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Commentary on Job 10 verses 1–7
Here is, I. A passionate resolution to persist in his complaint, Job 10:1. Being daunted with the dread of God's majesty, so that he could not plead his cause with him, he resolves to give himself some ease by giving vent to his resentments. He begins with vehement language: "My soul is weary of my life, weary of this body, and impatient to get clear of it, fallen out with life, and displeased at it, sick of it, and longing for death." Through the weakness of grace he went contrary to the dictates even of nature itself. We should act more like men did we act more like saints. Faith and patience would keep us from being weary of our lives (and cruel to them, as some read it), even when Providence has made them most wearisome to us; for that is to be weary of God's correction. Job, being weary of his life and having ease no other way, resolves to complain, resolves to speak. He will not give vent to his soul by violent hands, but he will give vent to the bitterness of his soul by violent words. Losers think they may have leave to speak; and unbridled passions, as well as unbridled appetites, are apt to think it an excuse for their excursions that they cannot help them: but what have we wisdom and grace for, but to keep the mouth as with a bridle? Job's corruption speaks here, yet grace puts in a word. 1. He will complain, but he will leave his complaint upon himself. He would not impeach God, nor charge him with unrighteousness or unkindness; but, though he knew not particularly the ground of God's controversy with him and the cause of action, yet, in the general, he would suppose it to be in himself and willingly bear all the blame. 2. He will speak, but it shall be the bitterness of his soul that he will express, not his settled judgment. If I speak amiss, it is not I, but sin that dwells in me, not my soul, but its bitterness.
II. A humble petition to God. He will speak, but the first word shall be a prayer, and, as I am willing to understand it, it is a good prayer, Job 10:2. 1. That he might be delivered from the sting of his afflictions, which is sin: "Do not condemn me; do not separate me for ever from thee. Though I lie under the cross, let me not lie under the curse; though I smart by the rod of a Father, let me not be cut off by the sword of a Judge. Thou dost correct me; I will bear that as well as I can; but O do not condemn me!" It is the comfort of those who are in Christ Jesus that, though they are in affliction, there is no condemnation to them, Rom 8:1. Nay, they are chastened of the Lord that they may not be condemned with the world, Co1 11:32. This therefore we should deprecate above any thing else, when we are in affliction. "However thou art pleased to deal with me, Lord, do not condemn me; my friends condemn me, but do not thou." 2. That he might be made acquainted with the true cause of his afflictions, and that is sin too: Lord, show me wherefore thou contendest with me. When God afflicts us he contends with us, and when he contends with us there is always a reason. He is never angry without a cause, though we are; and it is desirable to know what the reason is, that we may repent of, mortify, and forsake the sin for which God has a controversy with us. In enquiring it out, let conscience have leave to do its office and to deal faithfully with us, as Gen 42:21.
III. A peevish expostulation with God concerning his dealings with him. Now he speaks in the bitterness of his soul indeed, not without some ill-natured reflections upon the righteousness of his God.
1.He thinks it unbecoming the goodness of God, and the mercifulness of his nature, to deal so hardly with his creature as to lay upon him more than he can bear (Job 10:3): Is it good unto thee that thou shouldst oppress? No, certainly it is not; what he approves no in men (Lam 3:34-36) he will not do himself. "Lord, in dealing with me, thou seemest to oppress thy subject, to despise thy workmanship, and to countenance thy enemies. Now, Lord, what is the meaning of this? Such is thy nature that this cannot be a pleasure to thee; and such is thy name that it cannot be an honour to thee. Why then dealest thou thus with me? What profit is there in my blood?" Far be it from Job to think that God did him wrong, but he is quite at a loss how to reconcile his providences with his justice, as good men have often been, and must wait until the day shall declare it. Let us therefore now harbour no hard thoughts of God, because we shall then see there was no cause for them.
