Job 15
Eliphaz
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied: 2 "Would a wise man answer with empty notions
or fill his belly with the hot east wind?
3 Would he argue with useless words,
with speeches that have no value?
4 But you even undermine piety
and hinder devotion to God.
5 Your sin prompts your mouth;
you adopt the tongue of the crafty.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, not mine;
your own lips testify against you.
7 "Are you the first man ever born?
Were you brought forth before the hills?
8 Do you listen in on God's council?
Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
9 What do you know that we do not know?
What insights do you have that we do not have?
10 The gray-haired and the aged are on our side,
men even older than your father.
Verse 9-10/ shows Job's friends are older than him (implicitly).
11 Are God's consolations not enough for you,
words spoken gently to you?
12 Why has your heart carried you away,
and why do your eyes flash,
13 so that you vent your rage against God
and pour out such words from your mouth?
14 "What is man, that he could be pure,
or one born of woman, that he could be righteous?
15 If God places no trust in his holy ones,
if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes,
16 how much less man, who is vile and corrupt,
who drinks up evil like water!
verse 14-16/ true words of Eliphaz but he is wrong in saying that Job suffered because of his own sins.
17 "Listen to me and I will explain to you;
let me tell you what I have seen,
18 what wise men have declared,
hiding nothing received from their fathers
19 (to whom alone the land was given
when no alien passed among them):
20 All his days the wicked man suffers torment,
the ruthless through all the years stored up for him.
21 Terrifying sounds fill his ears;
when all seems well, marauders attack him.
22 He despairs of escaping the darkness;
he is marked for the sword.
23 He wanders about—food for vultures [a] ;
he knows the day of darkness is at hand.
24 Distress and anguish fill him with terror;
they overwhelm him, like a king poised to attack,
25 because he shakes his fist at God
and vaunts himself against the Almighty,
26 defiantly charging against him
with a thick, strong shield.
27 "Though his face is covered with fat
and his waist bulges with flesh,
verse 27/ this verse reminds me with the fat King that Judge Ehud killed with sword. Hihi.
28 he will inhabit ruined towns
and houses where no one lives,
houses crumbling to rubble.
29 He will no longer be rich and his wealth will not endure,
nor will his possessions spread over the land.
30 He will not escape the darkness;
a flame will wither his shoots,
and the breath of God's mouth will carry him away.
31 Let him not deceive himself by trusting what is worthless,
for he will get nothing in return.
32 Before his time he will be paid in full,
and his branches will not flourish.
33 He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes,
like an olive tree shedding its blossoms.
34 For the company of the godless will be barren,
and fire will consume the tents of those who love bribes.
35 They conceive trouble and give birth to evil;
their womb fashions deceit."
Job 16
Job
1 Then Job replied: 2 "I have heard many things like these;
miserable comforters are you all!
3 Will your long-winded speeches never end?
What ails you that you keep on arguing?
verse 2-3/just reminds us, to think before talking to our friends. We want to build up our friends not to tear down. Not to deceive ourselves as wise person...or we might as well show ourselves as fools from our speech.
4 I also could speak like you,
if you were in my place;
I could make fine speeches against you
and shake my head at you.
5 But my mouth would encourage you;
comfort from my lips would bring you relief.
6 "Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved;
and if I refrain, it does not go away.
7 Surely, O God, you have worn me out;
you have devastated my entire household.
8 You have bound me—and it has become a witness;
my gauntness rises up and testifies against me.
9 God assails me and tears me in his anger
and gnashes his teeth at me;
my opponent fastens on me his piercing eyes.
10 Men open their mouths to jeer at me;
they strike my cheek in scorn
and unite together against me.
11 God has turned me over to evil men
and thrown me into the clutches of the wicked.
12 All was well with me, but he shattered me;
he seized me by the neck and crushed me.
He has made me his target;
13 his archers surround me.
Without pity, he pierces my kidneys
and spills my gall on the ground.
14 Again and again he bursts upon me;
he rushes at me like a warrior.
15 "I have sewed sackcloth over my skin
and buried my brow in the dust.
16 My face is red with weeping,
deep shadows ring my eyes;
17 yet my hands have been free of violence
and my prayer is pure.
verses above/poor Job, he suffered so much: pain from the sores, unwise friends that can't keep their mouth shut, unbelieving wife, death of his kids and losing all he has, ridicules from the outsiders and God that seems so silent over his suffering.
