JOB LESSON 16

     We will begin this lesson in Job 16:1 "Then Job answered and
said," Job 16:2 "I have heard many such things: miserable comforters
[are] ye all."

     I would have to agree with Job. They were no comfort to him at
all. They were even worse than the world around him. They had known
him well, and had talked of the LORD with him many times. This reminds
me so much of what happens to someone in the church, who is going
through difficulties. The brothers and sisters in Christ should build
them up and help them through the difficulty, but more often they do
harm to them. Christians have a tendency to kill their wounded.

     Job 16:3 "Shall vain words have an end? or what emboldeneth thee
that thou answerest?"

     Why did this friend think that he was capable of judging Job? Job
did not want to hear any more words from this friend. We must be
careful when we are judging this Scripture, and make sure we have not
been like Job's friend. When someone is sick, it does not mean they
have sinned.  Jesus proved this, when he healed the blind man. The
apostles asked Jesus who had sinned, he or his parents, and Jesus said
neither had.  The blindness was so that God could be glorified in the
restoration of the sight.

     Job 16:4 "I also could speak as ye [do]: if your soul were in my
soul's stead, I could heap up words against you, and shake mine head
at you." Job 16:5  "[But] I would strengthen you with my mouth, and
the moving of my lips should asswage [your grief]."

     This is so true. The tongue is a weapon that can build a person
up, or can cut them to pieces. His friends were not true friends. They
had used their friendship to get an audience with Job, and then
proceeded to tear him apart. Job could do the same thing to them, but
he did not. He could have accused them of evil doing, because what
they were doing to him was certainly evil.

     Job 16:6 "Though I speak, my grief is not asswaged: and [though]
I forbear, what am I eased?"

     The word "asswaged" means restrained. His speech did not bring
him relief from his sorrow, or his suffering. If he did not say
anything at all, that did not help either.

     Job 16:7 "But now he hath made me weary: thou hast made desolate
all my company."

     His friends could have been company to him and helped him forget
a little of the pain, instead they added to his pain.

     Job 16:8 "And thou hast filled me with wrinkles, [which] is a
witness [against me]: and my leanness rising up in me beareth witness
to my face."
     The pain was showing in his face. He was wrinkled from pain and
looked even older than he was. He was losing weight and that made him
look wrinkled, as well.

     Job 16:9 "He teareth [me] in his wrath, who hateth me: he
gnasheth upon me with his teeth; mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon
me."

     There is no physical hurt as bad, as when friends have turned
against you. Their accusations and terrible remarks were tearing Job
to pieces.

     Job 16:10 "They have gaped upon me with their mouth; they have
smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully; they have gathered themselves
together against me."

     We spoke earlier how Job was a type of Christ. They struck Jesus,
as they struck Job, here. Both were smitten without a cause.

     Job 16:11 "God hath delivered me to the ungodly, and turned me
over into the hands of the wicked."

     Again, Job was not aware that his attack was of Satan. We do know
that God allowed the attack, but the actual attack was of Satan. Job
was right in his estimation that God had turned him over to the
wicked. It would have been much easier to endure, had Job known that
it would end, and that this was an attack of the devil, not God.

     Job 16:12 "I was at ease, but he hath broken me asunder: he hath
also taken [me] by my neck, and shaken me to pieces, and set me up for
his mark."

     Job had been at ease. He had been blessed mightily of God. He
felt that he was at peace with God. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, he
was attacked on every side. The greatest grief that Job suffered was
the loss of his children. He was marked for attack. He thought God had
shaken his life completely up.

     Job 16:13 "His archers compass me round about, he cleaveth my
reins asunder, and doth not spare; he poureth out my gall upon the
ground."

     This description is no worse than what actually happened. This
was one of the worst attacks on anyone in the Bible. Job believed he
suffered a judgement of God. He had no idea why.

     Job 16:14 "He breaketh me with breach upon breach, he runneth
upon me like a giant."

     This just means that one attack was followed by another.

     Job 16:15 "I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and defiled my
horn in the dust."

     The sackcloth had become Job's permanent garment, ever since the
problems came to him. He had sat in a bed of ashes, magnifying his
humble attitude, and increasing his mourning. The horn symbolizes
power, so we might say that he had lost his power, and sat in the
ashes of humbleness.

     Job 16:16 "My face is foul with weeping, and on my eyelids [is]
the shadow of death;"

     It is not unusual for a person who is extremely sick to have
great dark circles around their eyes. These circles could be called
the shadow of death. His crying would cause his face to look bad. It
would be swollen and red, probably.

     Job 16:17 "Not for [any] injustice in mine hands: also my prayer
[is] pure."

     Job was still contending that he had not sinned, that he was
aware of. He felt that he had clean hands and a pure heart. The prayer
of Job was pure, because it came from a pure heart.

     Job 16:18 "O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have
no place."

     We know, from Genesis, that the innocent blood of Abel cried out
from the ground. This was a statement from Job, that his blood was
innocent of wrong doing. His cry should not hide, but be heard of the
Almighty.

     Job 16:19 "Also now, behold, my witness [is] in heaven, and my
record [is] on high."

     The witness of Job in heaven was God. Job felt sure that his
record in heaven was clean. If no one else knew the truth, God did.

     Job 16:20 "My friends scorn me: [but] mine eye poureth out
[tears] unto God."

     Job's friends were no friends at all. Job's only true friend was
God. Job had cried buckets of tears, since this trial had begun.

     Job 16:21 "O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man
[pleadeth] for his neighbour!"

     To me, this is saying that Job wanted to have as personal a
relationship with God, as he had with a neighbor. His plea would be
heard and understood, because God would know of his plight. Jesus took
on the form of flesh and dwelt among us, that He might relate better
to the problems we face in our flesh.

     Job 16:22 "When a few years are come, then I shall go the way
[whence] I shall not return."

     Job was so sick that he felt death was very near.
                           Job 16 Questions


1.  What did Job call his friends in verse 2?
2.  What do Job's friends remind the author of?
3.  Why did this friend think he had the right to judge Job?
4.  How did Jesus prove that someone who is sick has not necessarily
    sinned?
5.  What could Job have done to these friends, if they had been in his
    place?
6.  The tongue is a _________.
7.  It can __________ up of _______ down.
8.  What does "asswaged" mean?
9.  Instead of comforting Job, his friends added to his _______.
10. The pain was showing in his ________.
11. What was tearing Job to pieces?
12. In verse 10, we see Job as a type of ________.
13. Who allowed this attack of Satan on Job?
14. How could this have been easier for Job to endure?
15. What was the greatest loss that Job felt?
16. Job believed he suffered a Judgement of ________.
17. The sackcloth had become Job's __________ garment.
18. The horn symbolizes ____________.
19. Job felt that he had ________ hands and a ______ heart.
20. Who was Job's only true friend?
21. In verse 21, Job wanted a __________ relationship with God.