Job 6: 14 – 30
Where’s The Love?
14 “To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend, even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty. 15 My brothers have dealt deceitfully like a brook, like the streams of the brooks that pass away, 16 Which are dark because of the ice, and into which the snow vanishes. 17 When it is warm, they cease to flow; When it is hot, they vanish from their place. 18 The paths of their way turn aside, they go nowhere and perish. 19 The caravans of Tema look, the travelers of Sheba hope for them. 20 They are disappointed because they were confident; They come there and are confused. 21 For now you are nothing, you see terror and are afraid. 22 Did I ever say, ‘Bring something to me’? Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth’? 23 Or, ‘Deliver me from the enemy’s hand’? Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of oppressors’? 24 “Teach me, and I will hold my tongue; Cause me to understand wherein I have erred. 25 How forceful are right words! But what does your arguing prove? 26 Do you intend to rebuke my words, and the speeches of a desperate one, which are as wind? 27 Yes, you overwhelm the fatherless, and you undermine your friend. 28 Now therefore, be pleased to look at me; For I would never lie to your face. 29 Yield now, let there be no injustice! Yes, concede, my righteousness still stands! 30 Is there injustice on my tongue? Cannot my taste discern the unsavory?
I would like you to take a moment and think about this question. Have you ever been exposed in your lifetime to anyone who gave you insulting comments for no known reason? It amazes me the gall some people have. Where do they get off adding unprovoked insults? I like the statement, ‘Blessed is the fool who knows he is a fool and keeps his mouth shut then the one who opens his mouth and remove all doubt.’
I use to be a street fighter so if anyone opened their mouth they might get a punch in the mouth as soon as blink. Today, I just eat the insult and walk away [in most cases]. What I still have a problem with is when I come across someone else who is getting flayed by someone’s so called advice. Instead of moving on I go after the evil person.
We had this one Christian man who came down with brain cancer. He went through extreme painful radiation and chemotherapy. As a result of this treatment he looked like he was in a horror movie. I happened to walk by and heard this one person say to him in front of his little kids, ‘Man, you look awful.’ Of course he looked awful. This poor guy could look in a mirror. Why didn’t this other guy just keep his big mouth shut instead of insulting this guy and his family by his ill conceived words? Now here was a guy that I wanted to lay hands on and I do not mean for prayer.
I bring this up because we are going to see this same type of brutal treatment of an innocent good man – Job –by his so called friends. We are going to learn directly from Job that He complains of all the things that have happened to him because, whereas he expected consolation from his friends, he had received nothing but the bitterest reproaches that were all on the assumed ground that he must be a wicked man because why else would God so grievously afflict him, Job 6:14-20. He shows them that they knew nothing of his case, and that they had no compassion, Job 6:21-23. And then entreats them, if they can, to show him in what he has offended, then he is ready to acknowledge and correct every trespass, Job 6:24-30.
Job is stopped and questions himself. He immediately raises the iron bars of self-assurance. Having regained his composure, Job has a powerful personal fortitude quite apart from his righteousness. Once recovered, Job delivers a stinging rebuke to Eliphaz and his friends
14 “To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend, even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty. 15 My brothers have dealt deceitfully like a brook, like the streams of the brooks that pass away, 16 Which are dark because of the ice, and into which the snow vanishes. 17 When it is warm, they cease to flow; When it is hot, they vanish from their place. 18 The paths of their way turn aside, they go nowhere and perish. 19 The caravans of Tema look, the travelers of Sheba hope for them. 20 They are disappointed because they were confident; They come there and are confused. 21 For now you are nothing, you see terror and are afraid. 22 Did I ever say, ‘Bring something to me’? Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth’? 23 Or, ‘Deliver me from the enemy’s hand’? Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of oppressors’?
Job demonstrates that he is formidably aware of everything Eliphaz has said. Job has already been wrestling with the same questions. He begins by challenging Eliphaz that he must not fear God, that he shows no pity. This is a serious charge. Righteousness begins with the fear of the Lord. Without that, a man is left to choose his own righteousness. The evidence against Job is circumstantial, he is afflicted.
