Pleading with God

Job 10:1-22

1 "My soul loathes my life;
I will give free course to my complaint,
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

2 I will say to God, 'Do not condemn me;
Show me why You contend with me.

3 Does it seem good to You that You should oppress,
That You should despise the work of Your hands,
And smile on the counsel of the wicked?

4 Do You have eyes of flesh?
Or do You see as man sees?

5 Are Your days like the days of a mortal man?
Are Your years like the days of a mighty man,
6 That You should seek for my iniquity
And search out my sin,
7 Although You know that I am not wicked,
And there is no one who can deliver from Your hand?

8 'Your hands have made me and fashioned me,
An intricate unity;
Yet You would destroy me.

9 Remember, I pray, that You have made me like clay.
And will You turn me into dust again?

10 Did You not pour me out like milk,
And curdle me like cheese,
11 Clothe me with skin and flesh,
And knit me together with bones and sinews?

12 You have granted me life and favor,
And Your care has preserved my spirit.

13 'And these things You have hidden in Your heart;
I know that this was with You:

14 If I sin, then You mark me,
And will not acquit me of my iniquity.

15 If I am wicked, woe to me;
Even if I am righteous, I cannot lift up my head.

I am full of disgrace;
See my misery!

16 If my head is exalted,
You hunt me like a fierce lion,
And again You show Yourself awesome against me.

17 You renew Your witnesses against me,
And increase Your indignation toward me;
Changes and war are ever with me.

18 'Why then have You brought me out of the womb?
Oh, that I had perished and no eye had seen me!

19 I would have been as though I had not been.
I would have been carried from the womb to the grave.

20 Are not my days few?
Cease! Leave me alone, that I may take a little comfort,
21 Before I go to the place from which I shall not return,
To the land of darkness and the shadow of death,
22 A land as dark as darkness itself,
As the shadow of death, without any order,
Where even the light is like darkness.'"

In his immense distress, Job begins pleading with God for relief, for deliverance from suffering and for His goodness and renewed favor.  He became so self-loathing and depressed that he spoke his bitterness to His creator, holding nothing back with Him.  He asked not to be condemned, but also to reveal why he was made to suffer to such a degree.  Job wondered if God despised him by allowing evil counsel to prevail.  He confessed that God does not see as man sees, that He is eternal and does not seek out sin in him as others do, even though there is nobody who can deliver him from these things.  He acknowledged God’s creating him, fashioning Job with great care and in great detail (Psalm 139:14), and so wondered how God could then destroy him, returning the clay of his being back to the dust of the earth from which man was originally made (Genesis 2:7).  Yet in the midst of this questioning and bitterness of hopelessness, Job says in verse 12 that he has been given grace and care from His Maker to preserve his spirit, a measure of hope for his continued existence.  He also knew that his sin earned consequences (Romans 6:23), and that his wickedness garnered woe (Isaiah 3:11) as a result.  Job was ashamed and guilty before God, disgraced in misery.  He realized still that the evidence was against him and witnesses indicted him, to the increase of God’s wrath.  Job then questioned why he was even born, wishing like Jonah to not only die, but further desired to never even to have been born!  He just wanted the suffering to end, to be left alone until he died, and not harassed by his friends.  The desire was to go to where he would never return, the grave, a place of darkness where there was disorder and even the light was dark.  This depressed view of death seemed to be the hopelessness brought on by his adversity, which shook his trust in God’s grace and goodwill towards him as before the adversary had begun the attacks on his person, possessions, and family.  We can also feel hopeless when all is taken from us, when we suffer great health problems, and when all turn against us; but we must remember the backstory of Job and realize the enemy is prowling about because of our testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Psalm 22:13, 1 Peter 5:8, Revelation 12:17).  This should bring hope and relief from here to eternity, knowing the character and grace of God’s goodness promised to His children.  We should not doubt nor blame God for our suffering, not name and claim relief or blame a lack of faith on our bad health or poverty, but instead temporally and eternally trust Him in all circumstances of life (Romans 8:28, 35, 37-39).  Our pleading with God is based on His goodness and grace in Christ alone.  This is an example for us to trust God, not the circumstances.