over the things of this life. On the day his spirit leaves him, “in that very day his thoughts perish” (Psalms 146:4).

As long as Job is still alive, he can no longer make the vigorous strides of the past (Job 18:7). He is hindered in this by his troubles and sicknesses that have come upon him because of his sins. What he has recommended to others has become his trap. He perishes in his own counsel. His counsel was to sin for the purpose of prosperity. But that counsel has become his downfall.

Job 36:22

Walked Into the Trap

Bildad expands on the retribution that is the part of the wicked. In Job 18:8-10 he uses the illustration of a trap to catch wild animals. He applies this to the entanglement of an evil person, with whom he means none other than Job. The idea is that whoever is out to do bad things will have to bear the consequences. It is the law that wherever a wicked person goes, he will eventually become entangled in death. “Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7b).

One who is hindered in his walk by his sins (Job 18:7) will not get far either. He is stopped because he is thrown into a net (Job 18:8). He does not realize that he is walking over a trap over which a webbing has been laid. When he walks over it, he sinks through the webbing and ends up in the trap. Here it is emphasized that he chooses this path himself, so he chooses his own downfall.

In Job 18:9 the emphasis is placed on the suddenness of his downfall. Suddenly he is stopped in his walk because a snare grabs him by the heel. He can no longer move a step. The situation overtakes and overwhelms him, without him being able to free himself from it. He didn’t foresee it, didn’t take it into account.

In Job 18:10 it is more about the inevitable. Someone who goes the way of sin inevitably faces a noose and a trap hidden from him. They lie there especially for him who goes a way of sin. He will be ensnared and captured by them. This fate afflicts everyone who goes the way of sin. Job must know that he is in misery like a trap because he has gone the way of sin.

Job 36:23

Walked Into the Trap

Bildad expands on the retribution that is the part of the wicked. In Job 18:8-10 he uses the illustration of a trap to catch wild animals. He applies this to the entanglement of an evil person, with whom he means none other than Job. The idea is that whoever is out to do bad things will have to bear the consequences. It is the law that wherever a wicked person goes, he will eventually become entangled in death. “Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7b).

One who is hindered in his walk by his sins (Job 18:7) will not get far either. He is stopped because he is thrown into a net (Job 18:8). He does not realize that he is walking over a trap over which a webbing has been laid. When he walks over it, he sinks through the webbing and ends up in the trap. Here it is emphasized that he chooses this path himself, so he chooses his own downfall.

In Job 18:9 the emphasis is placed on the suddenness of his downfall. Suddenly he is stopped in his walk because a snare grabs him by the heel. He can no longer move a step. The situation overtakes and overwhelms him, without him being able to free himself from it. He didn’t foresee it, didn’t take it into account.

In Job 18:10 it is more about the inevitable. Someone who goes the way of sin inevitably faces a noose and a trap hidden from him. They lie there especially for him who goes a way of sin. He will be ensnared and captured by them. This fate afflicts everyone who goes the way of sin. Job must know that he is in misery like a trap because he has gone the way of sin.

Job 36:24

Walked Into the Trap

Bildad expands on the retribution that is the part of the wicked. In Job 18:8-10 he uses the illustration of a trap to catch wild animals. He applies this to the entanglement of an evil person, with whom he means none other than Job. The idea is that whoever is out to do bad things will have to bear the consequences. It is the law that wherever a wicked person goes, he will eventually become entangled in death. “Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7b).

One who is hindered in his walk by his sins (Job 18:7) will not get far either. He is stopped because he is thrown into a net (Job 18:8). He does not realize that he is walking over a trap over which a webbing has been laid. When he walks over it, he sinks through the webbing and ends up in the trap. Here it is emphasized that he chooses this path himself, so he chooses his own downfall.

In Job 18:9 the emphasis is placed on the suddenness of his downfall. Suddenly he is stopped in his walk because a snare grabs him by the heel. He can no longer move a step. The situation overtakes and overwhelms him, without him being able to free himself from it. He didn’t foresee it, didn’t take it into account.

