Job 16: Wrestling with Despair and Longing for Vindication

Job 16:1-5 Job reproves his friends for their uncharitable censures.

Here, I. Job complains of the unprofitableness of their discourses (Job 16:2): “I have heard many such things from you, and can expect no other; you are all physicians of no value, that can neither prescribe any thing to do me good nor so much as give me a good word.” Sorry comforters are they all, that is, “troublesome ones, that vex me, instead of comforting me. All your attempts to comfort me are fruitless and in vain; you do me no service.” Note, It is a great aggravation of grief, when we are disappointed of the comfort which we expected from our friends. Miserable comforters are the best of men, if God be departed from us.

II. He retorts their arguments (Job 16:3): Shall vain words have an end? Is there no end of your impertinent discourses? Will you never have done? Note, Those that are full of themselves, and fond of their own notions, commonly know no end of their talk. “Or, When shall your spirit provoke you to speak?” Some understand it as a taunt: “When will you pluck up so much courage as to speak honestly what you think of me? When will you leave wheedling me, and flatter me to my face, and deal plainly and faithfully with me?” Or, “When will you be in such a passion as I am? When will your spirit be moved with as much indignation at sin as mine is?”

III. He gives them to understand that if he were in their condition he would have dealt better with them than they dealt with him, Job 16:4, 5. This is a common way of representing the unkindness of those that are about us: Put my soul in your soul’s stead, and then consider how you would like to be treated as you treat me. Observe here, 1. How ill Job was treated by his friends. They loaded him with reproaches, and offered nothing to support him under his heavy burden, but rather sunk him further into the gulf of despair. They frightened him with their terrors, and made wounds in his spirit, instead of binding them up. 2. How much better he would have treated them if he had been in their condition. (1.) He would have been hearty and affectionate in his condolences: “I could heap up words against you, as you do against me; I could easily find something to say that would be harsh and severe.” It is an easy thing to find fault, to pick quarrels, and to pass hard censures. Those that are least able to do good can commonly be most forward to do hurt. But, (2.) He would have been industrious to do them good: The strengthening of your mouth should assuage your grief. He would have been very cautious of saying any thing that might add to their affliction, but his mouth should have been opened to say that which would have given them ease, and so the strengthening of his mouth would have assuaged their grief. Note, Seasonable comforts are a great relief to those that are in sorrow; and it is a great piece of charity to minister to those that are in affliction that which may help to make them easy. [1.] He would have taken pains to convince their judgments, and rectify their mistakes, and so have strengthened their mouths, that they might speak aright concerning God and his providence. [2.] He would have endeavoured to quiet their passions, and so to strengthen their mouths, that they might not speak amiss, or unadvisedly, with their lips. [3.] He would have offered that which was proper to comfort them, and so have strengthened their mouths, that they might be filled with arguments to comfort themselves. (3.) He would have accommodated himself to their case, and been willing to stoop to them: “I would have shaken my head at you, in token of sympathy with you, and concern for you, though you are ever so mean; and I would not have grudged to stretch out my hand to you, to help you up, though you are ever so weak.” Note, It is a great comfort to the afflicted to have those about them that are willing to lay themselves out for their good, and to show themselves friendly.

Job 16:6-16 He complains of God’s dealing with him.

Here Job describes the deplorable condition to which he was reduced.

I. He was wasted and worn away with trouble, Job 16:7, 8. God has made me weary, that is, weary of my life, weary of the world, weary of myself. He had business to do, and would have been at it, but God had made him weary, had disabled him for it, and taken him off from it. “He has made all my company desolate; wherever I go I meet with that which is uncomfortable.” Or, “He has desolated all my substance; he has taken it all away from me.” God had indeed been very hard upon him; but we may ask, as Christ did (John 18:23), If he has done him wrong, why does he not witness of the wrong? But he ought not to have charged it upon God that he had done him wrong. “Thou hast filled me with wrinkles, Job 16:8. My face is withered and full of wrinkles, by reason of my great grief and trouble.” Note, Worldly grief is a great wrinkle-maker; it anticipates old age, and decays beauty. It is a sign of the prevalency of corruption in the body that the mind can thus, by its own workings, make such an alteration in the body. And being thus filled with wrinkles, which made him look old before his time, it was a witness against him, that he was a great sinner, and that his sins had brought these calamities upon him. Note, We often do but by-standers wrong by our sufferings. Our sorrows are witnesses against us, and give occasion to those that seek occasion. Or, The leanness which arose from his distemper was a witness against him. His bones were so wasted that his skin cleaved to them, and his flesh was dried away, so that he became a skeleton; and this was a witness against him that he was a hypocrite, and his religion was only a show; for, if he had been sincere, God would not have dealt thus severely with him. See how apt we are to condemn those whom God afflicts.

