Day #8

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Job 17-20 - Audio
Job 17-20 Daily Reading

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Job 17-20

Quick overview

Job: hope for a sufferer--chapter 17

Bildad: punishment for the wicked--chapter 18

Job: my Redeemer lives--chapter19

Zophar: the wicked will die--chapter 20

Notes:

Chapter 17

Notice though the language used by Job the depth of despair that he is experiencing. Imagine what it would be like to speak this way of yourself.

Part of the challenge in this passage is to know who Job is speaking about. Besides himself Job speaks mainly of his friends and of God. Keeping that in mind makes reading this passage easier.

17.1-5: In sorrow and pain Job turns to God asking him to show his “comforters” that he is righteous.

Chapter 18

18: In constrast with the pain of Job, Bildad wants to defend his honor and his mind. His opening words come off humorous and ridiculous.

18.5ff: Bildad speaks of a very basic understanding of how life works. God blesses good people and punishes bad people. Bildad shows his own stupidity by failing to see the nuances of life and wisdom. Again, in the midst of pain it is a bit of humor.

Chapter 19

19.1 Job takes his comforters to task. They are lousy at their job—especially because if they are really his friends they would know his life was one of righteousness.

19.5ff: One of the themes of Job is that in our suffering we don’t have the whole picture (or sometimes any of the picture) of what has brought about our suffering. Job in these verses shows his suffering and that he has no idea why it has come his way.

19.13ff: Because people believe God is angry with Job they abandon him.

19.25-27: The great hope of a redeemer and of resurrection. The Hebrew noun (go}el) translated “Redeemer” is the same word used frequently in the OT to refer to a “kinsman-redeemer,” who had both rights and responsibilities for vindicating a family member.

Chapter 20

Zophar sounds like Bildad.