In Job 18:10 it is more about the inevitable. Someone who goes the way of sin inevitably faces a noose and a trap hidden from him. They lie there especially for him who goes a way of sin. He will be ensnared and captured by them. This fate afflicts everyone who goes the way of sin. Job must know that he is in misery like a trap because he has gone the way of sin.

Job 36:25

Terror, Disease and Death

Bildad continues his description of the fate which, in his opinion, afflicts the villain whose description clearly points to Job. The villain is surrounded by horror, which constantly frightens him (Job 18:11). He is skittish and lets himself be chased away by it. This consumes his strength, without having food to strengthen him (Job 18:12). Hunger torments him. Right next to him, “at his side”, “the calamity” is ready to charge him. The calamity is described as a person, as if it were a companion, someone who accompanies Job, but then as a kind of vulture, waiting for him to succumb in order to enjoy the meal.

“The firstborn of death” means the most powerful of death (Job 18:13; cf. Psalms 78:51; Genesis 49:3). With this, Bildad says that Job has been beaten with the most terrible and devastating diseases that death has ever used to make a man his prey. These diseases tear the skin of Job to pieces and devour his limbs. In his painting of the fate of the wicked, we see a word artist in Bildad. However, his choice of words also shows a cruelty that is hard to surpass, to say all this as a satirical weapon against the intensely and innocently suffering Job.

And he hasn’t finished speaking yet. The sins he assumes with Job are the cause that his confidence in a happy home life has been torn away (Job 18:14). It was a false trust, for there were hidden sins. That is why he is now on his way to death, called by Bildad, again with great rhetoric, “the king of terrors”. That may be so for Bildad, but for Job death does not mean terror, as we have seen before. For us, too, the fear of death has been taken away, because the Lord Jesus has rendered “powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14).

Where Job dwelled, now something else dwells (Job 18:15). We can think of hunger, poverty and other things that did not belong to him when he lived there in prosperity and well-being. His dwelling will remain an uninhabitable place for people. Brimstone is scattered on his dwelling place. It is an eternal condemnation, just as it came upon Sodom and Gomorrah (Deuteronomy 29:23; Genesis 19:24).

Job 36:26

Terror, Disease and Death

Bildad continues his description of the fate which, in his opinion, afflicts the villain whose description clearly points to Job. The villain is surrounded by horror, which constantly frightens him (Job 18:11). He is skittish and lets himself be chased away by it. This consumes his strength, without having food to strengthen him (Job 18:12). Hunger torments him. Right next to him, “at his side”, “the calamity” is ready to charge him. The calamity is described as a person, as if it were a companion, someone who accompanies Job, but then as a kind of vulture, waiting for him to succumb in order to enjoy the meal.

“The firstborn of death” means the most powerful of death (Job 18:13; cf. Psalms 78:51; Genesis 49:3). With this, Bildad says that Job has been beaten with the most terrible and devastating diseases that death has ever used to make a man his prey. These diseases tear the skin of Job to pieces and devour his limbs. In his painting of the fate of the wicked, we see a word artist in Bildad. However, his choice of words also shows a cruelty that is hard to surpass, to say all this as a satirical weapon against the intensely and innocently suffering Job.

And he hasn’t finished speaking yet. The sins he assumes with Job are the cause that his confidence in a happy home life has been torn away (Job 18:14). It was a false trust, for there were hidden sins. That is why he is now on his way to death, called by Bildad, again with great rhetoric, “the king of terrors”. That may be so for Bildad, but for Job death does not mean terror, as we have seen before. For us, too, the fear of death has been taken away, because the Lord Jesus has rendered “powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14).

Where Job dwelled, now something else dwells (Job 18:15). We can think of hunger, poverty and other things that did not belong to him when he lived there in prosperity and well-being. His dwelling will remain an uninhabitable place for people. Brimstone is scattered on his dwelling place. It is an eternal condemnation, just as it came upon Sodom and Gomorrah (Deuteronomy 29:23; Genesis 19:24).

