Job 6

Job 6:1

3. Job’s Response (Chaps. 6, 7)6:1-13 Job admits that his words have been rash, but there is a reason! His grief and calamity are heavier than the sand of the sea, and his spirit is drinking in the poison of the arrows of the Almighty. In spite of all the negative and awful things that are expressed in this book, especially by Job, they are so beautifully worded that the sensitive reader is struck by their potency. Job protests that he would not complain so bitterly without cause, any more than animals would bray without a reason. Suffering and weeping are linked just like flavorless food and seasoning. He wishes he could die because he has no strength to endure and no hope for the future. Prolonging life is useless. 6:14-23 Job’s friends (he calls them brothers) have failed him and disappointed him when he needed them most. He compares them to brooks or wadis that vanish completely when you need them. Though he had sought nothing from them, they had criticized him vaguely without telling him how he had sinned. 6:24-30 Job maintains his integrity in spite of the implications of Eliphaz’s speech that he is a secret sinner. He wants to know specifically where he has erred and desires proof of injustice on his tongue. Verse 27 is a counter-accusation to the friends; perhaps the friend they are undermining is Job himself!