II. He was exposed to the fury of his enemies (Job 16:9): He tears me in his wrath. God does, for he has permitted them to do it, and they are but the sword in his hand. Note, When we are wronged and injured we ought to look up to God, and see him permitting it, ordering it, and overruling it to wise and holy ends. These enemies not only tore him in their wrath, but they gnashed upon him with their teeth, they looked at him with an eye of indignation and scorn, and gathered themselves together against him, as if they would run him down by their numbers. “He has sharpened his eye upon me; he has marked me out as an object of his peculiar spite.” Compare Job 10:16, Thou huntest me as a fierce lion. Such was the enmity of the serpent’s seed against him, who was a type of Christ, and of all that are his. They hated him without a cause, and persecuted him without mercy.

III. He was delivered up into the hands of the wicked, and God himself seemed to do it (Job 16:11): God has delivered me to the ungodly, and turned me over into the hands of the wicked. He complains much of this, Job 16:9, 10. The Chaldeans and Sabeans, who robbed him of his substance, were ungodly and wicked men, and into their hands God delivered him; for they could not have touched him if God had not permitted them. “He has smitten me on the cheek reproachfully; he has loaded me with disgrace and dishonour.” Note, It is a great affliction to a good man to be at the mercy of those that have no mercy, and to be trampled upon and insulted by wicked men. It grieved David to be persecuted by Saul, but much more to be chased like a partridge by the son of Jesse.

IV. He was robbed of all his comfort and hope, Job 16:12-14. When God delivered him to the wicked he had been easy and quiet, but God had broken him asunder. He had prospered in the world, and was in no apprehension of trouble, but God had dispirited him, and taken all his comfort and courage from him. He had taken him by the neck, as a strong man does his adversary whom he designs to be too hard for, and shaken him to pieces, and set him up for his mark, as archers set up a mark to shoot at. His archers compassed him round about, Job 16:13. God’s judgments, which were his arrows, had surrounded him. He cleaves his reins asunder, which was a mortal wound; he pours out my gall upon the ground, which denotes the greatness of his pain and anguish; he breaks him with breach upon breach, and runs upon him like a giant, who bears down all before him. These are very strong expressions of the troubles he was in, and the sense he had of them.

V. He was overwhelmed with grief and shame, Job 16:15-17. He had clothed himself with sackcloth, the habit of a mourner; he had defiled his horn in the dust, had lost all his honour and lost all his comfort, and had no hope of ever recovering either. He had wept himself blind; his eye-lids were red with weeping. And all this when there was no violence in his hands, no injustice done by him, and when his prayer was pure and from a good heart. Herein he was a type of Christ, who suffered, being perfectly innocent, and who, though he was a Son, learned obedience by the things which he suffered.

Job 16:18-22 He comforts himself with the hopes of a future judgment.

Here Job expresses his hope that, though he was now run down and run over, yet he should not be lost and forgotten for ever; but, though buried out of sight, his cause would some time or other be pleaded, and he should have justice done him. This comes in here very abruptly, and is not easily connected with what goes before, but it was good for Job to entertain such a hope as this.

I. He appeals to heaven concerning his integrity, Job 16:18. He has no hope of justice on earth, the courts of judicature there being corrupted, and justice perverted; but, “O earth! cover not thou my blood, that is, the evidence of my innocency, and let my cry have no place, no rest, till it be heard in heaven, and I have right done me.” He desires that his blood might speak, as the blood of Abel did, crying for vengeance. Note, First, There is a righteous God to whom injured innocency may appeal, and with whom the cry of oppressed righteousness will have place. Secondly, Those that have right on their side may be content to wait with patience till their witness comes from heaven, as Job does here, Job 16:19.

II. He comforts himself with an assurance that he had one who would be his advocate in heaven, who would plead his cause, and see him righted. “My witness is in heaven, one who knows my integrity, and will, in due time, make it to appear; and my record is on high, a decree is recorded in the court of heaven concerning me.”