Job 36:27

Terror, Disease and Death

Bildad continues his description of the fate which, in his opinion, afflicts the villain whose description clearly points to Job. The villain is surrounded by horror, which constantly frightens him (Job 18:11). He is skittish and lets himself be chased away by it. This consumes his strength, without having food to strengthen him (Job 18:12). Hunger torments him. Right next to him, “at his side”, “the calamity” is ready to charge him. The calamity is described as a person, as if it were a companion, someone who accompanies Job, but then as a kind of vulture, waiting for him to succumb in order to enjoy the meal.

“The firstborn of death” means the most powerful of death (Job 18:13; cf. Psalms 78:51; Genesis 49:3). With this, Bildad says that Job has been beaten with the most terrible and devastating diseases that death has ever used to make a man his prey. These diseases tear the skin of Job to pieces and devour his limbs. In his painting of the fate of the wicked, we see a word artist in Bildad. However, his choice of words also shows a cruelty that is hard to surpass, to say all this as a satirical weapon against the intensely and innocently suffering Job.

And he hasn’t finished speaking yet. The sins he assumes with Job are the cause that his confidence in a happy home life has been torn away (Job 18:14). It was a false trust, for there were hidden sins. That is why he is now on his way to death, called by Bildad, again with great rhetoric, “the king of terrors”. That may be so for Bildad, but for Job death does not mean terror, as we have seen before. For us, too, the fear of death has been taken away, because the Lord Jesus has rendered “powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14).

Where Job dwelled, now something else dwells (Job 18:15). We can think of hunger, poverty and other things that did not belong to him when he lived there in prosperity and well-being. His dwelling will remain an uninhabitable place for people. Brimstone is scattered on his dwelling place. It is an eternal condemnation, just as it came upon Sodom and Gomorrah (Deuteronomy 29:23; Genesis 19:24).

Job 36:28

Terror, Disease and Death

Bildad continues his description of the fate which, in his opinion, afflicts the villain whose description clearly points to Job. The villain is surrounded by horror, which constantly frightens him (Job 18:11). He is skittish and lets himself be chased away by it. This consumes his strength, without having food to strengthen him (Job 18:12). Hunger torments him. Right next to him, “at his side”, “the calamity” is ready to charge him. The calamity is described as a person, as if it were a companion, someone who accompanies Job, but then as a kind of vulture, waiting for him to succumb in order to enjoy the meal.

“The firstborn of death” means the most powerful of death (Job 18:13; cf. Psalms 78:51; Genesis 49:3). With this, Bildad says that Job has been beaten with the most terrible and devastating diseases that death has ever used to make a man his prey. These diseases tear the skin of Job to pieces and devour his limbs. In his painting of the fate of the wicked, we see a word artist in Bildad. However, his choice of words also shows a cruelty that is hard to surpass, to say all this as a satirical weapon against the intensely and innocently suffering Job.

And he hasn’t finished speaking yet. The sins he assumes with Job are the cause that his confidence in a happy home life has been torn away (Job 18:14). It was a false trust, for there were hidden sins. That is why he is now on his way to death, called by Bildad, again with great rhetoric, “the king of terrors”. That may be so for Bildad, but for Job death does not mean terror, as we have seen before. For us, too, the fear of death has been taken away, because the Lord Jesus has rendered “powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14).

Where Job dwelled, now something else dwells (Job 18:15). We can think of hunger, poverty and other things that did not belong to him when he lived there in prosperity and well-being. His dwelling will remain an uninhabitable place for people. Brimstone is scattered on his dwelling place. It is an eternal condemnation, just as it came upon Sodom and Gomorrah (Deuteronomy 29:23; Genesis 19:24).

Job 36:29

Terror, Disease and Death

Bildad continues his description of the fate which, in his opinion, afflicts the villain whose description clearly points to Job. The villain is surrounded by horror, which constantly frightens him (Job 18:11). He is skittish and lets himself be chased away by it. This consumes his strength, without having food to strengthen him (Job 18:12). Hunger torments him. Right next to him, “at his side”, “the calamity” is ready to charge him. The calamity is described as a person, as if it were a companion, someone who accompanies Job, but then as a kind of vulture, waiting for him to succumb in order to enjoy the meal.

