6:6,7Job said that Eliphaz’s advice was like eating the tasteless white of an egg. When people are going through severe trials, ill-advised counsel is distasteful. They may listen politely, but inside they are upset. Be slow to give advice to those who are hurting. They often need compassion more than they need advice.
Life Application Study BibleJobChapter 6
Job 6
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 793, 794, 795
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
6Job 6
1Then Job spoke again:
2“If my misery could be weighedand my troubles be put on the scales,3 they would outweigh all the sands of the sea.That is why I spoke impulsively.
4For the Almighty has struck me down with his arrows.Their poison infects my spirit.God's terrors are lined up against me.
5Don’t I have a right to complain?Don't wild donkeys bray when they find no grass,and oxen bellow when they have no food?
6Don't people complain about unsalted food?Does anyone want the tasteless white of an egg?*
7My appetite disappears when I look at it;I gag at the thought of eating it!
8“Oh, that I might have my request,that God would grant my desire.
9T wish he would crush me.I wish he would reach out his hand and kill me.
10At least I can take comfort in this:Despite the pain,Ihave not denied the words of the Holy One.
11But I don’t have the strength to endure.I have nothing to live for.
12Do I have the strength of a stone?Is my body made of bronze?
13No, lam utterly helpless,without any chance of success.
14“One should be kind to a fainting friend,but you accuse me without any fear of the Almighty.*
16My brothers, you have proved as unreliable as a seasonal brookthat overflows its banks in the spring16 when it is swollen with ice and melting snow.
17But when the hot weather arrives, the water disappears.The brook vanishes in the heat.
18The caravans turn aside to be refreshed,but there is nothing to drink, so they die.
19The caravans from Tema search for this water;the travelers from Sheba hope to find it.
20They count on it but are disappointed.When they arrive, their hopes are dashed.
21You, too, have given no help.You have seen my calamity, and you are afraid.
22But why? Have I ever asked you for a gift?Have I begged for anything of yours for myself?
23Have I asked you to rescue me from my enemies,or to save me from ruthless people?
24Teach me, and I will keep quiet.Show me what I have done wrong.
25Honest words can be painful,but what do your criticisms amount to?
26Do you think your words are convincingwhen you disregard my cry of desperation?
27You would even send an orphan into slavery*or sella friend.
28Look at me!Would I lie to your face?
29Stop assuming my guilt,for Ihave done no wrong.
30Do you think I am lying?Don’t I know the difference between right and wrong?7 1“Ts not all human life a struggle?Our lives are like that of a hired hand,2 like a worker who longs for the shade,
Textual footnotes
- 6:6 Or the tasteless juice of the mallow plant? 6:14 Or friend, / or he might lose his fear of the Almighty.
- 6:27 Hebrew even gambie over an orphan.
Life Application Notes 3 notes
6:8,9In his grief, Job wanted to give in, to be freed from his discomfort, and to die. But God did not grant Job’s request. He had a greater plan for him. Our tendency, like Job's, is to want to give up and get out when the going gets rough. To trust God in the good times is commendable, but to trust him during the difficult times tests us to our limits and exercises our faith. In your struggles, large or smail, trust that God is in control and that he will take care of you (Romans 8:28).
6:29,30Job referred to his own righteousness, not because he was sinless, but because he had a right relationship with God. He was not guilty of the sins his friends accused him of (see chapter 31 for his summary of the life he had led). When Job says, “I have done no wrong,” he is not claiming sinlessness. No one but Jesus Christ has ever been sinless—free from al! wrong thoughts and actions. Even Job needed to make some changes in his attitude toward God, as we will see by the end of the book. Nevertheless Job was blameless (1:8). He carefully obeyed God to the best of his ability in ail aspects of his life.
Charts, profiles & sidebars from the printed pages
Study feature · page 795
“US,
🗺 This feature includes a map, chart or picture — view the original page image.