III. He begs of God to take his case into his own hand, Job 16:20, 21. My friends scorn me, and, instead of pitying me, are still adding affliction to my grief. My eye pours out tears unto God, and I have none to comfort me; therefore, Lord, do thou comfort me. O that one might plead for a man with God, as he pleads for his neighbour, that is, as one man pleads for another that is his friend, and whose cause he heartily espouses! Job wishes he had somebody to stand up for him, and to manage his cause before God, as a man does for his friend, that is weak and unable to plead for himself. Thus the learned Dr. Hammond understands it. Note, 1. It is a desirable thing, when we are in trouble of any kind, to have some friend that will plead for us with God, that will pray for us. 2. We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities, and is therefore ready to appear as our intercessor, and to present our petitions.

IV. He expects that his death is now very near, and therefore he must make haste to get his cause pleaded, Job 16:22. When a few years are come, that is, a very few, for he speaks comparatively (as but a few days, Job 10:20), I shall go the way whence I shall not return. He looked upon himself as a dying man, and therefore concerned to finish his business quickly, because the time was short. Note, 1. Death is a journey, a journey to our long home, our last home. 2. It is a journey whence we shall not return to this world. This is a good reason why we should do that quickly which must be done before we die, lest death prevent us.

Job 16 delves into the depths of Job's suffering, showcasing his raw emotions and his desperate plea for understanding amidst immense pain. This chapter reveals Job's struggle with both his friends' inadequate comfort and what he perceives as God's harsh treatment. Yet, even in the face of overwhelming despair, a flicker of hope remains, a longing for vindication and a belief in a future resolution.

The "Comfort" of Criticism (Job 16:1-5)

Job begins by directly addressing his companions, dismissing their words as empty and unhelpful. He labels them "miserable comforters" (Job 16:2), highlighting the profound disconnect between their pronouncements and his actual experience. Tony Evans notes that Job was reeling from the blows he had received, yet refused to be defeated. Matthew Henry aptly points out that Job found their attempts at comfort troublesome, rather than providing any real service.

Job challenges their relentless and seemingly endless speeches. "Shall vain words have an end?" (Job 16:3) he asks, questioning the purpose and impact of their pronouncements. He even suggests that if their roles were reversed, he would have offered far greater compassion and understanding. He would have strengthened them with encouraging words and brought relief to their suffering (Job 16:5). This underscores the importance of empathy and genuine support in times of affliction. Matthew Henry emphasizes that Job would have been cautious not to add to their affliction, but rather to offer words of ease and comfort.

God's Hand in Job's Affliction (Job 16:6-17)

The focus then shifts to Job's perception of God's role in his suffering. He feels utterly devastated, believing that God has made him weary and desolated his life (Job 16:7-8). Tony Evans highlights that, despite his friends' poor bedside manner, Job's real complaint was against God, who had devastated his family. Job expresses feeling handed over to the unjust and thrown to the wicked (Job 16:11), a message that surely resonated with his companions.

Matthew Henry details the extent of Job's suffering, noting that he was wasted and worn away with trouble. He was exposed to the fury of his enemies, delivered into the hands of the wicked, and robbed of all comfort and hope. Job describes God as tearing him in wrath (Job 16:9) and breaking him asunder (Job 16:12), using vivid imagery to convey the intensity of his pain and anguish. He is overwhelmed with grief and shame (Job 16:15-17), wearing sackcloth and defiling his horn in the dust, symbols of mourning and lost honor.

A Glimmer of Hope: An Advocate in Heaven (Job 16:18-22)

Despite the overwhelming despair, Job clings to a sliver of hope. He appeals to heaven, longing for his innocence to be recognized and his cry to be heard (Job 16:18). He expresses confidence that he has a witness in heaven, a record on high (Job 16:19), suggesting a belief in a divine perspective that sees beyond his present suffering.

Job yearns for someone to plead his case before God, just as a friend would argue for another (Job 16:21). Tony Evans notes that Job desired a hearing before God and wished for someone to step in and take his case to heaven. Matthew Henry expands on this, suggesting that Job desires a friend to stand up for him and manage his cause before God. This foreshadows the role of Christ as our advocate, interceding on our behalf before the Father.

Acknowledging his mortality, Job recognizes that his time is limited (Job 16:22). He emphasizes the urgency of his situation, highlighting the need for his cause to be pleaded quickly before he departs this world. This serves as a reminder of the brevity of life and the importance of seeking justice and vindication while we still have time.