Job 19 Verses 13 to 19 I Am Not Alone August 21, 2022

Job 19 Verses 13 to 19 I Am Not Alone August 21, 2022

Class Presentation Notes AA

Main Idea: Loneliness is one of the most painful human conditions.

Quick Read: Job wasn’t alone. He was surrounded by people, yet his heart cried out with a sense of loneliness.

Create Interest:

· In our last lesson in Chapters 13 and 14 we noticed Job’s hope on display. He had been and was still frustrated with the “bad medicine of” made up advice friends and family had share but we learned of his hope in life after death and his relationship to be renewed with God when he died…But we saw him moving very close to despair, surrounded by friends, family, associates, workers, he was very alone.

· As a junior in high school, my parents had to move across the state to Midland, Tx. for work. I wanted to stay and finish high school in Bay City and they made arrangements for me to live with retired minister couple. They moved and my situation did not last long, and I had to live on the street, eating in a soup kitchen, bathing at the H.S. gym. Surrounded by people, I never felt so alone. I must say after a time a rice farmer took me in and let me live with them and it was a blessing. I was not a Christian at that time and knew little or nothing about God and his love, grace, and watchful care…who was moving me toward being ready to accept Him two years later in college.

· Let’s see what we can learn from Job about this horrible feeling of loneliness and how to allow God’s love and grace to surround us and lift us up in that time.

Lesson in Historical Context:

· Job had already been crushed by his friends’ harsh words and accusations.

o brothers: stayed away

o acquaintances: turned away

o relatives: forsook him

o friends: forgot him

o former guests: treated him like a stranger

o maid servants: considered him an alien

o servants (workers): refused to acknowledge his cries for help

o wife: was offended by his bad breath

o family: was repulsed by him

o young children: showed disrespect, scorned, and ridiculed him

o close friends: detested him

o loved ones: turned against him

· Now, leading up to our focal verses, he expressed that he had also been crushed by God. Like a house that is easily demolished, his life and body had been broken down and torn apart. In addition, he was like an uprooted tree that has no hope of recovery, no chance of regaining its health. Once a tree is uprooted, no new shoots or branches can grow out of it. It has no hope for recovery or for a new life. Job was unquestionably in a state of despair, rationalizing that all hope in life was gone.

· Given all that had happened to him up to this point, it is not hard to understand Job’s state of mind. He reasoned that God considered him His enemy. As His enemy, God was mercilessly attacking and surrounding him. It was as if Job were a besieged city under attack by the forces of God, as if Job stood no chance. He was up against a force that he could not resist. He had no capability and no power to defend himself; his suffering and humiliation were more than he could bear.

· Job is not the only person in Scripture to have accused God of wrongdoing or to have questioned God’s intentions, wondering why God would make him suffer so severely. Abraham, Moses, David, and Jeremiah are just a few examples. To various degrees, each questioned God’s actions and justice. Some might expect God to strike these men dead, to judge them severely or at least to accuse them of blasphemy. But God did none of these.

o As we study the examples of these great men of God, we must be careful on the one hand not to go too far in condoning every question and accusation against the Lord.

o On the other hand, we must also be aware that God is big enough—patient and merciful enough—to handle our complaints. Scripture seems to indicate that God would rather endure our questions than our outright rejection or even blind and thoughtless obedience to Him.

o God would rather us wrestle with Him like Jacob than to ignore Him like Esau. In other words, perhaps what God seeks most from every follower is an honest, real, and heartfelt relationship. We can learn much from these examples in God’s Word of men who questioned and wrestled with the Lord:

· Scripture gives many other examples of people who experienced the same feelings or emotions as Job did. The Psalms are full of such examples, as are the Prophetsand Historical Books. Yet note how these men and women—like Job—never gave up. Rather, they kept pleading and wrestling with the Lord. We may feel, at times, as though the Lordis far away, not hearing or listening to our prayers. But we can know and be confident that He is still near, still listening to every cry and plea we make. Our perception that God does not hear our cries or our pleas may feel very real and legitimate. Nevertheless, feelings are different from reality. Scripture tells us that God is near and that He cares whether or not we feel His presence and love. Listen to these other heartfelt cries found in God’s Word and the guarantee that God hears them:[1]

o Hebrews 11:32-38 (NASB) 32 And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received backtheir dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; 36 and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated 38 (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.

o Psalm 10:17 (NASB) 17 O LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear

o Psalm 18:6 (NASB) 6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, And my cry for help before Him came into His ears.

o Isaiah 65:24 (NASB) 24 "It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.

Bible Study:

Job 19:13-14 (NASB) 13 "He has removed my brothers far from me, And my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.

