Lectio Divina – Job, Part Four

Scripture

Job 10:1-3

1 “I loathe my life;
I will give free utterance to my complaint;
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
2 I will say to God, Do not condemn me;
let me know why you contend against me.
3 Does it seem good to you to oppress,
to despise the work of your hands
and favor the designs of the wicked? (ESV)

Observation

Job is here being very honest with the state of his life, and he decides to give free reign to his complaints. It was from the bitterness of his soul that his complaints came forth.

He is again asking God to not condemn him, and he asks why God is contending against him.

Job also challenges God, in effect calling him out, suggesting that God enjoys oppressing and despising his creation – and that he favors the wicked!

Application

I wonder if Job as a book is included in the scriptures to remind us that God values straight talk, that he wants us to speak honestly with him. Job’s words border on insolence. He speaks from a bitter soul. Perhaps later in the book God will set Job in his place. But for now, Job is speaking with a firmness that reflects a frustration over his circumstances.

Lectio Divina – Job, Part Four

Scripture

Job 7:20-21

20 If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind?
Why have you made me your mark?
Why have I become a burden to you?
21 Why do you not pardon my transgression
and take away my iniquity?
For now I shall lie in the earth;
you will seek me, but I shall not be” (ESV).

Observation

Job here asks some direct questions of the almighty.

He starts by asking, “really, what do I matter to you? I am small, you are big.”

Job then asks why God has made him his mark and why he has become a burden to God.

Finally, Job asks God why he won’t forgive his iniquities.

Application

I chose these verses this morning because there are times when God seems terribly silent, when we cry out for answers and none seem to come. We sometimes may feel that we are being targeted for some reason. And then we may feel that in our asking for relief and for answers, we become a burden to God.

Prayer

Lord, I pray believing that you will hear me. I want to be a believer in your goodness and in your desire to give us the best life, the one that will be most honorable to you. Please hear me, and respond by showing us in a tangible way that you care about us. Amen.