18 "O earth, do not cover my blood;
may my cry never be laid to rest!
19 Even now my witness is in heaven;
my advocate is on high.
20 My intercessor is my friend [b]
as my eyes pour out tears to God;
21 on behalf of a man he pleads with God
as a man pleads for his friend.
verses 19-21/Job's faith in God amazes me. This verses sort of telling me that Job knows Jesus, might not know His name but knows who Jesus going to be, a mediator between God and man. He said my intercessor is my friend, on behalf of a man he pleas with God as he pleads for his friend. Just quite amazing that He has this concept since people in the OT can only hope and learn about the Messiah from the proclamation of the prophets. Just sheer intimacy and assurance that he has an intercessor (and this intercessor is his friend), an advocate for him before God.
22 "Only a few years will pass
before I go on the journey of no return.
Job 17
1 My spirit is broken,
my days are cut short,
the grave awaits me.
2 Surely mockers surround me;
my eyes must dwell on their hostility.
3 "Give me, O God, the pledge you demand.
Who else will put up security for me?
verse 3/this verse was brought to my attention because it seems that Job felt that God demanded him something he can not meet up (that's why he is in deep suffering). Just forsaking Job's logic for his hardship for the moment, and concentrate on his request. God's standard is higher and he knows that only God Himself can fulfill such impossible pledge. So, he is not ashamed to ask. To me, this is similar to telling God, "God, I will only fall short of your righteous requirements. I don't measure up. Enable me, O Lord! for you are perfect and able." Just like how we are called not to depend on ourselves but on God in terms of Holiness. Pleading for His grace and mercy to sanctify us.
4 You have closed their minds to understanding;
therefore you will not let them triumph.
5 If a man denounces his friends for reward,
the eyes of his children will fail.
6 "God has made me a byword to everyone,
a man in whose face people spit.
7 My eyes have grown dim with grief;
my whole frame is but a shadow.
8 Upright men are appalled at this;
the innocent are aroused against the ungodly.
Again, a picture of how miserable he was.
9 Nevertheless, the righteous will hold to their ways,
and those with clean hands will grow stronger.
This tells me that our clean hands will support us, strengthen our feet. When we are doing what we preach, it frees us from guilt and shame when we are judged. I do not mean to take Jesus from the picture. Our own doing will not make us clean before God's eyes. When we practice what we preach, our words gain hearing and respect from man.
10 "But come on, all of you, try again!
I will not find a wise man among you.
11 My days have passed, my plans are shattered,
and so are the desires of my heart.
12 These men turn night into day;
in the face of darkness they say, 'Light is near.'
13 If the only home I hope for is the grave, [c]
if I spread out my bed in darkness,
14 if I say to corruption, 'You are my father,'
and to the worm, 'My mother' or 'My sister,'
15 where then is my hope?
Who can see any hope for me?
16 Will it go down to the gates of death [d] ?
Will we descend together into the dust?"
Job 18
Bildad
1 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied: 2 "When will you end these speeches?
Be sensible, and then we can talk.
3 Why are we regarded as cattle
and considered stupid in your sight?
4 You who tear yourself to pieces in your anger,
is the earth to be abandoned for your sake?
Or must the rocks be moved from their place?
5 "The lamp of the wicked is snuffed out;
the flame of his fire stops burning.
6 The light in his tent becomes dark;
the lamp beside him goes out.
7 The vigor of his step is weakened;
his own schemes throw him down.
8 His feet thrust him into a net
and he wanders into its mesh.
9 A trap seizes him by the heel;
a snare holds him fast.
10 A noose is hidden for him on the ground;
a trap lies in his path.
11 Terrors startle him on every side
and dog his every step.
12 Calamity is hungry for him;
disaster is ready for him when he falls.
13 It eats away parts of his skin;
death's firstborn devours his limbs.
14 He is torn from the security of his tent
and marched off to the king of terrors.
15 Fire resides [e] in his tent;
burning sulfur is scattered over his dwelling.
16 His roots dry up below
and his branches wither above.
17 The memory of him perishes from the earth;
he has no name in the land.
18 He is driven from light into darkness
and is banished from the world.
19 He has no offspring or descendants among his people,
no survivor where once he lived.
