He loathed his life, and freely complained. He is bitter in his soul, he begs God not to condemn him, and asked to know why God contends against him. Does it seem good to God to oppress the work of His hands? Job said that God knew that he wasn’t guilty, and he didn’t have anyone to deliver him out of God’s hand. God’s hands fashioned and made him, and now He destroyed Job. Job is like clay and asked if God would return him to the dust. Job said, if he sinned that God watches him and doesn’t acquit him of his guilt. Job wants to own his guilt or if he is right. He asks God to renew his witness against him. He asks why God brought him out of the womb, and asked why he wasn’t carried from the womb to the grave. Job’s days are few, so he asked God to leave him alone that he could find some cheer before he goes – not to return – to the land of darkness and deep shadow, the land of gloom like thick darkness, like deep shadow without any order, where light is as thick darkness.
Job doesn’t understand what’s going on. He doesn’t know the reason why God is afflicting him. He can’t see a reason why God is doing this and doesn’t know if he deserves God’s punishment or not. He knows he’s a sinner, but he doesn’t think he deserves what he is going through, but he’s open to correction. He just wants to know. He wants to know the purpose of his suffering. This is one of the reasons that he asks God why he didn’t just let him die before coming into the world and going straight from the womb to the grave. He seems to consider that not only is his suffering determined for this life, but forever even after he dies – never to return. Job’s struggle is familiar. When we suffer want to know why, and what we did. In God’s mysterious will we may never know, but we can still trust Him for His grace. Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face. Though we face trials in this life, we can know that God is working ultimately for our good and His glory. That’s the only thing we need to know to be able to bear up under our trials. Christ is sufficient, because if we didn’t have him we would struggle with the hopelessness Job feels here. He didn’t have anyone to deliver him – that belief changes for Job by chapter 19, but here, he feels that he is utterly lost. This is what we were with out our deliverer. But in Christ that all changed. We have hope. Don’t let your heart despair in your trials, set your hope upon Jesus Christ.