2.He thinks it unbecoming the infinite knowledge of God to put his prisoner thus upon the rack, as it were, by torture, to extort a confession from him, Job 10:4-6. (1.) He is sure that God does not discover things, nor judge of them, as men do: He has not eyes of flesh (Job 10:4), for he is a Spirit. Eyes of flesh cannot see in the dark, but darkness hides not from God. Eyes of flesh are but in one place at a time, and can see but a little way; but the eyes of the Lord are in every place, and run to and fro through the whole earth. Many things are hidden from eyes of flesh, the most curious and piercing; there is a path which even the vulture's eye has not seen: but nothing is, or can be, hidden from the eye of God, to which all things are naked and open. Eyes of flesh see the outward appearance only, and may be imposed upon by a deceptio visus - an illusion of the senses; but God sees every thing truly. His sight cannot be deceived, for he tries the heart, and is a witness to the thoughts and intents of that. Eyes of flesh discover things gradually, and, when we gain the sight of one thing, we lose the sight of another; but God sees every thing at one view. Eyes of flesh are soon tired, must be closed every night but the keeper of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps, nor does his sight ever decay. God sees not as man sees, that is, he does not judge as man judges, at the best secundum allegata et probata - according to what is alleged and proved, as the thing appears rather than as it is, and too often according to the bias of the affections, passions, prejudices, and interest; but we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth, and that he knows truth, not by information, but by his own inspection. Men discover secret things by search, and examination of witnesses, comparing evidence and giving conjectures upon it, wheedling or forcing the parties concerned to confess; but God needs not any of these ways of discovery: he sees not as man sees. (2.) He is sure that as God is not short-sighted, like man, so he is not short-lived (Job 10:5): "Are thy days as the days of man, few and evil? Do they roll on in succession, or are they subject to change, like the days of man? No, by no means." Men grow wiser by experience and more knowing by daily observation; with them truth is the daughter of time, and therefore they must take time for their searches, and, if one experiment fail, must try another. But it is not so with God; to him nothing is past, nothing future, but every thing present. The days of time, by which the life of man is measured, are nothing to the years of eternity, in which the life of God is wrapped up. (3.) He therefore thinks it strange that God should thus prolong his torture, and continue him under the confinement of this affliction, and neither bring him to a trial nor grant him a release, as if he must take time to enquire after his iniquity and use means to search after his sin, Job 10:6. Not as if Job thought that God did thus torment him that he might find occasion against him; but his dealings with him had such an aspect, which was dishonourable to God, and would tempt men to think him a hard master. "Now, Lord, if thou wilt not consult my comfort, consult thy own honour; do something for thy great name, and do not disgrace the throne of thy glory," Jer 14:21.
3.He thinks it looked like an abuse of his omnipotence to keep a poor prisoner in custody, whom he knew to be innocent, only because there was none that could deliver him out of his hand (Job 10:7): Thou knowest that I am not wicked. He had already owned himself a sinner, and guilty before God; but he here stands to it that he was not wicked, not devoted to sin, not an enemy to God, not a dissembler in his religion, that he had not wickedly departed from his God, Psa 18:21. "But there is none that can deliver out of thy hand, and therefore there is no remedy; I must be content to lie there, waiting thy time, and throwing myself on thy mercy, in submission to thy sovereign will." Here see, (1.) What ought to quiet us under our troubles - that it is to no purpose to contend with Omnipotence. (2.) What will abundantly comfort us - if we are able to appeal to God, as Job here, "Lord, thou knowest that I am not wicked. I cannot say that l am not wanting, or I am not weak; but, through grace, I can say, I am not wicked: thou knowest I am not, for thou knowest I love thee."
Therefore it often happens that the mind of the righteous man, in order to be made more secure, is the more penetrated with fear, and when he is beset with scourges, he is troubled with misgivings about the judgment of the Most High. He fears lest all that he suffers should be the forerunner of an ensuing doom. In his heart, he questions the Judge with the result that under his visitation he is full of doubts about the merit of his life. However, when the goodness of his life is brought before the eyes of the mind, it is as if the Judge gave comfort in the answer whereby he never strikes to destroy but strikes to sustain the innocency of life and conduct. Therefore, it is justly said here, “Show me why you judge me so.” As if it were expressed in plain words, “Whereas you exercise judgment upon me by scourging me, show me that by these scourges you are making me secure against judgment.” … This same thing is also said by way of a negating interrogation, as though it were said in plain terms: “You who are supremely good, I know do not hold it good to oppress the poor man by calumny. Therefore, I know that it is not unjust that I am suffering, and I am the more grieved that I cannot tell the causes of its justness.”