· Vs. 13: God’s attack has estranged Job from all his relatives, companions, servants, and fellow citizens. He is left to face his fate alienated from his community. Because they all believe that God has smitten him and they are repulsed at his grotesque appearance and offensive odor, not one of them gives him any support. Such isolation is a frequent complaint of one enduring illness or an austere hardship. As one psalmist moans: “You, O Yahweh, have removed far from me my loved ones and companions; the darkness is my closest friend [məyuddāʿ]” (88:19 [Eng. 18).

· Job’s brothers head the list of those who shun him. In patriarchal society the bond among family members was very strong, with each one being concerned for his brother’s welfare. God, however, has driven a wide wedge into this tight bond. Even Job’s trusted friends (yōḏəʿîm) are estranged from him. No longer acknowledging their ties with him, they do not come and offer him any help in his time of need.[2]

o He hath put my brethren. This is a new source of affliction that he had not adverted to before, that God had caused all his children to be estranged from him—a calamity which he regarded as the crown of all his woes. The word rendered “my brethren” (אחי) means properly my brothers—but whether he means literally his brothers, or whether he designs it to be taken in a figurative sense as denoting his intimate friends, or those of the same rank in life or calling, it is impossible now to determine.

· And mine acquaintance. My friends—on whom I relied in time of calamity.

· Are verily estranged. They have forgotten me and treat me as a stranger. What an accurate description is this of what often occurs! In prosperity a man will be surrounded by friends; but as soon as his prosperity is stripped away, and he is overwhelmed with calamity, they withdraw, and leave him to suffer alone.

o Proud of his acquaintance before, they now pass him by as a stranger, or treat him with cold civility, and when he needstheir friendship, they are gone[3].

Job 19:14-16 (NASB) 14 "My relatives have failed, And my intimate friends have forgotten me. 15 "Those who live in my house and my maids consider me a stranger. I am a foreigner in their sight. 16 "I call to my servant, but he does not answer; I have to implore him with my mouth.

· What is sweeter than a well-tuned lute, and what is more delightful than a faithful friend, who can cheer us in sorrow with wise and affectionate discourse? Nothing, however, is sooner untuned than a lute, and nothing is more fickle than a friend. The tone of the one changes with the weather, that of the other with fortune. With a clear sky, and a bright sun, and a gentle breeze, you will have friends in plenty; but let fortune frown, and the firmament be overcast, and then your friends will prove like the strings of the lute, of which you will tighten ten before you will find one that will bear the tension, or keep the pitch. (Gotthold.)[4]

· My kinsmen have gone away.They were no longer a part of Job’s inner circle. My friends have forgotten me. Job felt they had abandoned him, leaving him to die alone. My guests and my maidservants count me a stranger. They acted as if they did not even know him. They turned an indifferent shoulder toward him. They look upon me as an alien. They treated him as a foreigner and avoided him. I summon my servant, but he does not answer. No matter how much Job pleaded for assistance, those who once served him no longer did so.[5]

Thoughts to soak on:

· This is a terrible portrayal of Job’s miserable loneliness. All the people whom Job had felt he could rely on have abandoned him. It is not just that he has discovered his “Facebook” friends to be shallow (that would be no surprise); those closest to him, those bound to him with ties of loyal friendship and fond love, have all failed him (vv. 13, 14). They have removed him from the equivalent of their Christmas card lists or their party invitations, for he is a public disgrace and as good as dead. They would as soon be associated with him as they would with a convicted criminal on death row.

· In his own home he used to be honored master of the house. Now his former guests and his servants treat him like a dead man (v. 15). Verse 16paints a pathetic picture of this great man calling to his servant. In the old days the moment the bell rang, the man would have scurried to Job’s room and stood respectfully, awaiting his orders. Now he ignores Job, even though Job pleads with him for help. What a cruel reversal!

Job 19:17-19 (NASB) 17 "My breath is offensive to my wife, And I am loathsome to my own brothers. 18 "Even young children despise me; I rise up and they speak against me. 19 "All my associates abhor me, And those I love have turned against me.

· Job’s ostracism extends even to his intimate family. His breath is repulsive to his wife and brothers, who cannot stand to have him near them (v. 17).

o The word is also used to denote Job’s breath as something that is loathsome to his wife (Job 19:17), because of his sickness.[6]

o Part of the cause of the alienation was Job’s physical condition, but Clines is probably correct in seeing more than bad breath at work here. The Hebrew term (HED # 7593) can mean “breath,” of course, but nowhere else, he notes, does it refer to the smell of the “breath” as bad or good.