“The firstborn of death” means the most powerful of death (Job 18:13; cf. Psalms 78:51; Genesis 49:3). With this, Bildad says that Job has been beaten with the most terrible and devastating diseases that death has ever used to make a man his prey. These diseases tear the skin of Job to pieces and devour his limbs. In his painting of the fate of the wicked, we see a word artist in Bildad. However, his choice of words also shows a cruelty that is hard to surpass, to say all this as a satirical weapon against the intensely and innocently suffering Job.

And he hasn’t finished speaking yet. The sins he assumes with Job are the cause that his confidence in a happy home life has been torn away (Job 18:14). It was a false trust, for there were hidden sins. That is why he is now on his way to death, called by Bildad, again with great rhetoric, “the king of terrors”. That may be so for Bildad, but for Job death does not mean terror, as we have seen before. For us, too, the fear of death has been taken away, because the Lord Jesus has rendered “powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14).

Where Job dwelled, now something else dwells (Job 18:15). We can think of hunger, poverty and other things that did not belong to him when he lived there in prosperity and well-being. His dwelling will remain an uninhabitable place for people. Brimstone is scattered on his dwelling place. It is an eternal condemnation, just as it came upon Sodom and Gomorrah (Deuteronomy 29:23; Genesis 19:24).

Job 36:30

Root and Branch Perish

In these verses Bildad describes the overthrow of the evildoer’s family. He compares him to a tree with roots and branches (Job 18:16; cf. Psalms 37:35-36). Job is a tree that has no possibility of growth – its roots dry out – and from which is cut off what has come forth. The roots and branches point to the prosperity, happiness, and children of the wicked. All that will perish, from head to toe.

No one will think of the evildoer anymore (Job 18:17). Everyone is happy to be rid of him and wants to forget him as soon as possible. For people who have done much good for society, sometimes a memorial is erected. This will not be the case for Job. His name will never be mentioned again. How much Bildad was wrong about this, is clear to us. The name of Job lives on and is one of the most famous names from antiquity.

From Job 18:18 onward it is no longer about the family and attributes of the wicked, but about the wicked himself. Bildad predicts that the wicked, and he clearly means Job, will be driven from the light into darkness (Job 18:18). No one wants to have anything to do with him. He is even chased from the inhabited world. No one grants him a place on it anymore. That is to say, they will chase him into the darkness of death.

Then there is the allusion of Bildad which he makes again to the death of Job’s children (Job 18:19; Job 8:4). Job will be childless and therefore will have no heir or successor. His house will be empty, for everyone has died. We can hardly imagine how great the tragedy was for a man in those days not to have an heir. It probably escapes us that this remark must have penetrated Job through marrow and bone and cut him deep in his soul.

The day of Job’s downfall will cause great turmoil among all those “who come after” (the literal translation of “those in the west”) him, i.e. the coming generations, and also among those “who have gone before” (the literal translation of “those in the east), the elderly, his contemporaries (Job 18:20). They will wonder horrified and terrified how such a prosperous and wealthy man could fall into such extreme poverty.

Job 36:31

Root and Branch Perish

In these verses Bildad describes the overthrow of the evildoer’s family. He compares him to a tree with roots and branches (Job 18:16; cf. Psalms 37:35-36). Job is a tree that has no possibility of growth – its roots dry out – and from which is cut off what has come forth. The roots and branches point to the prosperity, happiness, and children of the wicked. All that will perish, from head to toe.

No one will think of the evildoer anymore (Job 18:17). Everyone is happy to be rid of him and wants to forget him as soon as possible. For people who have done much good for society, sometimes a memorial is erected. This will not be the case for Job. His name will never be mentioned again. How much Bildad was wrong about this, is clear to us. The name of Job lives on and is one of the most famous names from antiquity.

From Job 18:18 onward it is no longer about the family and attributes of the wicked, but about the wicked himself. Bildad predicts that the wicked, and he clearly means Job, will be driven from the light into darkness (Job 18:18). No one wants to have anything to do with him. He is even chased from the inhabited world. No one grants him a place on it anymore. That is to say, they will chase him into the darkness of death.

