Today’s bible study is on the chapter of Job 6 – Job Justifies His Complaint. According to Bible scholars, the events of the book of Job took place approximately before 2100 B.C.
I encourage you to get your Bible ready and turn to Job 6. Kindly invite the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read and study Job 6 with me. 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 5, we read about how Eliphaz, one of Job’s friends says that Job is chastened by God for his sin. Well, in this Bible study on Job 6, we see how Job justifies his complaint.
Without any further delay, let us begin the Bible Study on Job 6. This chapter is also a masterpiece on prose and poetry with a lot of Metaphors.
The Heaviness Of Job’s Calamity
1 Then Job answered and said:
2 “Oh, that my grief were fully weighed,
And my calamity laid with it on the scales!
3 For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea—
Therefore my words have been rash.
In Verses 1-3 of Job 6, Job answers his friends. He talks about the heaviness of his grief and calamity. He said that the weight of his calamity would be heavier than the sand of the sea. In short, his calamity and grief are immeasurable just as the sand of the sea which cannot be measured. He also explains that his grief and calamity caused him to speak harsh words.
Job Thinks God Is Angry With Him
4 For the arrows of the Almighty are within me;
My spirit drinks in their poison;
The terrors of God are arrayed against me.
5 Does the wild donkey bray when it has grass,
Or does the ox low over its fodder?
6 Can flavorless food be eaten without salt?
Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?
7 My soul refuses to touch them;
They are as loathsome food to me.
In Verses 4-7 of Job 6, Job continues to explain that his words are rash because of The Lord’s anger against him. (Little does he know that the Lord is not angry with him. Job’s trial was satan’s idea). He thinks that the Lord’s anger is aroused against him as a result of which he has now lost everything, including his health.
He continues to question if the wild donkey brays when it has grass to eat or does the ox low (low refers to the sound that oxes make.) over its fodder? These are rhetoric questions. The answer to these questions is self-explanatory. In this context, the answer is “no”. Because animals don’t cry out of hunger when they already have enough food. Job questions if one can eat flavourless food without salt or is there any taste in the white of an egg? His soul refuses to touch such unsavory food and they are loathsome to Job.
Observation
The unsavoury food here directly refers to Job’s pain and suffering and, as a result, his sorrow. Just like unsavoury food is unpleasant, pain and suffering are unpleasant too. Hence, he refuses to suffer. And, just like the donkey that does not bray when it has enough food and just like the ox which does not low over its fodder, he wouldn’t lament if everything was well in his life.
Job Longs To Be Crushed By God
8“Oh, that I might have my request,
That God would grant me the thing that I long for!
9 That it would please God to crush me,
That He would loose His hand and cut me off!
10 Then I would still have comfort;
Though in anguish I would exult,
He will not spare;
For I have not concealed the words of the Holy One.
In Verses 8-10 of Job 6, Job wishes that he might have his request and that God would crush him (put him to death) so that he can be free from his suffering. In this way, he could have some relief and comfort. He would be joyful even though he is in pain because when he is crushed to death by God his pain and suffering will end too. He goes on to say that God will not spare him his suffering for Job has not concealed God’s words. For he thinks that when God crushes him, he would be justified in saying that God is actually angry with him.
Job Feels Hopeless
11 “What strength do I have, that I should hope?
And what is my end, that I should prolong my life?
12 Is my strength the strength of stones?
Or is my flesh bronze?
13 Is my help not within me?
And is success driven from me?
In Verses 11-13 of Job 6, Job expresses his hopelessness. He asks what should he base his hope on when he has no more strength to carry on with life. He does not see a prosperous future and hence he sees no point in prolonging his life.
Job continues to question his friends. He asks if his strength is like that of a stone (or a rock) which is not easily broken or moved. He further asks, is his flesh so strong like bronze. Is Job’s help within him and is success driven by himself?
Observation
If Job’s strength was like a stone or a rock that is immovable, and if his flesh was like bronze where no skin disease can flourish, he wouldn’t be shaken by the illness. It wouldn’t even have affected him. However, he is only human and feels powerless against the sores on his body. He says, If he had his own help within him and if he could succeed by himself by now he would have gotten rid of his sores. But, it is not the case. He is only human and he is going through a trial. Job is humble is saying these things. He ackowledges that he needs God’s help to get through his trial either alive or dead.
Job’s Friends Lack Kindness And Empathy
14 “To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend,
Even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
15 My brothers have dealt deceitfully like a brook,
Like the streams of the brooks that pass away,
16 Which are dark because of the ice,
And into which the snow vanishes.
17 When it is warm, they cease to flow;
When it is hot, they vanish from their place.
18 The paths of their way turn aside,
They go nowhere and perish.
In Verses 14-18 of Job 6, Job talks about how a friend should show kindness to another who is suffering. He tells that his friends should show kindness to him even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty God and honestly speaks his heart and mind out regarding his situation. He didn’t blaspheme God. And, he tells us through these verses that his friends have dealt deceitfully with him.
He compares the deceitful behaviour of his brethren (friends) to the streams of a brook that pass away. In the cold weather, the streams are dark because of the ice and the snow that vanishes into the stream. When the weather is hot, the streams cease to flow and they vanish from their place ( because they dry out). The thin, dried out streams have no fixed path in the hot weather and they go nowhere (they do not finish in the lake nor the ocean) and they cease to exist altogether.
