6-29-14. Job 7:1-21. Bring Your Bitterness To God–my devotional

Job 7:1-21                                                                                                     Kevin E. Jesmer

Key verse  7:11                                                                                             6-29-14

“Therefore I will not keep silent; I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.”

Part 1:  Never Loose Hope In The Lord (1-10)

Those who suffer think that no one can understand and very few do. But there is a person in the Bible who endured unimaginable suffering. His name is Job. We can learn of his agonies and discover where his deliverance lies. Look at Job 7: 1-10, “Do not mortals have hard service on earth? Are not their days like those of hired laborers? 2 Like a slave longing for the evening shadows, or a hired laborer waiting to be paid, 3 so I have been allotted months of futility, and nights of misery have been assigned to me. 4 When I lie down I think, ‘How long before I get up?’ The night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn. 5 My body is clothed with worms and scabs, my skin is broken and festering. 6 “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and they come to an end without hope. 7 Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath; my eyes will never see happiness again. 8 The eye that now sees me will see me no longer; you will look for me, but I will be no more. 9 As a cloud vanishes and is gone, so one who goes down to the grave does not return. 10 He will never come to his house again; his place will know him no more.

Job has stopped talking to friend, Eliphaz and now he addressed God, pouring out his bitterness of heart over his condition. In these verses he is expressing his deepest feelings:

If we examine the entire chapter, we can see some of his feelings expressed. Let’s look at them…hard service; a slave or a hard worked man; futility; misery, an object of God’s punishment; wrestles; body is broken and festering; no hope, shortened life; prospects of never see happiness again; life is over; never see his beloved things and ones again; having anguish of spirit, full of bitterness and complaining; feeling imprisoned; enduring terrifying dreams; preferring a violent death than the life he is living; hating life; wanting to be left alone; thinking God is having fun with him concerning all of his suffering. To summarize, Job waits for relief like a slave longs for the evening. He lies awake at night because he is covered with painful sores. Job was completely despaired of life, with no hope at all.

Nestled in his words, we can see one cause of his inner torment. Look at verse 7, “Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath; my eyes will never see happiness again” He felt that nothing would change. But Job was wrong. Things would change. He would see happiness again, by the grace and power and mercy of God.

The same idea is found in verses 8-10, “The eye that now sees me will see me no longer; you will look for me, but I will be no more. 9 As a cloud vanishes and is gone, so one who goes down to the grave does not return. 10 He will never come to his house again; his place will know him no more.” From Job’s point of view, the rich, famous, powerful Job, which once existed, is no more and those things will never be again. All that Job can see ahead of him is death! Little does he realize that, in God, his life is just beginning. Those who know the book of Job, know that God will restore his life.

The Lord is showing us that no matter how bad the situation might be, there is nothing that the Lord can not change. He is the creator of the heavens and the earth. Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. God helped the Israelites cross the Red Sea as on dry land. Jesus healed the sick and raised the dead. Jesus conquered the grave through his suffering, death and resurrection. Nothing is impossible with God. Jesus taught us in Mark 10:19b, “…With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”  Those who know the Lord, can testify that this is true. We must never loose hope. With God, as long as there is breath, it is never too late. God is always there to infuse into us resurrection power. And these are not just “nice” words.

There have definitely been times when I have identified with Job and his feelings. Yes. I have despaired to the point where I have longed for God to take me from this world. But God rescued me from despair by planting his hope and his love into my heart. Though, at times I felt at times, that all was lost, God truly restored my life and established me on solid ground. He will never fail me. He will never fail you. Praise the Lord.

Part 2: Come To God With Our Complaints; But Do Not Sin  (11-21)

Verses 11-21, “11 “Therefore I will not keep silent; I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. 12 Am I the sea, or the monster of the deep, that you put me under guard? 13 When I think my bed will comfort me and my couch will ease my complaint, 14 even then you frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions, 15 so that I prefer strangling and death, rather than this body of mine. 16 I despise my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone; my days have no meaning. 17 “What is mankind that you make so much of them, that you give them so much attention, 18 that you examine them every morning and test them every moment? 19 Will you never look away from me, or let me alone even for an instant? 20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you, you who see everything we do? Why have you made me your target? Have I become a burden to you? 21 Why do you not pardon my offenses and forgive my sins? For I will soon lie down in the dust; you will search for me, but I will be no more.”

