Job 7:5 | KingComments | STEP | Job here continues his answer to Eliphaz. He continues with the justification of his vehement expressions of despair. The words in this chapter are of a general nature, but are spoken in the presence of the three friends. Later he addresses his complaint to God. That is why Job’s argument increases in vehemence. Job knows like no other mortal man that he is forced to labor on earth ( ). Life means forced labor for every human being. The Hebrew word for forced labor, tsava , originally meant heavy military service; later it took on the meaning of heavy labor in general. For one person the forced labor is heavier than for another, but forced labor is there. For the Christian it is always true because he is in military service and as a soldier of Jesus Christ has to suffer hardship ( ). In the case of Job, the forced labor is so hard that he longs for its end. For him, every day is a day of hard work, as is the case for a hired man. Job feels like a slave who has to work in the burning sun and yearns for the shadow of evening ( ). He wants to escape the heat of the trial. As a hired man for whom the day cannot pass quickly enough, because he is paid his wages at the end of it, Job longs for the day of misery to be over. That day of misery has been going on for months ( ). They are “months of vanity”. The days of Job’s illness are not only days of misery, but also days in which, with all your toil, you perform nothing and achieve nothing. That gives the feeling of vanity, meaninglessness and emptiness. For God it is not so. We have to learn to accept that God does have a purpose in our lives, even if in our own opinion we spend our days in vanity. Even during the nights Job does not come loose from misery, because they are “nights of trouble”. He feels the trouble all the time. Those nights are “appointed” to him, similar to the months of vanity he is “allotted”. What is appointed to you, you get. You also get what is allotted. For both, Job didn’t have to do anything. It seems that he uses these words to indicate that he did not deserve the vanity and the trouble. Normally you get rest by sleeping. A good sleep is refreshing and gives new strength. Sleep can also have a healing effect ( ), but even this effect is not given to Job ( ). If he wants to go to sleep, he knows that it will be another long night of trouble. That is why he longs to arise right away. But when he is risen, he thinks about how long the day will be again before God makes it evening. Until dawn he will be saturated with restlessness all day long (cf. ). What agony! Nowhere rest and never rest! The unrest that torments his spirit is accompanied by terrible physical suffering ( ). In addition, he looks hideous. There are worms everywhere on his skin. On his wounds there is not an ordinary crust associated with a healing process, but a crust of dirt, which only makes the wound dirtier and the pain more severe. His skin is cleft, cracked open, and the pus is everywhere. The days that have passed have always gone faster than we were aware, whether they are days of prosperity or days of adversity ( ). The days behind us have flown at the speed of “a weaver’s shuttle” (cf. ; ). The days we experience and the days ahead of us always last longer than we wish when they are days of hopeless pain and sorrow. Job appeals to God in to remember that his life is but a “breath” (cf. ). He says this without hope that God will do it. He does not expect his eye to ever see the good again. Nor will anyone ever see him again from those who see him now ( ). They will no longer perceive him, for he will not be there. He has no hope that God will once again turn His eyes away from him for good. Job feels like a cloud, also to be translated as ‘fog’ or ‘mist’, which you see for a moment and then dissolves or disappears out of sight ( ). That is how it is, he says, with someone who goes down to Sheol, the realm of the dead. He disappears from sight and nothing is left of him. Never will he return to live on earth. It does not mean that Job does not believe in the resurrection, but that life on earth has ended for him, and that others will not see him there once he has disappeared from the earth. What torments him most at this thought is that he will never return to the familiar place of his home and that his familiar place of living will not see him again ( ). The familiar streetscape has disappeared for him and he has disappeared from the familiar streetscape. They will no longer see his appearance, hear his footstep and his voice. Thus is death. It puts an end to all that is familiar and valued on earth. Whoever is left behind, must go on without him. The old familiar never returns. Such are the thoughts of someone who is tormented by questions about the why of what happens to him. However, the believer may know that he is going to a better place, where countless believers have already gone before him. Above all, he may know that death brings him to the Lord Jesus, in paradise, where it is very much better ( ; ).

