ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Bible: What Does Job 16-19 Teach Us About Counseling the Sufferer?

Updated on September 9, 2016

Job

220px-Bonnat02.jpg
220px-Bonnat02.jpg

Job: God is My Enemy

Job reproaches his pitiless friends, inquiring why they answer him the way they do (vv. 1-3).

He then contrasts the effects of their words of "comfort" upon him with how his counsel would affect them if their situations were reversed (vv. 4-5).

Verse six continues the contrast and serves as a transition into a review of his divinely-caused sufferings.

Not only does Job mention his physical pain and weakness (vv. 7-8), but also his spiritual and emotional turmoil (v. 9).

He believes that God is his enemy, actively involved in betraying him to the wicked (vv. 10-11) and spiritually “attacking” him (vv. 12-14).

In the face of this grief and pain, Job maintains his innocence (vv. 15-17).

He calls the earth to witness to this fact, even while believing that God knows everything already (vv. 18-19).

What he ardently desires is a mediator—one who will plead his case before God for him (v. 21)—before he dies (v. 22).

[Job's state of mind seems to be a mixture of trust in God and complaint about what He has allowed to happen].

The Motive of the Three "Friends"

Why do Job's friends not leave him alone?

See results

Job 17

The old sufferer believes he is about to die (v. 1), but laments that he still must endure his friends' provocation (vv. 1-2).

In verse three, Job asks God to covenant with him because no one else will; certainly his friends—whom God has kept from understanding and whom He will not allow to win—will not (v. 4).

[The text of the NKJV is puzzling (v. 5), but the NIV rendition somewhat clarifies the meaning.

Who is denouncing whom for reward here?

Certainly it is not Job, because he states that such will not prosper.

Perhaps his friends think that by denouncing Job, they will merit a reward from God; Job states that they are mistaken. This interpretation makes more sense].

Job again returns to the theme of God as his traitor, believing that He has caused him to become an object of ridicule (v. 6).

His physical torment causes the righteous to wonder (vv. 7-8); still, he resolves to remain steadfast (v. 9).

Absolutely certain that their arguments are foolish (v. 10), Job calls his friends back for more dialogue, yet proceeds to paint for them a picture of his hopelessness (vv. 11-16).

He sees his life as coming to a close, and admits that his thoughts and purposes will not accompany him into the grave.

[Job’s only satisfaction now seems to be the knowledge that he is right, and that he can defeat the arguments of his friends].

Description of the Wicked Man

view quiz statistics

Bildad's Response

Job 18

Responding first (v. 1), Bildad calls Job, in essence, an ignorant windbag (v. 2), and rejects his characterization as stupid and irrational (v. 3).

He reproves this miserable wretch for his supposed arrogance (v. 4), and then discourses on the life and times of the wicked (vv. 5-21).

The wicked man:

(1) lives in darkness (vv. 5-6),

(2) has little strength (v. 7a),

(3) makes decisions that lead to fear and bondage (vv. 7b-12),

(4) is diseased (v. 13),

(5) is homeless and tormented (v. 14),

(6) is under the judgment of God (v. 15),

(7) is dying (v. 16),

(8) is forgotten among men (v. 17),

(9) is ostracized (v. 18),

(10) is childless (v. 19), and

(11) is the cause of fear and wonder (v. 20).

His description is typical of the traditional wisdom view (v. 21).

[In Bildad's eyes, Job is the wicked man.

The sufferer's friend came at first as a comforter, but his counsel has deteriorated to the level of prejudice].

Job and "Friends"

250px-119_Job_S...
250px-119_Job_S...

Resurrection

220px-Noel-coyp...
220px-Noel-coyp...

Job's Complaint Against God's Treatment of Him

Job 19

Job expresses distress at the duration, frequency and unabashed arrogance of his friends' reproaches, for he believes they have not uncovered any error in him (vv. 1-4).

He discloses to these self-aggrandizing companions that he believes God has wrongfully treated him (vv. 5-6).

Verses 7-20 show how Job thought God made his life like a living Hell:

(1) No one listens to his cries for justice (v. 7);

(2) he has no freedom (v. 8),

(3) he has no honor (v. 9),

(4) he has no hope (v. 10);

(5) an angry God and His army are against him (vv. 11-12);

(6) he is isolated from, ignored, and hated by everyone close to him (vv. 13-19);

(7) he is barely alive (v. 20).

Crying out for pity from his friends, Job asks why they persecute him (vv. 21-22).

Then turning away, he exclaims his desire that his words would find permanence (vv. 23-24).

Why? He contends that they will stand as a witness for him when he appears before his Redeemer; in the resurrection, Job believes he will be publicly vindicated (vv. 25-27).

Finally, he warns his friends of the judgment that they will experience unless their treatment of him changes (vv. 28-29).

[It is so very important to interpret well-known statements in context.

Yes, verses 25-27 express an early belief in the resurrection, but in context they also serve as the background for Job's vindication before all the redeemed when his recorded words are read].

© 2014 glynch1

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)