Slices
Prepare
Settle your heart before the Lord. Ask him to speak to you today, and to give you a willing heart to hear and obey anything he says.
Bible passage
‘But now they mock me,
men younger than I,
whose fathers I would have disdained
to put with my sheep dogs.
2 Of what use was the strength of their hands to me,
since their vigour had gone from them?
3 Haggard from want and hunger,
they roamed the parched land
in desolate wastelands at night.
4 In the brush they gathered salt herbs,
and their food was the root of the broom bush.
5 They were banished from human society,
shouted at as if they were thieves.
6 They were forced to live in the dry stream beds,
among the rocks and in holes in the ground.
7 They brayed among the bushes
and huddled in the undergrowth.
8 A base and nameless brood,
they were driven out of the land.
9 ‘And now those young men mock me in song;
I have become a byword among them.
10 They detest me and keep their distance;
they do not hesitate to spit in my face.
11 Now that God has unstrung my bow and afflicted me,
they throw off restraint in my presence.
12 On my right the tribe[c] attacks;
they lay snares for my feet,
they build their siege ramps against me.
13 They break up my road;
they succeed in destroying me.
“No one can help him,” they say.
14 They advance as through a gaping breach;
amid the ruins they come rolling in.
15 Terrors overwhelm me;
my dignity is driven away as by the wind,
my safety vanishes like a cloud.
16 ‘And now my life ebbs away;
days of suffering grip me.
17 Night pierces my bones;
my gnawing pains never rest.
18 In his great power God becomes like clothing to me;
he binds me like the neck of my garment.
19 He throws me into the mud,
and I am reduced to dust and ashes.
20 ‘I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer;
I stand up, but you merely look at me.
21 You turn on me ruthlessly;
with the might of your hand you attack me.
22 You snatch me up and drive me before the wind;
you toss me about in the storm.
23 I know you will bring me down to death,
to the place appointed for all the living.
24 ‘Surely no one lays a hand on a broken man
when he cries for help in his distress.
25 Have I not wept for those in trouble?
Has not my soul grieved for the poor?
26 Yet when I hoped for good, evil came;
when I looked for light, then came darkness.
27 The churning inside me never stops;
days of suffering confront me.
28 I go about blackened, but not by the sun;
I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.
29 I have become a brother of jackals,
a companion of owls.
30 My skin grows black and peels;
my body burns with fever.
31 My lyre is tuned to mourning,
and my pipe to the sound of wailing.
Explore
What can we learn from a chapter like today’s, in which Job is contrasting the different treatment he gets from people now that he is no longer prosperous and successful?
Perhaps we need to recognise ourselves in the people Job is accusing. How easily do we judge people by their outward success? How often do we praise and celebrate others while everything is going well, but turn our backs when they hit a rough patch? Sadly, this happens in churches at least as much as out in ‘the world’. One friend recently told me that his church was incredibly supportive during his marriage preparation, but when his marriage was in trouble, there was little help to be found.
It can be hard for those who are hurting to hear from God or feel his comfort – as was the case for Job. They need us more than ever to press in and demonstrate God’s unending, unfailing love.
We may not know what to say or do, but letting them know we care and are standing with them in prayer is a good place to start.
Respond
Do you know someone who is struggling just now? Maybe they haven’t been at church for a while or have seemed down when you talk to them. Pray for them, asking God to guide you as you reach out and share his compassion.
Deeper Bible study
‘By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept.’1 Thank you, Lord, for a place of quietness to sit and weep – and tell you how things really are.
This chapter is a lament for all that Job has lost. It is hard to read, but lament has its place in our walk with God. There is a whole book called Lamentations in God’s Word and many of the psalms also express it clearly. A lament is a song, poem or prayer expressing grief, regret or mourning. It does not always offer solutions or explain reasons for the trouble being lamented. It lays the facts before God and others, often in very moving ways. Job laments the social and physical consequences of what he is going through. In what ways does lament form part of our worship today?
It is hard to be mocked by others. Sticks and stones may break our bones but being called names is not painless. Job is reeling under the weight of rejection and scorn. He is being mocked by rogues, a ‘base and nameless brood’ (v 8). It is like approaching a homeless beggar only to have them taunt you because they see how bad your own situation is. Job was in big trouble – and to cap it all he was being ridiculed by people who had not managed their own lives or places in society well and were, themselves, in a deep mess. Very often in life, criticism comes from those whose own house is far from being in order. What matters is what God thinks about us, not those who may mock or insult us.2
Job’s disappointment is keen and his spiritual wounds are exposed (v 26). All this leads to a churning in his heart and mind. Coping with disappointment in the life of faith is one of its greatest challenges. Job survived by pouring it out before the Lord in lament. There is a lesson for us here.
Take a few moments to be real before God about your situation. Pour out to him your sorrow and disappointment. Then praise him for his steadfast love and faithfulness.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Numbers 28,29; Psalm 31
Pray for Scripture Union
The Easter Experience run by Local Mission Partner Impact in Bedford has a new venue; pray for the volunteers involved, good weather and that it will have a positive impact on children and staff. Pray too for schools workers Trish, Becky and Hayley and the trustees as they develop a five-year plan.
