Job 9 Devotional
by Pastor Mark Hudson
Bildad tries after Eliphaz’s attempt to persuade Job to just admit he deserves God’s judgment and he gets his stuff back. That is really not a bad deal. From Bildad’s perspective, this should not require a great deal of resistance from Job. Just realize that your life is bad because you sinned against God. If you want your life back with all the things you have to play the game or know how it is played. Confess. Admit. Move on. This should not take much time and certainly Job should not give it a second thought.
Job hears this and can’t abide by it. Job never really questions the premise that good things happen to good people and bad things prove people are bad. For us, this is easy to reject because we have heard the conversation in heaven earlier in the book. We have the entire Bible in our hands. We have theologians, pastors, sermons, books, etc. Job and his friends have none of this. Rather, as they reflect on this pattern of God being good to the righteous and vica versa, they conclude God’s treatment of Job proves Job needs to repent. .
The captivating aspect of wisdom literature is that it cannot be taken literally nor can we claim these verse like promises. To wisely understand and apply the truths found in wisdom literature requires maturity, balance, perspective. We acquire wisdom by learning from our bad mistakes. We mature as we leave immature patterns of thinking, speaking, and acting. We acquire wisdom in interpreting Scripture by reading and studying the Bible, listening and reading good teachers, and comparing Scripture in one place with Scripture in another section. And, like all of life, by learning from our mistakes.
In Job 9, Job doesn’t feel like he can even make his case to or against God. Job does not think he is innocent before God nor does he think anyone, let alone Job, can contend with God. Job correctly understands who God is (9:4) and what He has done in creation 9:7-10). God is wise in heart and mighty in strength and no one can succeed against Him (9:4). We admire or possibly climb mountains; God removes them (9:5). We look at the sun and stars: He commands the sun, creates constellations and tramples on waves of the sea (9:7-9).
For these reasons and others, Job cannot obtain a fair hearing from God. Job feels he is right, yet all he can do is appeal for mercy. Job feels (not rationally reasons) that God is crushing him and multiplying wounds without cause. Job feels like God fills him with bitterness (9:17-18). We can understand how deeply he is hurting. Job is lashing out at God accusing God of actively causing Job pain. Job doesn’t even feel God would listen to him (9:16).
Job continues to maintain his innocence. Read the short staccato statements of Job in 9:21-22. But Job goes too far in justifying himself because Job attempts to bring God down. Job claims God destroys both the blameless and the wicked and mocks the calamity of the innocent. Sometimes you want to say to Job, “Job, you don’t really mean that. Your pain, loss, and grief which are very deep, is talking.” His days are fleeting, going by quickly like a boat and eagle (9:25-26). Job is not even sure if he should try to fake it and pretend he is happy (9:27-28).
In 9:33, Job asks for an arbiter that would make things a bit more equal between Job and God. Job is in such terror of God (9:34-35). Job’s words are weaving back and forth from error to truth, back to error and then back to truth. Yet Job’s entire message is not one of truth. If Job preached a sermon you would feel confused. Some of what Job would say would be true and some would be so confusing. You would walk away trying to figure out what he was attempting to get across.
Have you ever found yourself or someone else talking like that? They just don’t make sense. Loss can do that. Pain distorts our thinking. Grief disfigures what we see. So, should we be more rationale? Yes, but for those of us listening and loving people in pain we should be more compassionate. Yes, they are wrong. Yes, they are saying things that are unfair to God. But if God has listened to grieving people for thousands of years without defending His justice, can’t you listen without correcting someone in pain? Is it too much to just listen? Can you give someone your time, your presence without correcting? As Eccl. 3:1 reminds us,
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
Our Father in heaven, we cannot always discern when it is time to listen and time to speak. We get so turned around in our confusion and sin. We need to listen more and speak less reminding ourselves that we have two ears but only one mouth. Forgive us in our confusion, loss, and pain when we go after You. There is no excuse for our harsh words. We ought to know that You are altogether kind, loving, and giving. May Your Spirit correct our misconceptions of You, move us to repent, and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ when we are in pain. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.