I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Job 16-21.

I struggle to fully understand what Job says in his monologues.  On the one hand, he accuses God of unjustly punishing him.  On the other hand, he calls on God to make the case for his innocence, and appears to believe that God will do so.  He throws himself on the mercy of God, after proclaiming that God has failed to show him mercy.  This apparent contradiction in Job’s statements is consistent with a person suffering greatly.

In both Bildad’s and Zophar’s arguments in today’s passage we can learn an important lesson.  Neither of their arguments actually address what Job had said.  They have gotten caught up in the argument and have forgotten their purpose in arguing with Job.  They had begun with good, although misplaced, intent.  They started out trying to convince Job of taking actions which they believed would relieve his suffering.  Which brings us a lesson we should take to heart: when we get into an argument we must be careful not to get so caught up in winning the argument that we forget why we were arguing our position in the first place.

Finally, I had always thought that Job believed that death was the end, that once one died everything was over for that person.  I thought that what he says in chapter 17 verses 13-16 represented his belief that there was no reason for hope.  However, today I read it more as a warning that those who take the position that there is no afterlife have no hope.  I see in this statement by Job a parallel to what Paul writes when he says that if Christ did not rise from the dead than His followers are the most miserable of people.   I see Job as saying here that if there is no resurrection from the dead, there is no hope for anyone.  In fact in chapter 19 verses 25-27 he expresses just such a hope, a hope which is fulfilled in Christ.  He says that he knows that his Redeemer lives and that, after his death, he will see God in his own body.  This is the hope which those of us who believe in Christ have.  No matter what suffering we may endure on this earth, death is not the end and we will stand before God once more.