70. This same is so said by way of interrogation, that it is denied. As though it were in plain terms; ‘Thou That art supremely good, I know dost not hold it good to oppress the poor man by calumny. And therefore I know that that is not unjust that I am suffering, and I am the more grieved, that cannot tell the causes of its justness.’ But observe that he does not say, That Thou shouldest oppress the innocent, but, the poor man. For he who doth not represent his innocency, but his poorness to the severity of the Judge, does not now put on a bold front on the ground of his own life, but shows of how little strength he sees himself to be. Where also he fitly subjoins, The work of Thine hands. As if he said plainly, ‘Thou canst not ever unfeelingly oppress him, whom Thou rememberest Thyself to have made of Thy mere grace.’
71. Now the words are excellently put in, And help the counsel of the wicked. For whom does he here call wicked, save the malignant spirits, who as they cannot themselves return back to life, mercilessly look out for fellows in destruction. Whose counsel it was that God's stroke should visit blessed Job, that he who showed himself righteous while at peace, might at all events commit sin under the scourge. Now the Lord did not ‘help the counsel of the wicked,’ in that whilst He gave up the flesh of the righteous man to their arts of temptation, He withheld his soul. It is this counsel that the evil spirits incessantly persevere in against the good, that those, whom they see serving God in innocency while at rest, on being stricken by misfortune may go headlong into a whirlpool of sin. But the sharpness of their counsel is brought to nought, in that our pitiful Creator qualifies the strokes in accordance with our powers, that the infliction may not exceed our virtue, and by the craftiness of the strong ones man's weakness be thrown out of course. Hence it is well said by Paul, But God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. For except the merciful God tempered His trials to correspond with our powers, there is surely no man who could sustain the cunning plots of evil spirits without being brought to the ground, in that excepting the Judge assign a measure to our temptations, by this alone He at once throws down one standing, in that He puts upon him a burthen too much for his strength. Now blessed Job, in the way of denying, so put in a question the things which he uttered, even as in asking he denies the things which he thereupon subjoins.
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SUMMARY
Job 10:3 captures the raw intensity of Job's profound lament and desperate interrogation of God's justice amidst his inexplicable suffering. Through a poignant rhetorical question, Job challenges the Almighty, asking if it truly pleases Him to oppress His own creation, to treat with contempt the very work of His hands, and seemingly to favor or illuminate the schemes of the wicked while afflicting the righteous. This verse powerfully articulates the ancient and enduring human struggle to reconcile a good and sovereign God with the harsh realities of innocent suffering and perceived cosmic injustice.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Job 10:3 employs several powerful literary devices to convey Job's anguish and challenge. The verse opens with a Rhetorical Question, "Is it good unto thee...?", which is not meant to elicit an answer but to express Job's incredulity, indignation, and profound bewilderment at God's perceived actions. This device underscores the depth of his emotional turmoil and the perceived paradox of God's character. Anthropomorphism is evident as Job attributes human-like actions and motivations—oppressing, despising, and shining upon—to God, allowing him to articulate his pain in terms relatable to human experience, even while challenging the divine. There is also a strong sense of Irony in Job's questioning: he implies that God, the source of all goodness and justice, is acting in ways that are fundamentally unjust and contradictory to His own nature. The phrase "the work of thine hands" functions as a powerful Metonymy for Job himself, emphasizing his direct connection to and dependence on God as his Creator. The overall structure of the verse presents a form of Parallelism, where each clause builds upon the previous one, intensifying Job's accusation and expanding its scope from personal affliction to a broader cosmic injustice.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Job 10:3 stands as a profound theological statement on the nature of divine justice and the human experience of suffering. It articulates the raw, honest lament that questions God's character when circumstances seem to contradict His goodness and power. Job's struggle to reconcile God as a loving Creator with God as an apparent oppressor highlights the tension between divine sovereignty and human suffering, a tension that the book of Job ultimately does not fully resolve with simple answers but rather with an invitation to trust in God's incomprehensible wisdom. This verse underscores that true faith is not the absence of doubt or questioning, but the courage to bring those deepest struggles directly to God, even in accusation. It also introduces the enduring theological problem of the prosperity of the wicked, a challenge to conventional understandings of divine retribution.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Job 10:3 offers a powerful validation for those who find themselves in the crucible of suffering, grappling with profound questions about God's role and character. It grants permission for honest lament, demonstrating that God is vast enough to receive our rawest emotions, our deepest doubts, and even our accusations without being diminished. Job's bold questioning reminds us that faith is not a simplistic acceptance of all circumstances, but an active, often painful, wrestling with the divine. In our own moments of inexplicable pain, when God's actions seem contradictory or His presence distant, this verse encourages us to bring our whole selves—our confusion, anger, and despair—before Him. It challenges us to trust in God's ultimate goodness and justice, even when our immediate experience suggests otherwise, and to remember that His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts than our thoughts. The book of Job ultimately teaches us that while we may not receive all the answers we seek, we can find solace in the character of God Himself, who is revealed to be both just and compassionate, even in the midst of mystery.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does Job accuse God of evil in this verse?