§ Rather, it probably refers here to Job’s continued life being offensive to those who had been close to him. They suffered imagined “guilt by association” (Clines) perhaps, or found his disgusting condition embarrassing, or were even concerned for their own safety. After all, Job’s children and many of his servants are killed in the opening chapter of the Book. Job seemed like a dangerous person to be around.[7]

· Even young children despise me (v. 18) Instead of showing Job honor and respect reserved for prominent elders, they mocked Job because of his foul condition. When I appear, they ridicule me.

· young children—In the East, the elderly are held in great esteem, being respected for their wisdom. Although our culture finds this attitude unusual, the reverent attitudes of the young for their elders played a significant role in Job’s culture. Job’s social status has disintegrated so much that even small children fail to respect him. Speak against me...[8]

o The children Job refers to here must be either grandchildren or those who were symbolically Job’s children; it seems that all of Job’s ten children were killed in a tragic accident (Job 1:2; 1:18–19).

§ Yet Adam Clarke had another suggestion: “But the mention of his children in this place may intimate that he had still some remaining; that there might have been young ones, who, not being of a proper age to attend the festival of their elder brothers and sisters, escaped that sad catastrophe.”

§ It may also be that Job had in mind that his children cursed or rejected him from the world beyond; he felt that from their place in the afterlife they regarded him as repulsive.

§ “In any society nothing hurts more than rejection by one’s family and friends, but what could be worse in a patriarchal society than to have children ridicule the patriarch?” (Smick)[9]

· They belittled him with degrading taunts. All my intimate friends detest me (v 19). This was certainly true of Job’s three counselors, as well as all others who had forsaken him. Those I love have turned against me (19).

· No matter how kind Job was to them, they rejected him. We may perhaps imagine them throwing rotten fruit at this target for public ridicule. Even his closest friends have turned against him (v. 19); the word translated “intimate friends” appears in Psalm 55:12–14 (“familiar friend”) in the experience of betrayal.

· The saints of God in all ages, and however differently circumstanced, are assailed by almost the same trials and temptations. Whether it be Job, or David, or Jeremiah, or One greater than any of them, the desertion and unkindness of their nearest and dearest, as the bitterest of all sufferings, is almost sure to be included in their cup, which they must drink to the dregs, if they are to experience to the full “the precious uses of adversity.”[10]

· Job knows what it is to be attacked by God as a sinner, to be abandoned by all human help and devoid of all human love. Bildad has implied that this is what is happening to Job, and Job agrees. The difference is that Bildad assumes Job deserves it, and Job knows he does not. Bildad cannot cope with the idea of the innocent suffering, for it would challenge “The System.” Job is grappling honestly with the paradox of innocent suffering. What he now says is the logical and faith-inspired hope that arises from his clear conscience. We need to trace his inspired reasoning carefully.[11]

Thoughts to Soak On:

· The picture is one of abject humiliation. He is rejected by all who once loved him, forced to entreat his servants, become offensive to his wife and grandsons, jeered at even by children of the place. The case appears to us unnatural and shows the almost fiendish hardness of the Oriental world; that is to say, if the account is not colored for dramatic purposes.

· The intention is to represent the extremity of Job’s wretchedness, the lowest depth to which he is reduced. The fire of his spirit is almost quenched by shame and desolation. He shows the days of his misery in the strongest shadow in order to compel, if possible, the sympathy so persistently withheld.[12]

· Rejection is painful, but to be rejected by your family or your friends is excruciating. Job is not only in physical pain, but he is also in emotional torment. This passage brings to light a man with a broken heart. He is no longer a wealthy prince and now he has been abandoned. No one is giving Job the time of day, except for three men that are accusing him of being a wicked heathen.

· Unfortunately, these folks have considered Job to not be important anymore because he has no money. Would they have treated him differently if he had not lost his wealth? In my opinion, I believe they would have been much more compassionate. Job, however, has lost everything and they treated him like dirt.[13]

· Have you ever felt this way? Most of us have not been in a position where we have been totally abandoned by everyone in our lives.

o So what do you do when you feel forsaken by people or if you FEEL forsaken by the Lord? Realize this if you know the Lord as your Savior, He will never, never forsake you. Grasping this truth and not letting go of it will help you to find your footing if you are frustrated or forsaken.

§ Psalm 27:10 (NASB) 10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me, But the LORDwill take me up.

§ Hebrews 13:5b (NASB) 5 "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,"

§ Deuteronomy 31:6 (NASB) 6 "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you."

§ 1 Samuel 12:22 (NASB) 22 "For the LORD will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the LORDhas been pleased to make you a people for Himself.

§ Psalm 37:25 (NASB) 25 I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread.

