Job 7
Job 7 describes Job pleading his suffering to God. Job laments that human life is short and full of misery (verses 1-6), portraying pain that does not let up day or night. He then confesses that his life is fleeting (verses 7-10) and tells God his situation in detail. Finally, he asks God questions directly and deeply considers the reasons for what he is experiencing and his relationship with God (verses 11-21).
1verse“Isn’t a man forced to labor on earth? Aren’t his days like the days of a hired hand?
2verseAs a servant who earnestly desires the shadow, as a hireling who looks for his wages,
3verseso I am made to possess months of misery, wearisome nights are appointed to me.
4verseWhen I lie down, I say, ‘When will I arise, and the night be gone?’ I toss and turn until the dawning of the day.
5verseMy flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust. My skin closes up, and breaks out afresh.
6verseMy days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope.
7verseOh remember that my life is a breath. My eye will no more see good.
8verseThe eye of him who sees me will see me no more. Your eyes will be on me, but I will not be.
9verseAs the cloud is consumed and vanishes away, so he who goes down to Sheol will come up no more.
10verseHe will return no more to his house, neither will his place know him any more.
11verse“Therefore I will not keep silent. I will speak in the anguish of my spirit. I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
12verseAm I a sea, or a sea monster, that you put a guard over me?
13verseWhen I say, ‘My bed will comfort me. My couch will ease my complaint,’
14versethen you scare me with dreams and terrify me through visions,
15verseso that my soul chooses strangling, death rather than my bones.
16verseI loathe my life. I don’t want to live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath.
17verseWhat is man, that you should magnify him, that you should set your mind on him,
18versethat you should visit him every morning, and test him every moment?
19verseHow long will you not look away from me, nor leave me alone until I swallow down my spittle?
20verseIf I have sinned, what do I do to you, you watcher of men? Why have you set me as a mark for you, so that I am a burden to myself?
21verseWhy do you not pardon my disobedience, and take away my iniquity? For now will I lie down in the dust. You will seek me diligently, but I will not be.”
Structure and Flow
- Verses 1-6: A description of human life and the depth of suffering
- Verses 7-10: Lamenting the fleetingness and futility of life
- Verses 11-21: Questions and pleas to God, confession regarding his own sin and righteousness
Overall Meaning
Job 7 deals deeply with human limitations, suffering, and the despair felt within it. In his affliction, Job raises questions about God’s silence and an incomprehensible reality, and he makes a heartfelt confession of human weakness and the emptiness of life. This represents the kinds of hardships we all can experience and the religious struggle that comes with them. Job seeks answers, but through honest conversation with God in which he reveals his heart, he makes us rethink the relationship between humans and God.
Meditation Points
- In the face of suffering in every life, we can think about what kind of attitude we should bring as we come to God.
- We can meditate that, just as Job reveals his honest heart and thoughts before God, laying them open before God is one aspect of faith.
- Even in suffering, it leads us to consider an attitude of holding on to our relationship with God and acknowledging our own limitations and weakness.
Applying It to Me
Through this chapter, you can find the courage to come to God honestly about your life and your suffering, and to ask God questions and pray even in situations you cannot understand. Also, rather than becoming discouraged in the face of life’s emptiness or your limitations, you can be challenged to live a life that seeks God more and keeps your faith.
