Monday, March 16, 2015

Job 30: ...And After.

Job 30 begins with that pivotal conjunction "BUT" signifying that a major change is coming to all that was just stated.  As much as Job 29 is his pleasant memory of his glory days as a respected leader, Job 30 mourns the fallout of his suffering which has lead to him being a despised and mocked figure.

Job is galled by the fact that younger men - rather than giving him the respect he has traditionally been paid - have turned to ridiculing him.  Here's how he describes his treatment: "And now they mock me in song; I am a byword to them.  They abhor me, they keep aloof from me; they do not hesitate to spit at the sight of me" (vs. 9-10).

Job has truly lost everything.  We already knew about the material blessings and family relationships that were taken away from him; now we learn that even his identity as a good, righteous individual has been lost.  This psychological torment, which Job also believes has come from the hand of God, is depicted with stark imagery in verses 16-23.

The injustice of it all has not been lost by Job.  He laments his cruel fate and the fact that he does not deserve it beginning in verse 24.  "Did I not weep for those whose day was hard?  Was not my soul grieved for the poor?  But when I looked for good, evil came; and when I waited for light, darkness came" (vs. 25-26).

Job just can't win.  He finishes the chapter by describing some of the physical ailments that he is suffering.  And he blames God for all of his misfortunes.

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