Eliphaz had, in effect, despised Job; and on this ground had acted anything but the part of a friend towards him; and he well deserved the severe rebuke which he here receives. Job's friends, so called, supported each other in their attempts to blacken the character of this worthy man; and their hand became the heavier, because they supposed the hand of God was upon Job.
Job shows what reason he had to expect kindness from them. His expectation was grounded upon the common principles of humanity.
Compassion is a debt owing to those that are in affliction. The least which those that are at ease can do for those that are pained and in anguish is to pity them,—to manifest the sincerity of a tender concern for them, and to sympathize with them,—to take cognizance of their case, enquire into their grievances, hear their complaints, and mingle their tears with theirs,—to comfort them, and to do all they can to help and relieve them: this well becomes the members of the same body, who should feel for the grievances of their fellow-members, not knowing how soon the same may be their own.
When a man is afflicted he will see who his friends are indeed and who are but pretenders; for a brother is born for adversity as we learn in the book of Proverbs 17:17.
Job here gives an allusion as to these so called friends. People who live in the land at various times witness torrents which make a sudden appearance, and as suddenly vanish; being produced by the rains that fall upon the mountains during the rainy season, and are soon absorbed by the thirsty sands over which they run. Their pretensions are fitly compared to the great show which the brooks make when they are swollen with the waters of a land flood, by the melting of the ice and snow, which make them blackish or muddy The approach of Job's friends promised much of sympathy and compassion; his expectations were raised: but their conduct soon convinced him that they were counselors of no value; therefore he compares them to the deceitful torrents that soon pass away.
There are some streams that travellers can always trust. The water is always plentiful, even in the driest weather. When the travellers arrive at these streams, there is water for them. And there is water for their animals. But there are other streams that travellers should not trust. These streams might seem good. During many months, such streams are full of water. But these streams are dangerous. In the driest weather, there is no water. Men might travel far to reach these streams. But the stream is dry. And the men will die, because they are too tired to travel further. Job’s friends seemed like those dry streams. When Job’s life was good, his friends were good friends. But when Job had troubles, they could not help him. When Job needed their help, they did not support him.
The caravans coming from Tema are represented as arriving at those places where it was well known torrents did descend from the mountains, and they were full of expectation that here they could not only fulfill their thirst, but fill their water-skins for further journey; but when they arrive, they find the waters totally dissipated and lost. In vain did the caravans of Sheba wait for them; they did not reappear: and they were confounded, because they had hoped to find here refreshment and rest.
Job now uses this example in relation to these guys. He tells them that they are just like those deceitful torrents to the caravans of Tema and Sheba; He tells them that ‘they were nothing to the travelers from Tema and Sheba and therefore they are nothing to him. He lets them know of their bad advice –you saw my casting down - You saw that I have been greatly thrown from success into want and misery. So, like the flood from the top of the mountains, which is divided, evaporated, and lost in the desert this is the result of your ministering to me’.
24 “Teach me, and I will hold my tongue; Cause me to understand wherein I have erred. 25 How forceful are right words! But what does your arguing prove? 26 Do you intend to rebuke my words, and the speeches of a desperate one, which are as wind? 27 Yes, you overwhelm the fatherless, and you undermine your friend. 28 Now therefore, be pleased to look at me; For I would never lie to your face. 29 Yield now, let there be no injustice! Yes, concede, my righteousness still stands! 30 Is there injustice on my tongue? Cannot my taste discern the unsavory?
Job has been looking for his fault, but can't find one. So he demands his accusers, ‘please show me my sin’ (6:24). Show me where I am mistaken. Bring proper arguments to convince me of my errors; and you will soon find that I shall gladly receive your counsels, and abandon the errors of which I may be convicted.