20 Men of the west are appalled at his fate;
men of the east are seized with horror.
21 Surely such is the dwelling of an evil man;
such is the place of one who knows not God."
Job 19
Job
1 Then Job replied: 2 "How long will you torment me
and crush me with words?
3 Ten times now you have reproached me;
shamelessly you attack me.
4 If it is true that I have gone astray,
my error remains my concern alone.
5 If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me
and use my humiliation against me,
6 then know that God has wronged me
and drawn his net around me.
God is to be blamed. For He permits sorrow in Job's life.
7 "Though I cry, 'I've been wronged!' I get no response;
though I call for help, there is no justice.
8 He has blocked my way so I cannot pass;
he has shrouded my paths in darkness.
9 He has stripped me of my honor
and removed the crown from my head.
10 He tears me down on every side till I am gone;
he uproots my hope like a tree.
11 His anger burns against me;
he counts me among his enemies.
12 His troops advance in force;
they build a siege ramp against me
and encamp around my tent.
13 "He has alienated my brothers from me;
my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.
14 My kinsmen have gone away;
my friends have forgotten me.
15 My guests and my maidservants count me a stranger;
they look upon me as an alien.
16 I summon my servant, but he does not answer,
though I beg him with my own mouth.
17 My breath is offensive to my wife;
I am loathsome to my own brothers.
18 Even the little boys scorn me;
when I appear, they ridicule me.
19 All my intimate friends detest me;
those I love have turned against me.
20 I am nothing but skin and bones;
I have escaped with only the skin of my teeth. [f]
21 "Have pity on me, my friends, have pity,
for the hand of God has struck me.
He is dead sure. It can't be anyone else but God. True, because God is sovereign. His ways are mysterious to us but He is neither crazy nor enjoy in punishing us. "For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Christ Jesus" (1 Thes 5:9). Amen?
22 Why do you pursue me as God does?
Will you never get enough of my flesh?
23 "Oh, that my words were recorded,
that they were written on a scroll,
24 that they were inscribed with an iron tool on [g] lead,
or engraved in rock forever!
25 I know that my Redeemer [h] lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. [i]
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet [j] in [k] my flesh I will see God;
27 I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!
verses 25-27/my favorite verses!!! His firm faith in God is inspiring. Despite blow by blow of anguish and sorrow, Job knows that in the end God will redeem him. "Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God" (Mat5:8). He did not dishonor God with unbelief. He did not give in to think lowly of himself, to guilt and shame, despite such persuasions from his close friends. "We are hard-pressed on every side but not crushed, perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed." (2 Cor 4:8-9)
28 "If you say, 'How we will hound him,
since the root of the trouble lies in him, [l] '
29 you should fear the sword yourselves;
for wrath will bring punishment by the sword,
and then you will know that there is judgment. [m] "
My own reflections:
I long to be healthy and strong. Small things can get me really anxious. Yes, small. I find it hard to fall asleep these days even though I am lying down in calmness, not fretting about things. I am not. Strange as it sounds. Each morning, I learn to embrace the life that God gave me. Be it with sleep or without. Be it full of energy or lacking. Be it with headache or free. God is...good. and like Jim Elliot says "live to the hilt of every situation you believe to be the very will of God". "Let not your longing slay the appetite of living".
I am tempted to compare myself with others. Why people do not have the same problems like me? I went to the dermatologist because I keep getting skin rash, he said I have immune system disorder. Not too serious than it sounds lah. But, God's ways are not my ways. His thoughts are higher than my thoughts. I refuse to rely on my own understanding because I only see what's in front of me but God sees it all...past to future. He really knows the best for me. What's more, His purpose for Lilis can never, ever be thwarted. I accept my lot. He is going to stretch my faith, He is. and I am going to get to know Him some more. I am excited with that proposition.
My infirmities scare me, as it might affect the prospect of me getting employed. Here's one, who once felt secure in her achievements must be brought low and rely on God. My peace was shaken slightly as people keep talking about securing a job, or getting another title. I can't get a scholarship for master at NUS (they did offer me to be considered for PhD). My GRE score was lower than minimum required. I do not delight in being idle. In fact, I am not. I think a job I can enjoy will be good.
After assessing everything, I am grateful. God has given me a lot of good things. I know things will be beautiful in His time. I take comfort in that.
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