Answer: Job 10:3 presents a rhetorical question that comes very close to an accusation of malevolence or indifference on God's part. Job is not necessarily stating that God is evil, but he is desperately asking if God finds good in actions that Job perceives as oppressive, despising, and favoring the wicked. This is a bold and dangerous question from a human perspective, yet it reflects the depth of Job's pain and his struggle to reconcile his understanding of a just God with his unjust suffering. The book of Job ultimately shows that God allows such questions and does not condemn Job for his honesty, even while correcting his limited perspective through His majestic revelation in Job 38-41.
How can God be good if He allows suffering, especially for the righteous?
Answer: This is the central theological dilemma that Job 10:3 and the entire Book of Job address. The Bible consistently affirms God's goodness, justice, and love (e.g., Psalm 100:5 or 1 John 4:8). However, it also acknowledges the reality of suffering in a fallen world. The Book of Job does not provide a simple, propositional answer to why the righteous suffer, but it does affirm God's sovereign control, His infinite wisdom (as seen in Job 38-41), and His ultimate vindication of the righteous. It challenges the simplistic cause-and-effect theology that suffering always equates to sin, inviting us to trust God's character even when His purposes are beyond our comprehension.
What does "shine upon the counsel of the wicked" mean?
Answer: This phrase, "shine upon the counsel of the wicked," implies that God appears to grant favor, approval, or success to the plans and schemes ("counsel") of those who are unrighteous ("the wicked"). Job observes that while he, an innocent man, is suffering profoundly, it seems as though the wicked are prospering and their intentions are being blessed or illuminated by divine light. It's an expression of the age-old problem of the prosperity of the wicked, where divine justice seems inverted in the earthly realm. This observation is a common theme in wisdom literature (e.g., Psalm 73) and reflects the human struggle to understand God's temporal dealings with good and evil.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Job 10:3, with its raw lament and questioning of God's justice in the face of suffering, finds its ultimate and profound fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Job's cry, "Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands," resonates most deeply with the experience of the Son of God on the cross. There, Jesus, the perfect and innocent "work of God's hands" (Colossians 1:15), was indeed "oppressed" and "despised" by God, not for His own sin, but for the sins of humanity (Isaiah 53:4-6). The Father "shone upon the counsel of the wicked" in a horrific sense, allowing the evil schemes of men to crucify His Son, yet this very act was part of God's sovereign plan for redemption (Acts 2:23). On the cross, Jesus himself cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46), echoing Job's desperate sense of abandonment. Yet, through Christ's suffering and resurrection, the problem of suffering, the apparent prosperity of the wicked, and the perceived injustice of God are ultimately addressed. God did not despise His work permanently; rather, through the ultimate sacrifice of His Son, He redeemed His creation, demonstrating His perfect justice and unfathomable love, turning the greatest act of oppression into the greatest act of salvation (Romans 5:8). In Christ, we see that God enters into our suffering, understands our lament, and ultimately triumphs over all evil, making "all things new" (Revelation 21:5).