Hello everyone! Welcome to today’s Bible study on Job 30 – Job is humiliated. According to Bible scholars, the events of the book of Job took place approximately before 2100 B.C.
I encourage you to turn to Job 30 in your Bible. Kindly invite the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read and study Job 30 with me. I mention this in all the Bible Studies because it is through the Holy Spirit that we get fresh revelation and knowledge to understand the word of God. I am using the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, just in case you want to know. All the scriptures that you find highlighted in purple in this post are from the NKJV.
In the Bible Study on Job 29, we read about Job’s summary defense. Job 30, is a continuation of Job’s discourse from Job 29. In Job 30, Job talks about how he is humiliated by his present condition.
Without any further delay, let us study together Job Chapter 30 in-depth, shall we?
Job Judged Wicked Men As A Chief
1“But now they mock at me, men younger than I,
Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock.
2 Indeed, what profit is the strength of their hands to me?
Their vigor has perished.
3 They are gaunt from want and famine,
Fleeing late to the wilderness, desolate and waste,
4 Who pluck mallow by the bushes,
And broom tree roots for their food.
5 They were driven out from among men,
They shouted at them as at a thief.
6 They had to live in the clefts of the valleys,
In caves of the earth and the rocks.
7 Among the bushes they brayed,
Under the nettles they nestled.
8 They were sons of fools,
Yes, sons of vile men;
They were scourged from the land.
In Verses 1-8 of Job 30, Job talks about how young men who were once afraid of Job now mock at him. They were afraid of doing wrong because they knew that Job would pronounce judgment against them. He used to judge those young mens’ fathers for the wicked deeds they did. Their fathers were so evil that Job wouldn’t even consider putting them with the sheepdogs of his flock. Because of Job’s righteous judgments, they were shunned by the people and scourged (chasen away) from the land. They were forced to live in the clefts of valleys and in the caves of the earth where there was no other human in sight.
Wicked Mens’ Sons Now Mock At Job
9 “And now I am their taunting song;
Yes, I am their byword.
10 They abhor me, they keep far from me;
They do not hesitate to spit in my face.
11 Because He has loosed my bowstring and afflicted me,
They have cast off restraint before me.
12 At my right hand the rabble arises;
They push away my feet,
And they raise against me their ways of destruction.
13 They break up my path,
They promote my calamity;
They have no helper.
14 They come as broad breakers;
Under the ruinous storm they roll along.
15 Terrors are turned upon me;
They pursue my honor as the wind,
And my prosperity has passed like a cloud.
In Verses 9-15 of Job 30, Job talks about how he has become the object of the mockery of those young wicked men that he talks about in Verses 1-8. Even such vile men stayed away from Job and hated him and spat on his face as if Job were more wicked than them. Looking at Job’s physical condition and present state they were emboldened against Job and they tormented him more by means of mockery. Now, they (the wicked men) did all wicked deeds infront of Job because they knew that he couldn’t stop them or pronounce judgment against them as he once did. Once Job, lost his wealth, property, sons and health, he lost also his power and position to rule as a chief among people. These wicked men now pursued Job’s honour by public mockery and sought to destory his reputation.
Job’s dignity, prosperity, wealth were reduced to nothing which he aptly compares to clouds. They had already passed away from Job like a mere passing cloud that dissolves and moves away from its place, leaving behind no trace, in the sky. According to Job, all this (his suffering and consquent mockery by wicked men) had happened only because God had afflicted him.
Observation
The wicked men who mocked at Job wouldn’t have mocked at him if he were still rich. They took advantage of his present condition to mock at him as if he was the scum of the region and the worst sinner that ever existed. In my opinion, it might have also been their (wicked mens’ sons) way to take revenge on Job for his judgments against their fathers and their wicked deeds. They would have thought to themselves that they were more righteous than Job because they were not afflicted by God for the crimes that they committed, whereas Job was tormented publicly. To them and everyone around, God was punishing Job for his sins. However, it was the enemy, satan. He tormented and shamed Job publicly.
