And now those young men mock me in song; I have become a byword among them. They detest me and keep their distance; they do not hesitate to spit in my face. Now that God has unstrung my bow and afflicted me, they throw off restraint in my presence. On my right the tribe attacks; they lay snares for my feet, they build their siege ramps against me. They break up my road; they succeed in destroying me. ‘No one can help him,’ they say. They advance as through a gaping breach; amid the ruins they come rolling in. Terrors overwhelm me; my dignity is driven away as by the wind, my safety vanishes like a cloud….if my land cries out against me and all its furrows are wet with tears, if I have devoured its yield without payment or broken the spirit of its tenants, then let briers come up instead of wheat and stinkweed instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended. – Job 30:9-15 & 31:38-40
“these young men mock me in song”….this brings to mind a very odd juxtaposition of images of baggy pants rappers singing in Job’s face…probably did not look like that but it would have been an odd scene you must admit.
Young men spitting in his face and singing songs of derision while Job wallows in the dust scraping the sores off his body. This does not sound like a good time. It brings Job’s misery to a whole new level. He is not only a mockery to his friends, which would be bad enough, now he is mockery to those who are cultural supposed to revere and respect him. Kind of reminds me of a young man from Nazareth named Jesus. He was mocked and spit upon by those who should have been giving Him respect too.
Job’s safety, and self-esteem I suspect, have vanished like a cloud. They have dissipated in the intense heat of public humiliation. Job will have one last indignity to endure as one of these young man, Elihu, will soon attempt to tear him apart with accusations and condemnation.
In the end Job appeals to the very land that he owns to bear witness to the legacy he will leave. He compares the fruit of his land to the fruit of his soul. If the land and it’s tenants bear witness to mistreatment then Job agrees that his land (soul) will produce weeds instead of fruit.
The words of Job are ended. It is in God’s hands now (as it has been from the beginning). In a way Job is saying what Jesus said in the end…”not thy will but yours be done”. I have a lot to learn from Job. I hope that when I am called upon to weather hard and trying times I have a fraction of his fortitude.
Prayer: God help us to trust Your will for our lives even when the going gets hard.
Walking on Water 