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“Chapter Summaries, Job 6-10”
Categories: Bulletin Articles
Job 6 is the beginning of Job’s first reply to Eliphaz. In vs. 1-7, he argues that despite Eliphaz’s insinuations, he is being treated unfairly. If he were being treated fairly, he wouldn’t be complaining! In vs. 8-12, he insists that the best thing God could do for him, if God is determined to be unfair to him, would be to destroy him completely. From there, he turns his critique on Eliphaz. He complains that Eliphaz is being a faithless friend to him, and he sarcastically insists that if he has done something wrong, Eliphaz should tell him what it is.
Job 7 continues Job’s complaint. He explains that his days are miserable, and he anticipates that he will die soon. In those circumstances, he doesn’t see any reason to hold anything back from God. He complains that God is persecuting him through every hour of the day, and he points out that if God continues to do so, He will kill him.
Job 8 is the first time that Bildad the Shuhite speaks. He insists that God would never behave unjustly toward Job, that all the bad things that have happened to Job’s children are deserved, and that if Job is righteous, God will surely deliver him. He says that this has been proven by history. Furthermore, everyone knows that the wicked will be destroyed, but that God will sustain the righteous.
Job 9 contains the first part of Job’s reply to Bildad. He begins by pointing out the impossibility of contending with God. When God is so powerful and has done so many wonderful things, who can call Him to account? Job then imagines the outcome of a contest between him and God. If it’s a contest of strength, God will crush him. If it’s a contest of justice, God is so shrewd that He will make Job look guilty even though he is innocent. He says that God is arbitrary in His dealings with mankind, treating the blameless and the wicked alike. He is afraid that no matter what he does, God will continue to punish him.
Job 10 is entirely addressed by Job to God. He wants to know why God is oppressing him so. He is bewildered that God made him so carefully, only to begin to treat him so badly. No matter what he does, he is confident that God will continue to persecute him. Job doesn’t get it. If this was the purpose that God always had in mind, why go through all the other stuff first? Why not simply let him die in the womb? All Job asks from God at this point is to leave him alone so he can die in peace.