‏ Job 7:5

The Briefness of Life

Job here continues his answer to Eliphaz. He continues with the justification of his vehement expressions of despair. The words in this chapter are of a general nature, but are spoken in the presence of the three friends. Later he addresses his complaint to God. That is why Job’s argument increases in vehemence. Job knows like no other mortal man that he is forced to labor on earth (Job 7:1). Life means forced labor for every human being.

The Hebrew word for forced labor, tsava, originally meant heavy military service; later it took on the meaning of heavy labor in general. For one person the forced labor is heavier than for another, but forced labor is there. For the Christian it is always true because he is in military service and as a soldier of Jesus Christ has to suffer hardship (2Tim 2:3). In the case of Job, the forced labor is so hard that he longs for its end. For him, every day is a day of hard work, as is the case for a hired man.

Job feels like a slave who has to work in the burning sun and yearns for the shadow of evening (Job 7:2). He wants to escape the heat of the trial. As a hired man for whom the day cannot pass quickly enough, because he is paid his wages at the end of it, Job longs for the day of misery to be over.

That day of misery has been going on for months (Job 7:3). They are “months of vanity”. The days of Job’s illness are not only days of misery, but also days in which, with all your toil, you perform nothing and achieve nothing. That gives the feeling of vanity, meaninglessness and emptiness. For God it is not so. We have to learn to accept that God does have a purpose in our lives, even if in our own opinion we spend our days in vanity.

Even during the nights Job does not come loose from misery, because they are “nights of trouble”. He feels the trouble all the time. Those nights are “appointed” to him, similar to the months of vanity he is “allotted”. What is appointed to you, you get. You also get what is allotted. For both, Job didn’t have to do anything. It seems that he uses these words to indicate that he did not deserve the vanity and the trouble.

Normally you get rest by sleeping. A good sleep is refreshing and gives new strength. Sleep can also have a healing effect (Jn 11:12), but even this effect is not given to Job (Job 7:4). If he wants to go to sleep, he knows that it will be another long night of trouble. That is why he longs to arise right away. But when he is risen, he thinks about how long the day will be again before God makes it evening. Until dawn he will be saturated with restlessness all day long (cf. Deu 28:67). What agony! Nowhere rest and never rest!

The unrest that torments his spirit is accompanied by terrible physical suffering (Job 7:5). In addition, he looks hideous. There are worms everywhere on his skin. On his wounds there is not an ordinary crust associated with a healing process, but a crust of dirt, which only makes the wound dirtier and the pain more severe. His skin is cleft, cracked open, and the pus is everywhere.

The days that have passed have always gone faster than we were aware, whether they are days of prosperity or days of adversity (Job 7:6). The days behind us have flown at the speed of “a weaver’s shuttle” (cf. Jam 4:14b; 1Pet 1:24). The days we experience and the days ahead of us always last longer than we wish when they are days of hopeless pain and sorrow.

Job appeals to God in Job 7:7 to remember that his life is but a “breath” (cf. Psa 78:39). He says this without hope that God will do it. He does not expect his eye to ever see the good again. Nor will anyone ever see him again from those who see him now (Job 7:8). They will no longer perceive him, for he will not be there. He has no hope that God will once again turn His eyes away from him for good.

Job feels like a cloud, also to be translated as ‘fog’ or ‘mist’, which you see for a moment and then dissolves or disappears out of sight (Job 7:9). That is how it is, he says, with someone who goes down to Sheol, the realm of the dead. He disappears from sight and nothing is left of him. Never will he return to live on earth. It does not mean that Job does not believe in the resurrection, but that life on earth has ended for him, and that others will not see him there once he has disappeared from the earth.

What torments him most at this thought is that he will never return to the familiar place of his home and that his familiar place of living will not see him again (Job 7:10). The familiar streetscape has disappeared for him and he has disappeared from the familiar streetscape. They will no longer see his appearance, hear his footstep and his voice. Thus is death. It puts an end to all that is familiar and valued on earth. Whoever is left behind, must go on without him. The old familiar never returns.

Such are the thoughts of someone who is tormented by questions about the why of what happens to him. However, the believer may know that he is going to a better place, where countless believers have already gone before him. Above all, he may know that death brings him to the Lord Jesus, in paradise, where it is very much better (Lk 23:43; Phil 1:23).