Job 17:1-16
1 "My spirit is broken,
My days are extinguished,
The grave is ready for me.
2 Are not mockers with me?
And does not my eye dwell on their provocation?
3 "Now put down a pledge for me with Yourself.
Who is he who will shake hands with me?
4 For You have hidden their heart from understanding;
Therefore You will not exalt them.
5 He who speaks flattery to his friends,
Even the eyes of his children will fail.
6 "But He has made me a byword of the people,
And I have become one in whose face men spit.
7 My eye has also grown dim because of sorrow,
And all my members are like shadows.
8 Upright men are astonished at this,
And the innocent stirs himself up against the hypocrite.
9 Yet the righteous will hold to his way,
And he who has clean hands will be stronger and stronger.
10 "But please, come back again, all of you,
For I shall not find one wise man among you.
11 My days are past,
My purposes are broken off,
Even the thoughts of my heart.
12 They change the night into day;
'The light is near,' they say, in the face of darkness.
13 If I wait for the grave as my house,
If I make my bed in the darkness,
14 If I say to corruption, 'You are my father,'
And to the worm, 'You are my mother and my sister,'
15 Where then is my hope?
As for my hope, who can see it?
16 Will they go down to the gates of Sheol?
Shall we have rest together in the dust?"
Job was in despair from the suffering that he thought was caused by God, as well as the unwise attacks of judgment from his friends who thought they could counsel him. They counseled apart from God’s word and the principles found there, choosing rather to assume and pass their assessments as true, which they were not in most areas. Job was so worn down that he yearned for death to come knocking soon. He was tired of the mocking and provoking, tired of suffering terribly, and still knowing that God will not honor those against him, even though Job’s faith was uncertain in regards to the circumstances. He did know that he had no understanding of the motives of those verbally assaulting him with bad counsel, and so cried out to God for their being brought low for their actions. He was not being flattered as probably with his past status in the community, but was now a joke and example of a sinful man getting what they imagined he deserved. Sorrow overwhelmed Job, astonishing those who did follow the LORD, for they could not grasp why Job was suffering so much since they always saw him upright as well as themselves. Verse 9 offers a glimpse of Job still holding to doing right by God, knowing the reward is renewed strength no matter what others say. That was difficult to hold unwavering to in his circumstances, though. Job then challenged his friends to come back and see how unwise they really were, yet still suffered despair because the suffering was not abating. He began to see little purpose left in continuing, not even in his heart’s desires. He awaits light at the end of the tunnel of darkness, but also welcomes the grave because hope seems to have left him with only the grave to come. His only rest appeared to be back in the dust he came from, not seeing what 1 Samuel 2:8 and Psalm 113:7 say about hope arising from the LORD out of the dust of the downtrodden, preferring the view of Genesis 3:19 and Ecclesiastes 3:20 which show the futility of life and death in such despair. We can learn then to trust the hope of the gospel in Christ and not find despair in circumstances, for His promises lead us through death into life (2 Timothy 1:10, Romans 8:38) forever with Him and with no more suffering anymore. This is eternal hope in the present despair as 1 Peter 4:19 and 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 remind us.
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