Job's friends are relentless. They have spent chapters debating with Job and trying to get him to admit to some sort of guilt or sin. Job has spent chapters denying their accusations and restating his innocence. It has got to be exhausting. I'm tired just reading it, I can't imagine living it.
Not only did Job have to suffer the anguish of losing his children, his livestock, his servants, being afflicted with disease and listening to his wife tell him to curse God and die. He had to suffer the "helping" of his friends. (Makes you wonder how many people of had to suffer our "helping") I don't doubt that his friends really did have good intentions. They really did care about Job. They wanted his suffering to stop and they were presenting him with the only option they could see - admit your wickedness and ask for forgiveness.
They listened to their own logic and came up with what they thought was the solution. Now if only they could get Job to see it. I'm not so sure I would've come up with a different solution if I had been in their shoes. It seems logical that Job must have done something wrong to so anger God. Why else would so many bad things be happening to him? Of course, we know that bad things happen to good people all the time, but in our logical/human mind, that isn't fair or right, so there just has to be another reason. Job's friends figured it was because Job had really sinned and just wasn't fessing up to it.
Job never waivers though. He stands accused and maintains his innocence. His story never changes. His faith never falters. In Job 27:2-6 he says:
2As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,
the Almighty, who has made me taste bitterness of soul,
3 as long as I have life within me,
the breath of God in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not speak wickedness,
and my tongue will utter no deceit.
5 I will never admit you are in the right;
till I die, I will not deny my integrity.
6 I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it;
my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.
Job admits that he is tasting bitterness. He admits that he is struggling with understanding what is going on but he goes on to say he will not be defeated. He will not deny his integrity. Wow! I am growing to admire Job more and more every day. He never gave up and he never turned his back on God. He admitted even through his suffering that he was still alive because of God's breath in him. He knew that God had not totally turned his back on him or he would be dead. If God had completely withdrawn from Job then his life would end.
Isn't that amazing to think about?!? God's breath is in all of us. Every single one. Whether we believe in Him or not. Whether we proclaim His Lordship over our life or not. Whether we have turned our back on Him or not. He does not pull His breath of life away from us. He has hope that we will all come to know Him and love Him so He keeps His breath of life in us until our time has run out and we go to stand before Him. If He didn't believe in us, He would withdraw His breath of life. If He didn't love us, He would withdraw His breath of life. If He didn't want us all to have a chance to choose to be with Him in heaven, He would withdraw His breath of life. What amazing grace and mercy!
I'm not sure I am explaining what I am thinking very clearly but I hope I'm not muddling it to badly. It is funny to me how the book of Job can cause me to be overwhelmed by God's grace and mercy. A man who suffered great and experienced paralyzing anguish is teaching me about God's grace and mercy. Who would've thunk it :-)
As long as we have God's breath within us we can become better...we can love more...we can work harder...we can be of greater service...we have hope!
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