Job 6:8 | KingComments | STEP | Job has but one thing to ask of God. He has only one desire which he would like God to fulfill, and only one hope which he would like God to give ( ). It is not his desire and hope that God will give him back everything he has lost, but that God will take him out of life. For him, life has no meaning anymore. God can show His goodness to him by not letting him live on, but by crushing him ( ). If God would just let him go by loosing His hand from him, it would mean the end of his life for him. He would greatly appreciate this action of God. We see through everything that suicide was never an option for this God-fearing man. How he would feel consoled ( ). Yes, if God did not spare him, but took away his life, it would give him so much strength in all his sorrow, that he would spring up with joy. He also has no fear of death, for he has “not denied the words of the Holy One”. Job has heard the words of God. For he lived in fellowship with Him. He also lived according to what God told him. He has always taken account of what He has said and is unaware of a violation of any of His commandments. Yet he undergoes this fate. Thus he justifies himself, while in veiled terms questioning God’s righteousness. Job says nothing too much when he says that he has not denied the words of God. But it seems that he sees it as an achievement of his own and not as something he can say by grace. Paul also says that he is not aware of anything, but he does not boast of it. He also says that this does not justify him ( ). Job notices that God is not fulfilling his desire to die. This makes him powerless, and it makes him so powerless that he has no hope, no prospect ( ). Indirectly, this is an answer to the admonition of Eliphaz, who told him to keep hope after all ( ). But life is of no use to him at all. He no longer has any purpose in his life that gives him any perspective to look forward to living a little longer. God does not give Job what he desires so much, because He has other thoughts about Job’s life. We also see this with Elijah, who once expressed the wish to die ( ). God did not fulfill the wish of Elijah because He had other, higher thoughts about the end of his life ( ). In the same way, God has other, higher thoughts about the end of Job. If God has other thoughts, these are always better and more blessed thoughts. We too can thank God that He does not always give or has not always given us what we want or wanted. We do this when we see that God’s love is greater and goes beyond the short-sightedness with which we look at the things that happen to us. Job cannot understand that God gives him such a heavy burden to bear. He doesn’t have “the strength of stones” ( ), does he? His spirit is broken. And his flesh is not “bronze”, is it? His festering wounds show it. He’s just an ordinary man of flesh and blood. Only God can give the strength to bear this misery. However, he does not see God as a Helper in his suffering, but as its causative Agent. We, Christians, may know that God wants to strengthen us with power in the inner man. Following Paul, we may pray for this, for ourselves and for each other ( ). Job no longer sees help in himself ( ). The inner, spiritual strength he once had has left him. All hope of deliverance has disappeared. He cannot go to God, for He is against him, at least that is how he experiences it. Then he is thrown back on himself. But also in himself there is nothing that he can hold on to, something that would give him courage to continue living. Then his friends remain. However, they also severely disappoint him, as we hear in the following verses.

‏ Job 6:8

The Desire to Be Killed by God

Job has but one thing to ask of God. He has only one desire which he would like God to fulfill, and only one hope which he would like God to give (Job 6:8). It is not his desire and hope that God will give him back everything he has lost, but that God will take him out of life. For him, life has no meaning anymore. God can show His goodness to him by not letting him live on, but by crushing him (Job 6:9). If God would just let him go by loosing His hand from him, it would mean the end of his life for him. He would greatly appreciate this action of God. We see through everything that suicide was never an option for this God-fearing man.

How he would feel consoled (Job 6:10). Yes, if God did not spare him, but took away his life, it would give him so much strength in all his sorrow, that he would spring up with joy. He also has no fear of death, for he has “not denied the words of the Holy One”. Job has heard the words of God. For he lived in fellowship with Him. He also lived according to what God told him. He has always taken account of what He has said and is unaware of a violation of any of His commandments. Yet he undergoes this fate. Thus he justifies himself, while in veiled terms questioning God’s righteousness.

Job says nothing too much when he says that he has not denied the words of God. But it seems that he sees it as an achievement of his own and not as something he can say by grace. Paul also says that he is not aware of anything, but he does not boast of it. He also says that this does not justify him (1Cor 4:4).

Job notices that God is not fulfilling his desire to die. This makes him powerless, and it makes him so powerless that he has no hope, no prospect (Job 6:11). Indirectly, this is an answer to the admonition of Eliphaz, who told him to keep hope after all (Job 5:16). But life is of no use to him at all. He no longer has any purpose in his life that gives him any perspective to look forward to living a little longer.

God does not give Job what he desires so much, because He has other thoughts about Job’s life. We also see this with Elijah, who once expressed the wish to die (1Kgs 19:4). God did not fulfill the wish of Elijah because He had other, higher thoughts about the end of his life (2Kgs 2:1 ; 11). In the same way, God has other, higher thoughts about the end of Job.

If God has other thoughts, these are always better and more blessed thoughts. We too can thank God that He does not always give or has not always given us what we want or wanted. We do this when we see that God’s love is greater and goes beyond the short-sightedness with which we look at the things that happen to us.

Job cannot understand that God gives him such a heavy burden to bear. He doesn’t have “the strength of stones” (Job 6:12), does he? His spirit is broken. And his flesh is not “bronze”, is it? His festering wounds show it. He’s just an ordinary man of flesh and blood. Only God can give the strength to bear this misery. However, he does not see God as a Helper in his suffering, but as its causative Agent. We, Christians, may know that God wants to strengthen us with power in the inner man. Following Paul, we may pray for this, for ourselves and for each other (Eph 3:16).

Job no longer sees help in himself (Job 6:13). The inner, spiritual strength he once had has left him. All hope of deliverance has disappeared. He cannot go to God, for He is against him, at least that is how he experiences it. Then he is thrown back on himself. But also in himself there is nothing that he can hold on to, something that would give him courage to continue living. Then his friends remain. However, they also severely disappoint him, as we hear in the following verses.