Job 30

Job was the guy, the guy you called when your plans didn’t work out the way you thought they should, the guy who listened to your problems and gave you fresh confidence. He was the one people listened to and followed his counsel, hanging on every encouraging word. That was then…but now? Now the young men who used to follow Job’s leadership and counsel laugh at him. These are young men whose character has gone astray…rogues, scoundrels, troublemakers. They laugh at Job and the calamity that has taken hold of him. Job has become their hilarious, mocking song.

“And now I have become their song; I am a byword to them. They abhor me; they keep aloof from me; they do not hesitate to spit at the sight of me. Because God has loosed my cord and humbled me, they have cast off restraint in my presence.”

Job 30:9-11

Job states that God has loosened his cord…it hasn’t snapped yet, but he feels the pull. This is vivid imagery depicting the physical process of dying. The wise “Preacher,” King Solomon, meditates on this in Ecclesiastes.

“Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, ‘I have no pleasure in them’; before the sun and the the light and the moon and the stars are darkened…”

“…before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”

Ecclesiastes 12:1-8

Not only is Job laughed at and made fun of by those he used to lead and counsel, he is also still experiencing the suffering for which he is being mocked! He says his soul is “poured out,” and his bones ache all night (v.16,17). He tosses and turns all night until his clothing wraps around him like strangling hands (v.18). He is in pain physically, and emotionally, and the mocking adds to his suffering. Job also grieves God’s lack of attention, the seeming silence from the Almighty regarding all the hardship Job has experienced.

“God has cast me into the mire, and I have become like dust and ashes. I cry to you for help and you do not answer me; I stand and you only look at me. You have turned cruel to me; with the might of your hand you persecute me. You lift me up on the wind; you make me ride on it, and you toss me about in the roar of the storm. For I know that you will bring me to death and to the house appointed for all living.”

Job 30:19-23

Job has gone from honor to disgrace in the eyes of the ones he previously helped and advised. He has moved from vitality to pain and fragility. He was one who used to weep for those who suffered, those who had hard days, the needy. Now, he is the one in need, and there is none to listen to his cries or help him, none to counsel him with words of wisdom. He feels his hope is gone (v. 26), that there is no light, only darkness. He experiences physical affliction, emotional pain, and mental anguish; he is left lonely in wild places (v. 27-30). His joy, singing and music, have turned to weeping and mourning (v. 31).

Friend, have you been where Job sits? Have you walked the same paths, seen the same sorrows, felt the same betrayals? Have you faced death through illness or injury? Have circumstances threatened to drown you? Have you wondered if God has forgotten to be merciful, good, long-suffering? Have you questioned whether God loves you at all? Doubted if He is listening? Let me point you to one powerful truth in this chapter of Job. As he laments his “now” versus his “then,” Job is gripped by steady trust in the sovereign hand of God at work. It IS God who has brought him close to death. It IS God who has humbled him. It IS indeed God who has allowed all of his suffering. This is not a soft, cushy, hearts-and-flowers kind of comfort in the middle of traumatic pain, but it is a solid truth to stand on while the storm rages. God has a reason – HIS reason – for everything Job is experiencing. God has HIS reason for our suffering as well.

It is exhausting to fight against the “that was then, this is now,” reality. But this reality does not need to discourage or break us. On the contrary, this reality can be a bracing comfort to us in challenging times. We are not the same people we used to be (I Corinthians 6:9-11). Thank God! There is no benefit in trying to claw our way back to what once was. We move forward from here. God has and is doing great work in us to change us into the image of His dear Son. Suffering is part of this beautiful, messy process. I have mentioned some of these passages before in previous posts, but they might be helpful again all in one spot, and they are certainly helpful for continued study on this topic.

• James 1:2-4
• II Corinthians 4
• Romans 8:18-39
• Psalm 32
• Isaiah 55
• Isaiah 64
• Psalm 37
• Psalm 13