Job felt deep anguish and bitterness, and he spoke honestly to God about his feelings. Verse 11 reads, “Therefore I will not keep silent; I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.”  It is amazing that he takes his complaints to God. He does not let it all fester in his heart. He knows that only God can help him, so he complains to God and pleads for his mercy.

This is actually a very health way to deal with our frustrations. If we express our feelings to God, we can deal with them without lashing out in harsh words and actions. This could possibly hurt ourselves and others. When strong, negative emotions threaten to overwhelm us, we should express them openly to God in prayer. God will help you gain an eternal perspective on the situation and grant greater ability to deal with it in a constructive manner.

Jesus opened the way for us to take our complaints to God. When he died, the curtain of the temple was torn in two.  Matthew 27:50-51, “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split.”  That means that we can approach God on our own, without a priest to intercede. God has given us this privilege to come to the him in prayer. This was accomplished through Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection.

Christians are granted the privilege to come to God with all types of prayers. Not only with our submitted prayers of praise and worship, but also with our complaints to God. Yes! We should take our complaints to God. God wants to listen. He is our heavenly Father. We can’t get out of control with our complaining however, but expressing what is on our hearts is part of a relationship. King David took the privilege to express his complaints to God. He does this a lot in his Psalms. Jacob wrestled with an angel on the banks of the river Jabok. This is akin to complaining to God.

We must be careful that our complaints do not lead us into sin, however. Let’s investigate his words. Job was beginning to doubt the value of living a blameless life. By doing this, he was coming dangerously to suggesting that God didn’t care and was not fair. Later God reprimanded Job for this attitude in 38:2. “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge?”Satan is quick to exploit these thoughts to get us to forsake the Lord. We must be careful not to sin as a result of our suffering.

In verse 20, Job referred to God as a watcher or observer of humanity. “If I have sinned, what have I done to you, you who see everything we do? Why have you made me your target? Have I become a burden to you?” Job knew that God was always watching us. But here he was expressing his feelings that God seemed like an enemy to him- someone who mercilessly watched him writhe in misery. Job desperately wanted God to leave him alone. Look at verse 16, “I despise my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone; my days have no meaning.”

Job was looking for relief. He felt that he would find it if God would leave him alone. Look at verse 19, “Will you never look away from me, or let me alone even for an instant?” Yes Job was looking for relief but not a solution. Job needed to have the right mind to see all that God was doing. To the carnal mind, the thought that God’s watchful eye is scrutinizing our every action is more than they could bear, but to the mind enlightened by and guided by the Holy Spirit the fact is truly comforting. God does watch over everything that happens to us. But he sees us with compassion. His eyes are eyes full of love. Remember Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, whohave been called according to his purpose.” (NIV) It is for our good that the Lord will not leave us alone, and thank God he won’t. If he did we would be forever lost.

In the midst of his suffering, Job posed one of the deep, fundamental questions of life. Look at verse 17, “What is mankind that you make so much of them, that you give them so much attention,(?)”  It was very difficult for Job to see God’s ultimate purpose, especially when he sat in an ash heap with sore boils all over his body, scarping himself with a broken pottery. This great question of life would ultimately be answered by God, given to David about 600 years later. Look at Psalm 8:4-6, “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? 5 You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. 6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet:” The answer Job’s question is that God has crowned mankind with glory and honor, to be rulers over what God has created. That is a short and pat answer. But the point is, there are answers in God. Some of the answers we may not know until we get to heaven. Some answers may come years later. But there are answers in the Lord. We must trust that.

Prayer: “Thank you for the privilege to come to you and pray. You are my father in heaven. I come to you for deliverance and mercy. Thank you, Oh my God.”

One Word: Share you heart with God in prayer.