More Thoughts to Soak On:

· Job’s false friends would have had no power against him, nor would the foes of Christ have been able to have prevailed against Him, had God not delivered them both into the power of Satan’s hand.

· What did Job say? “God hath delivered me to the ungodly.” He knew that God had turned him over into the hands of the wicked. Job quailed under the wrath of the Almighty.

o What did the Prophet say of Christ? He said, “It pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief.” It was God who, in His determinate counsel and foreknowledge, delivered Christ into the hands of wicked men.

· Why did God deliver Job to the ungodly? It was because Satan had slandered Job’s integrity, and God was proving the true value of his worth.

o Why did God deliver Christ to the ungodly? It was because He would make Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

· There is yet another thing in our Scripture. Job complained that God had stripped him of his glory, and that, not for any injustice which lay in his own hands.

o Was not Christ also stripped of His glory? Did He not make Himself of no reputation as He took upon Himself the form of a man, and as He made His way steadfastly toward the Cross, and that, as the spotless and innocent Lamb of God?[14]

In Closing Let focus on the implications and actions of our lesson.

· Our lesson quarterly has two things I would share with you that I thought you would not want to miss reading.😊

o First, Job’s experiences in our lesson teaches us loneliness is one of the most painful of life’s realities.

§ But through the person of Jesus Christ (The Daysman we learned about that Job wanted to mediate between him and God), takes the pain of loneliness and produces an unusual usefulness of loneliness that brings great joy to those who choose to keep going…even through the loneliness.

§ You can make the choice and determine to live and learn through your pain. As your story unfolds; recognize and rehearse your history with the Divine; nothing will be able to come between you and God.

§ Yes, loneliness is painful and shows up unannounced, but God gives us all grace, mercy and humility to praise Him in the storm, even when life seems to be falling apart.

o Second, pray and praise.

§ When calamity strikes you or your family, pay attention to what is going on.

📷 Is there a sin to confess (as Jonah confessed) or is God preparing you for something greater through this trial.

o Trust Him!

📷 Ask God, through prayer, to help you in His way and in His timing and for you to be open to that path.

o Trust Him!

📷 Ask God, through prayer, to show the way forward.

o Trust Him!

📷 Remember the faith of those who have gone before you, that you have read about in the Bible, for strength to persevere.

o Trust Him!

📷 Praise God with spiritual songs and hymns as you go through your trial.

o Trust Him!

· Regardless of the circumstances trust your Creator who gave you life, who in human form died for your sins and rose from the dead to show you for all time you could be with Him eternally….Trust Him with every detail of your life….spend time with Him…Love Him with all your being.

· Know that when you exhale your last breath, you will be with Him forever. In the meantime, live every moment as if it were your last sharing His love with all with whom you come in contact…that they may come to know Jesus Christ, the “Daysman” Job longed for, and we now have😊.

Grace and peace,

Please share this with anyone you know who may be suffering.

[1]Leadership Ministries Worldwide, Job, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2010), 120. [2] John E. Hartley, The Book of Job, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1988), 287–288. [3]Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament: Job, vol. 1 (London: Blackie & Son, 1847), 316–317. [4]Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator: Job, The Biblical Illustrator (New York; Chicago; Toronto; London; Edinburgh: Fleming H. Revell Company, n.d.), 345. [5]Steven J. Lawson, Job, ed. Max Anders, Holman Old Testament Commentary (B&H Publishing Group, 2005), 170. [6]Thoralf Gilbrant, “זוּר,” The Old Testament Hebrew-English Dictionary, The Complete Biblical Library (WORDsearch, 1998). [7]Gregory A. Lint, ed., Ezra–Job, The Complete Biblical Library: Study Bible (World Library Press, 2000), Job 19:13–19. [8] J. D. Douglas, ed., New Commentary on the Whole Bible: Old Testament (Tyndale House Publishers, 1990), Job 19:18. [9]David Guzik, Job, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2007), Job 19:13–20. [10] H. D. M. Spence-Jones, ed., Job, The Pulpit Commentary (London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1909), 322. [11]Christopher Ash, Job: The Wisdom of the Cross, ed. R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014), 211–212. [12]Robert A. Watson, “The Book of Job,” in The Expositor’s Bible: Samuel to Job, ed. W. Robertson Nicoll, vol. 2, Expositor’s Bible (Hartford, CT: S.S. Scranton Co., 1903), 748. [13] Rod Mattoon, Treasures from Job, vol. 2, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2013), 100. [14] R. E. Neighbour, Wells of Living Water: Old Testament, vol. 4, Wells of Living Water (Union Gospel Press, 1939–1940), 246.