Boxed In Series

Job 7: 1 - 21

Boxed In

1 “Is there not a time of hard service for man on earth? Are not his days also like the days of a hired man? 2 Like a servant who earnestly desires the shade, and like a hired man who eagerly looks for his wages, 3 So I have been allotted months of futility, and wearisome nights have been appointed to me. 4 When I lie down, I say, ‘When shall I arise, and the night be ended?’ For I have had my fill of tossing till dawn. 5 My flesh is caked with worms and dust, my skin is cracked and breaks out afresh. 6 “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope. 7 Oh, remember that my life is a breath! My eye will never again see good. 8 The eye of him who sees me will see me no more; While your eyes are upon me, I shall no longer be. 9 As the cloud disappears and vanishes away, so he who goes down to the grave does not come up. 10 He shall never return to his house, nor shall his place know him anymore. 11 “Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. 12 Am I a sea, or a sea serpent, that You set a guard over me? 13 When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me, my couch will ease my complaint,’ 14 Then You scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions, 15 So that my soul chooses strangling and death rather than my body. 16 I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone, for my days are but a breath. 17 “What is man, that You should exalt him, that You should set Your heart on him, 18 That You should visit him every morning, and test him every moment? 19 How long? Will You not look away from me, and let me alone till I swallow my saliva? 20 Have I sinned? What have I done to You, O watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target, so that I am a burden to myself? 21 Why then do You not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity? For now I will lie down in the dust, and You will seek me diligently, but I will no longer be.”

Have you ever felt like God has boxed you into a deep pit and you cannot get out? If you ever have, then welcome to the club. We are going to hear from the founder of our sad state. He will relate to those of us the exact feelings and despair that we have had or are currently going through. I want to say up front that we must not at any time to blame God for any problems that is going on in our lives. We all have to remember that we are all a work in progress.

Secondly, we live in a very difficult time. We have the temptation to taking any possible direction or choice in order to relieve our problems. Many run to a doctor to get drugs, err I mean medication.

You have heard I am sure of people who are bi-polar. Sometimes we accept things without knowing the real meaning. Bi-polar means we have ups and downs in our lives which are somewhat like a roller coaster. Some people however have a hard time with the dip of their own personal roller coaster. This is referred to a manic bi-polar which can be a very serious condition. In this condition you have to keep a close eye on your loved one because this could lead to suicide due to a person being so low that they want out no matter what. We see that our brother Job is in such a state yet it has been clear as our Holy Spirit has informed us that Job did not want to take his own life in order to get out of the physical and mental pain.

In this chapter Job goes on to express the bitter sense he had of his calamities and to justify himself in his desire of death. He will then complain to himself and his friends of his troubles, and the constant agitation he was in. Ultimately he will turn to God and pours out his heart to Him.

1 “Is there not a time of hard service for man on earth? Are not his days also like the days of a hired man?

Job is here excusing what he could not justify, even his inordinate desire of death. Why should he not wish for the termination of life, which would be the termination of his miseries? To enforce this reason he argues about the general condition of man upon earth: "He is of few days and full of trouble’. Our time on earth is limited and short. As it says in the Bible it is but a vapor.