Proverbs 9: 8 says, “Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. It is the undoubted character of every honest man that he is truly desirous to have his mistakes rectified, and to be made to understand wherein he has erred; and he will acknowledge that right words, when they appear to him to be so, though contrary to his former sentiments, are both forcible and acceptable.
How often are we unable to wait on the Lord for wisdom? It is too easy to rush to judgment based on presumed knowledge. Job scolds his friends for impatience,
Job thought that his friends were not sincere. Perhaps they wanted to argue. Job is questioning these guys as to the benefit of arguing? He says their reasoning is defective, because all their premises are false; and their conclusions prove nothing, because of the falsity of the premises from whence they are drawn. His troubles were great. Job’s friends could not feel Job’s pain. And they did not know the answers to Job’s troubles.
I tell you one thing that is very annoying in ministry and that is coming into contact with people who like to argue. They come up to you with a question – so they say. In honesty they want to come in and chew you to pieces with their philosophy. If you ever come across these types of people my advice is to back out of the conversation as quickly as possible. My secretary has seen this happen to me and I am sure you have done the same as this, ‘Oh Tom you have a phone call.’ In truth you do, it is your secretary calling.
Two things aggravated their unkind treatment of him:-First of all they took advantage of his weakness and the helpless condition he was in: ‘you overwhelm the fatherless’. This statement is a proverbial expression denoting that which is most barbarous and inhuman. As you are sure of is that the fatherless cannot secure themselves from insults, which wise guys inflict on them.
Remember back in chapter 1 Job lost all his children who were killed by Satan. He therefore is a childless father. He had reason to be offended with those who were triumphing over him. Let those who know who pull such stunts that they not only put off the compassions of man, but fight against the compassions of God, Who Is, and will be, a Father of the fatherless and a helper of the helpless.
Let me tell you that in almost all situations people who pull this type of evil come against you with the pretence of kindness. When they came to see and sit with him he thought he might speak his mind freely to them and that the more bitter his complaints to them were, the more they would endeavor to comfort him. This made him take greater liberty than otherwise he would have done.
Job understands now that this freedom of speech, which their professions of concern for him made him use, had exposed him to their censures, and so they might be said to dig a pit for him. We sometimes say ‘they laid a trap for me.’ Thus, when our hearts are hot within us, what is ill done we are apt to say things that can come back and bite us.
Has this ever happened to you? I know from personal experience I had blindly and stupidly done the same as Job.
Job concludes with a plea to these visitors to slow down and look at him and his situation. Job is sure that his friends, who know him well, will see that he isn't lying. He is asking for patience and forbearance. Do I speak evil? Am I not an honest man? and if in my haste my tongue had uttered falsity, would not my conscience discern it? And do you think that such a man as your friend is would defend what he knew to be wrong?
I had this couple who I had never met come in to see me for counseling. They were referred to a guy I have known for over ten years. When they sat down the wife said that she was leaving her husband. I asked if there was another person her life or his which they said was not. She just said that she had made a mistake in marrying him. My parting comment to her was to please give the Lord a chance in this problem because He can still do miracles.
The following day I received a call from the guy who told them to go and see me. He was shocked as to my answer to them. I asked him how so? He said that the woman told him that I said that only a miracle could ever save their marriage. Now if you will, please look at the previous paragraph and read it again. You can see that I did not say that.
I told the guy that I did not have a problem with the lady’s incorrect statement. I did now have a problem with him. Now he was surprised at my response to him as he said ‘Why do you have a problem with me?’ I told him that I thought that I knew him. We had personally interacted significantly over many years. That being so I had come to the conclusion that he in reality did not know me. For if he did then he would have known that the woman’s statement to him did not match the Tom he had known for a good amount of years. By his calling me and challenging me on an incorrect response he had accepted that woman’s lie or misunderstanding to what he should have known regarding my character that I would not have said what she was claiming.. My dear friend Job went through the same thing I go through on consistent basis. I see the same pain and anguish revisited in my life. Thank God for our Lord Jesus Christ Who delivers us from all adversity.