Job’s Physical Torment
16 “And now my soul is poured out because of my plight;
The days of affliction take hold of me.
17 My bones are pierced in me at night,
And my gnawing pains take no rest.
18 By great force my garment is disfigured;
It binds me about as the collar of my coat.
19 He has cast me into the mire,
And I have become like dust and ashes.
In Verses 16-19 of Job 30, Job talks about his physical torment and how he has no rest from his illnes. He had disfigured skin which almost choked him because they were sticking to his bones so tightly. He was so lean and he was in constant pain. To Job, God had cast him into trouble and he (his dignity, worth and honour) was reduced to the state of dust and ashes. Job also literally sat in the dust and ashes and scraped away his wounds with a potshered with the hope for relief. However, there was nothing that he did that calmed him. He was in constant agony physically and mentally.
Job Says God Is Against Him
20 “I cry out to You, but You do not answer me;
I stand up, and You regard me.
21 But You have become cruel to me;
With the strength of Your hand You oppose me.
22 You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride on it;
You spoil my success.
23 For I know that You will bring me to death,
And to the house appointed for all living.
In Verses 20-23 of Job 30, Job talks about how God does not answer him even if cried out. Job said that God had become cruel to him and opposed him with the strength of His hand as if he were an equal. According to him, He had brought his success to nothing. And, he is sure that God will bring him to death, the place where all living beings must go to one day.
Job Suffers Evil Despite Doing Good Deeds
24 “Surely He would not stretch out His hand against a heap of ruins,
If they cry out when He destroys it.
25Â Have I not wept for him who was in trouble?
Has not my soul grieved for the poor?
26 But when I looked for good, evil came to me;
And when I waited for light, then came darkness.
In Verses 24-26 of Job 30, Job talks about how God would spare someone if they cry out to God when He is about to destory them. However, he does not answer Job no matter how much he calls on God. He reminded God of all the times he had done good to those who suffered. Job had wept for those in trouble and the poor, despite him being rich. He didn’t turn away his face to the other side like most rich men who don’t give a dime about the poor’s sufferings. However, when he sought for good things and the light, evil and darkness came to him. He does not understand why.
He had sown good seeds in others’ life and this was not his harvest. Job had harmed no one, however, his punishment was worse than that of wicked man. While Job was tormented, wicked men walked freely and went about doing wicked deeds to no end.
Job Is At His Wits End
27 My heart is in turmoil and cannot rest;
Days of affliction confront me.
28 I go about mourning, but not in the sun;
I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help.
29 I am a brother of jackals,
And a companion of ostriches.
30 My skin grows black and falls from me;
My bones burn with fever.
31 My harp is turned to mourning,
And my flute to the voice of those who weep.
In Verses 27-31 of Job 30, Job talks about how grieved in heart he was. His skin had darkened due to his illness and not because he spent time under the sun. He stood up in the same assembly where he pronunced righteous judgments and cried for help yet his cries fell on deaf ears. No one listened to him. He was unwanted, ignored and kept out of society.
Job calls himself a brother of howling jackals and a companion of screaming ostriches. Both jackals and ostriches are not friendly creatures. They are sinister, cunning, proud and arrogant. He compares the mocking men to jackals and ostriches. Because the only people who came to Job were the people who were there to mock him at his condition. His skin grew black (formed scabs and flakes) from his illness and fell off from him. Job was getting sicker by the minute and he was in constant pain and fever. His harp that he once used for joyful singing has now become mourning and his flute no longer produced a joyful tune.
Conclusion
This brings us to the end of the bible study lesson on Job 30. Job talks about his extreme humiliation due to his present condition and how people of all walks of life especially the wicked took advantage of his condition to mock him. They were the ones who deserved to suffer, yet here was Job an innocent and righteous man, reduced to nothing and suffered the torment reserved for the wicked, especially for a sin that he did not commit. I hope you learnt something from this free bible study and found it helpful in your Bible study journey.
If you have any comments or questions for me, kindly leave them in the comments box below. I highly appreciate it. I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Until Next Time!