Observation
The streams of a brook have a deceiftul nature, according to Job. They are unpredictable under different weather conditions. They are dark when it is cold, and dry when it is hot. Here, Job is directly talking about his friends’ cold-heartedness like the brook in cold weather. Now that Job is under the heat, facing a trial, they do not have any encouraging words for Job to ease his pain. Their words are dry and empty just like the streams of a brook that dry up in the heat. Thus far, they have only said that Job is facing the consequences of his sin. From Chapter 4 of Job and Chapter 5 of Job until now, his friends have sought to turn the blame on Job without pin-pointing his exact sin. But none of their words give Job relief during his suffering.
In general, when a person is suffering in any shape or form, blaming them for their suffering is only going to increase their suffering.
Also, I did a cross-reference with the Amplified Version of the Bible. It explains that Job’s friends are hesitant to sympathise with Job because they think God is punishing Job for his sin and they do not want God’s anger on them too for sympathising with Job. And this could also be a reason, why their words are rash towards Job.
From another point of view, Job’s friends think that Job should repent for his sin so that God could forgive him and he could escape his suffering.
The Disappointed Travellers
19 The caravans of Tema look,
The travelers of Sheba hope for them.
20 They are disappointed because they were confident;
They come there and are confused.
According to Verses 19-20 of Job 6, the caravans of Tema (from the Temanites) look and the travelers of Sheba hope to find water when they arrive by the brook. Now both the travelers face disappointment because they were confident of finding water. Yet, when they came by the brook they found no water to drink or refresh themselves.
Observation
Here, Job compares himself to the temanite caravan travellers and the travellers of Sheba who go to the brook to find water after a long journey. Now Job’s suffering is so heavy that it seems like he is on a long journey hoping for some water – relief and encouraging words from his friends. Yet when his friends arrived, they and their words have given him nothing but disappointment.
Job Now Questions The Behaviour Of His Friends
21 For now you are nothing,
You see terror and are afraid.
22 Did I ever say, ‘Bring something to me’?
Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth’?
23 Or, ‘Deliver me from the enemy’s hand’?
Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of oppressors’?
In Verses 21-23 of Job 6, Job starts questioning his friends. They were right there with Job seeing his terror and misery firsthand, yet they are afraid to sympathise with him. Job questions them, if he ever asked them to bring something to him or asked them for a bribe from their wealth? Job continues to question them if he ever asked them to deliver him from the enemy’s hand or redeem him from the hand of his oppressors?
These again are rhetoric questions. The answer to these questions is self-explanatory. The answer is “no”, in this context. Job’s friends gave him unsolicited advice that did not bring him any relief nor hope during his trial. It were as if they had come just to rebuke him and point fingers at him whereas they themselves were not perfect. In fact, no human is, except Jesus when He was in human flesh on the earth!
Job Asks His Friends To Teach Him Where He Had Sinned
24 “Teach me, and I will hold my tongue;
Cause me to understand wherein I have erred.
25 How forceful are right words!
But what does your arguing prove?
26 Do you intend to rebuke my words,
And the speeches of a desperate one, which are as wind?
In Verses 24-26 of Job 6, Job continues to ask his friends to teach him where he has sinned so that he could understand and correct his ways. Right words are a force to reckon with, however, their pointless arguing proves nothing. For they were not able to tell Job what exactly was his sin.
Job questions his friends if they had come to only rebuke his words. And he compares his words to the speeches of a desparate man, which are as wind. For the wind does not stay in one place, it just flows in whichever direction it wants and Job’s likens his speech to the wind. Just like the wind has no where to land, Job’s desperate speech has no where to land. It certinaly did not land on his friends’ ears. And, God seems to be distant and has not answered him yet. Hence, he compares his words to the wind which has no place to rest.
Job’s Righteousness Still Stands
27 Yes, you overwhelm the fatherless,
And you undermine your friend.
28 Now therefore, be pleased to look at me;
For I would never lie to your face.
29 Yield now, let there be no injustice!
Yes, concede, my righteousness still stands!
30 Is there injustice on my tongue?
Cannot my taste discern the unsavory?
In Verses 27-29 of Job 6, Job tells his friends that they overwhelm and undermine him. And he tells them to not look at him in disgust because of his sores or suffering or the punishment they think God has given him. He asks them to take pleasure in the fact that he would never tell a lie to their faces. He tells them to yield their ears to what he is saying and let there be no injustice. And, Job claims that his righteousness still stands!
In Verse 30, he questions his friends is there injustice on his tongue. If there was injustice on his tongue wouldn’t he be able to discern it? In the last verse Job compares injustice to unsavory food as he talks about the sense of taste.
Conclusion
This brings us to the end of Job 6. In the previous chapters, even though Job tells how bad his suffering was, his friends continued to blame him and tell him that God’s anger was aroused against him without proof of Job’s sin. They continued to tell him that he has sinned without telling him exactly where he had sinned. Job tells his side of the story and proves his righteousness here. He rightfully questions his friends and their motives.
I throughly enjoyed writing this Bible Study on Job 6, as I did the other ones. I sincerely hope that you enjoyed this bible study as much as I did. I also hope that you had personal revelations through the Holy Spirit. Feel free, to share them in the comments box below.
Until Next Time!