Job 10:1-16: a reflection

1“My soul is weary of my life. I will give free course to my complaint. I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. 2I will tell God, ‘Do not condemn me. Show me why you contend with me. 3Is it good to you that you should oppress, that you should despise the work of your hands, and smile on the counsel of the wicked? 4Do you have eyes of flesh? Or do you see as man sees? 5Are your days as the days of mortals, or your years as man’s years, 6that you inquire after my iniquity, and search after my sin? 7Although you know that I am not wicked, there is no one who can deliver out of your hand. 8“‘Your hands have framed me and fashioned me altogether, yet you destroy me. 9Remember, I beg you, that you have fashioned me as clay. Will you bring me into dust again? 10Haven’t you poured me out like milk, and curdled me like cheese? 11You have clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. 12You have granted me life and loving kindness. Your visitation has preserved my spirit. 13Yet you hid these things in your heart. I know that this is with you: 14if I sin, then you mark me. You will not acquit me from my iniquity. 15If I am wicked, woe to me. If I am righteous, I still will not lift up my head, being filled with disgrace, and conscious of my affliction. 16If my head is held high, you hunt me like a lion. Again you show yourself powerful to me.

In the depths of his suffering, Job pours out a bitter complaint, yet he pours it out to God himself, holding even in his anguish to the truth that God's own hands had made and sustained him. Your hands have framed me and fashioned me altogether, Job says to God; you have granted me life and loving kindness, and your care has preserved my spirit. Job's complaint is bitter; he cannot understand why God, who made him, seems now to contend with him. Yet even in his bitterness, Job speaks not away from God but to God, addressing his anguish to the very one he cannot understand; and he holds, even in complaint, to the truth that God's hands made him, gave him life, and sustained him. He brings his bitter complaint to God, not away from him. This shows bringing even bitter complaint to God, holding to the truth that his hands made and sustained you. Bring even your bitter complaint to God himself, not away from him. Hold, even in anguish, to the truth that God's hands made and sustained you. You may pour out your bitterness to God, who made you. Do not turn away from God in suffering; turn toward him, even in complaint.

Notice two things about Job's bitter words. First, they are bitter indeed; Job, in the depths of his suffering, gives free course to his complaint, speaking in the bitterness of his soul, unable to understand why God seems to contend with him and afflict him. He does not pretend his anguish is less than it is. But second, and importantly, Job pours out this bitter complaint to God himself; he addresses his anguish to the very one he cannot understand, speaking to God, not merely about him or away from him. And even in his bitterness, Job holds to a truth: your hands made and fashioned me; you gave me life and loving kindness; your care preserved my spirit. Even in complaint, he acknowledges that God made him and sustained him. This holds a permission and a pattern for our own suffering. When we are in the depths of suffering we cannot understand, we do not have to hide our anguish or pretend to a composure we do not feel; we can pour out even our bitter complaint. But the key is where we pour it out: to God himself, not away from him. In suffering, the temptation is to turn away from God in bitterness; but Job turned toward God, bringing his bitter complaint to the one he could not understand, and holding, even so, to the truth that God had made and sustained him. To bring our bitterness to God, rather than turning from him, and to hold to what we know of him even when we cannot understand his ways, is the way of faith even in the darkest suffering. We do well, in bitter suffering, to bring our complaint to God himself, holding to the truth that his hands made and sustained us. In bitter suffering, bring your complaint to God himself, not away from him. Hold, even in anguish, to the truth that God made and sustained you. Do not turn from God in bitterness; turn toward him with it. Faith brings even its bitterest complaint to the God it cannot fully understand.

That is worth taking to heart, for we can bring even bitter complaint to God himself, holding to the truth that his hands made and sustained us, as Job poured out his anguish to God. We can turn away from God in bitter suffering; but Job poured out his bitter complaint to God, still acknowledging that God had made and sustained him. Turn toward him. In bitter suffering, do not turn away from God; bring your complaint to him himself, holding to the truth that his hands made and sustained you, even when you cannot understand his ways. In bitter suffering, bring your complaint to God himself rather than turning away from him, holding even in anguish to the truth that his hands made and sustained you, as in the depths of his suffering Job poured out a bitter complaint yet poured it out to God himself, holding even in his anguish to the truth that God's own hands had made and sustained him, saying God's hands had framed and fashioned him and granted him life and loving kindness and preserved his spirit; for Job's complaint is bitter and he cannot understand why God who made him seems now to contend with him, yet even in his bitterness he speaks not away from God but to God, addressing his anguish to the very one he cannot understand, and holds even in complaint to the truth that God's hands made him and sustained him, bringing his bitter complaint to God and not away from him, which holds a permission and a pattern for our own suffering, since when we are in the depths of suffering we cannot understand we do not have to hide our anguish or pretend to a composure we do not feel but can pour out even our bitter complaint, the key being where we pour it out, to God himself and not away from him, since in suffering the temptation is to turn away from God in bitterness but Job turned toward God with his complaint and held to the truth that God had made and sustained him, so that to bring our bitterness to God rather than turning from him and to hold to what we know of him even when we cannot understand his ways is the way of faith even in the darkest suffering, and we do well to do so.

Lord, in the depths of his suffering, Job pours out a bitter complaint, yet he pours it out to you yourself, holding even in his anguish to the truth that your own hands had made and sustained him. Your hands have framed me and fashioned me altogether, Job says to you; you have granted me life and loving kindness, and your care has preserved my spirit. Job's complaint is bitter; he cannot understand why you, who made him, seem now to contend with him. Yet even in his bitterness, Job speaks not away from you but to you, addressing his anguish to the very one he cannot understand; and he holds, even in complaint, to the truth that your hands made him, gave him life, and sustained him. He brings his bitter complaint to you, not away from you. Show me two things about Job's bitter words. First, they are bitter indeed; Job, in the depths of his suffering, gives free course to his complaint, unable to understand why you seem to contend with him. He does not pretend his anguish is less than it is. But second, Job pours out this bitter complaint to you yourself; he addresses his anguish to the very one he cannot understand, speaking to you, not merely away from you. And even in his bitterness, he holds to a truth: your hands made and fashioned me; you gave me life; your care preserved my spirit. This holds a permission and a pattern for my own suffering. When I am in the depths of suffering I cannot understand, I do not have to hide my anguish or pretend to a composure I do not feel; I can pour out even my bitter complaint. But the key is where I pour it out: to you yourself, not away from you. In suffering, the temptation is to turn away from you in bitterness; but Job turned toward you, holding, even so, to the truth that you had made and sustained him. Take that to my heart. In bitter suffering, keep me from turning away from you in bitterness; help me bring my complaint to you yourself, Lord, holding even in anguish to the truth that your hands made and sustained me, even when I cannot understand your ways, for faith brings even its bitterest complaint to the God it cannot fully understand.