Then there is the allusion of Bildad which he makes again to the death of Job’s children (Job 18:19; Job 8:4). Job will be childless and therefore will have no heir or successor. His house will be empty, for everyone has died. We can hardly imagine how great the tragedy was for a man in those days not to have an heir. It probably escapes us that this remark must have penetrated Job through marrow and bone and cut him deep in his soul.

The day of Job’s downfall will cause great turmoil among all those “who come after” (the literal translation of “those in the west”) him, i.e. the coming generations, and also among those “who have gone before” (the literal translation of “those in the east), the elderly, his contemporaries (Job 18:20). They will wonder horrified and terrified how such a prosperous and wealthy man could fall into such extreme poverty.

Job 36:32

Root and Branch Perish

In these verses Bildad describes the overthrow of the evildoer’s family. He compares him to a tree with roots and branches (Job 18:16; cf. Psalms 37:35-36). Job is a tree that has no possibility of growth – its roots dry out – and from which is cut off what has come forth. The roots and branches point to the prosperity, happiness, and children of the wicked. All that will perish, from head to toe.

No one will think of the evildoer anymore (Job 18:17). Everyone is happy to be rid of him and wants to forget him as soon as possible. For people who have done much good for society, sometimes a memorial is erected. This will not be the case for Job. His name will never be mentioned again. How much Bildad was wrong about this, is clear to us. The name of Job lives on and is one of the most famous names from antiquity.

From Job 18:18 onward it is no longer about the family and attributes of the wicked, but about the wicked himself. Bildad predicts that the wicked, and he clearly means Job, will be driven from the light into darkness (Job 18:18). No one wants to have anything to do with him. He is even chased from the inhabited world. No one grants him a place on it anymore. That is to say, they will chase him into the darkness of death.

Then there is the allusion of Bildad which he makes again to the death of Job’s children (Job 18:19; Job 8:4). Job will be childless and therefore will have no heir or successor. His house will be empty, for everyone has died. We can hardly imagine how great the tragedy was for a man in those days not to have an heir. It probably escapes us that this remark must have penetrated Job through marrow and bone and cut him deep in his soul.

The day of Job’s downfall will cause great turmoil among all those “who come after” (the literal translation of “those in the west”) him, i.e. the coming generations, and also among those “who have gone before” (the literal translation of “those in the east), the elderly, his contemporaries (Job 18:20). They will wonder horrified and terrified how such a prosperous and wealthy man could fall into such extreme poverty.

Job 36:33

Root and Branch Perish

In these verses Bildad describes the overthrow of the evildoer’s family. He compares him to a tree with roots and branches (Job 18:16; cf. Psalms 37:35-36). Job is a tree that has no possibility of growth – its roots dry out – and from which is cut off what has come forth. The roots and branches point to the prosperity, happiness, and children of the wicked. All that will perish, from head to toe.

No one will think of the evildoer anymore (Job 18:17). Everyone is happy to be rid of him and wants to forget him as soon as possible. For people who have done much good for society, sometimes a memorial is erected. This will not be the case for Job. His name will never be mentioned again. How much Bildad was wrong about this, is clear to us. The name of Job lives on and is one of the most famous names from antiquity.

From Job 18:18 onward it is no longer about the family and attributes of the wicked, but about the wicked himself. Bildad predicts that the wicked, and he clearly means Job, will be driven from the light into darkness (Job 18:18). No one wants to have anything to do with him. He is even chased from the inhabited world. No one grants him a place on it anymore. That is to say, they will chase him into the darkness of death.

Then there is the allusion of Bildad which he makes again to the death of Job’s children (Job 18:19; Job 8:4). Job will be childless and therefore will have no heir or successor. His house will be empty, for everyone has died. We can hardly imagine how great the tragedy was for a man in those days not to have an heir. It probably escapes us that this remark must have penetrated Job through marrow and bone and cut him deep in his soul.

The day of Job’s downfall will cause great turmoil among all those “who come after” (the literal translation of “those in the west”) him, i.e. the coming generations, and also among those “who have gone before” (the literal translation of “those in the east), the elderly, his contemporaries (Job 18:20). They will wonder horrified and terrified how such a prosperous and wealthy man could fall into such extreme poverty.