When Kindness is Simply Calculated Cruelty (Job 10:13-22)

Throughout Job’s life his theme song was “God Is So Good!” And in verses 10-12 of this chapter Job had remarked (in a passage very similar to Psalm 139) about the extravagant care and concern of God. The New Living Translation puts verse 12 this way, “You gave me life and showed me Your unfailing love. My life was preserved by Your care.” In his family, in his finances, and in his health Job cherished the intimate care of God.

But talk about mood swings. Beginning with verse 13 we are met with a dramatic shift in Job’s thinking:

10:13 “Yet these things Thou hast concealed in Thy heart; I know that this is within Thee.”

The New Living Translation (NLT) puts it this way, “Yet your real motive— your true intent…” Job comes to the awful conclusion that from the start of his life God had been planning all along to consume his life with tragedy! Hartley writes (quoting Rowley), “Job thinks that God’s kindness was part of his calculated cruelty!” Wow!

10:14 “If I sin, then Thou wouldst take note of me, and wouldst not acquit me of my guilt. 10:15 If I am wicked, woe to me! And if I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head. {I am} filled with disgrace and conscious of my misery.”

In studying the Bible it’s sometimes very helpful to read the same verses from different translations so that you can sort of get inside the mind of the writer. The NLT puts verses 14-15 this way, “Your true intent was to watch me, and if I sinned, you would not forgive my guilt. If I am guilty, too bad for me; and even if I’m innocent, I can’t hold my head high, because I am filled with shame and misery.”

And the paraphrase version called The Message puts these two verses this way, “That if I so much as missed a step, you’d notice and pounce, wouldn’t let me get by with a thing. If I’m truly guilty, I’m doomed. But if I’m innocent, it’s no better—I’m still doomed. My belly is full of bitterness. I’m up to my ears in a swamp of affliction.”

Underlying all of the counsel of Job’s friends was the firm belief that he was some sort of monstrous, hypocritical sinner. But Job was genuinely perplexed…and perplexed to the point of despair and depression. A deep emotional distress is conveyed by his words that follow in the remainder of chapter 10.

Notice that Job says “I am filled with disgrace…” Earlier he had said, “I am filled with tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day.” (7:4) And in 9:18 he said that God “…filled me with bitterness.” Whereas in times past he had been filled with a purpose driven life, he is now full of tossings, full of bitterness, and full of disgrace.

10:16 “And should my head be lifted up, Thou wouldst hunt me like a lion; and again Thou wouldst show Thy wonders against me. 10:17 Thou dost renew Thy witnesses against me, and increase Thine anger toward me, hardship after hardship is with me.”

From the NLT, “And if I hold my head high, you hunt me like a lion and display your awesome power against me. Again and again you witness against me. You pour out your growing anger on me and bring fresh armies against me.”

Notice Job’s line of thought. In chapter Job 9:10 he stated (of God), “Who does great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number.” And in chapter 42:3 he repents by saying, “…Therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not." The word “wonder” means “marvelous or extraordinary, things beyond our ability to understand.” It is usually used in a good sense. But in verse 16, God’s “wonders” are arrayed against him! Hartley writes, “Whereas God had marvelously constructed Job, He now employs his extraordinary power to plague Job in multiple ways!”

Job believes that God’s motive is to simply wear him down with unending onslaughts. Hartley pens, “God’s hostility overwhelms him.” Wave after wave, barrage after barrage, attack after attack of calamity and tragedy and misery. Instead of his illness improving his sores just continued to ooze. And the worms were God’s witnesses against him – all the proof needed by his friends to bring a verdict of “Guilty!”

10:18 “Why then hast Thou brought me out of the womb? Would that I had died and no eye had seen me! 10:19 I should have been as though I had not been, carried from womb to tomb. 10:20 Would He not let my few days alone? Withdraw from me that I may have a little cheer 10:21 Before I go-- and I shall not return-- to the land of darkness and deep shadow; 10:22 The land of utter gloom as darkness {itself,} of deep shadow without order, and which shines as the darkness."

In the words “Withdraw from me…” you get a sense of his utter perplexity and despair. Many times throughout the book Job cries out, “WHERE ARE YOU?” But here he asks God to simply depart from him.

Barnes writes concerning verses 18-22, “The essential idea here is that it was a land of darkness, of total and absolute night…that it is a place where not a clear ray of light ever shines…There is nowhere to be found, however, a description which for intensity and emphasis of expression surpasses this of Job…We have not the means in our language of marking different degrees of obscurity with the accuracy with which the Hebrews did it."

Hartley writes, "The dreary state of Sheol is vividly pictured through the building up of words for darkness. Five different words for darkness are heaped up in seven expressions…darkness, deep shadow, thick darkness, gloom, without order (chaos). Death is a realm of gloomy darkness. Having no order it is a land of chaos. Whatever light might shine forth in one of its corners at the brightest time of day is darker than the dead of night on earth.”

Job’s future obviously looked bleak. He was enveloped with depression and in every sense he believed that he had but a few days left. Yet he had no idea that in a short while El-Shaddai would meet him in such a wonderful and marvelous way…and meet him right where he was at in his lonely and pathetic ash heap. And he would be healed.

Several people were baptized in water during this morning’s church service. But before each candidate was immersed in water they were asked to give a brief testimony of why they wanted to be baptized. One young woman’s testimony was particularly moving. After her two children were born she suffered dreadfully from post-partum depression. For two years she struggled to get out of bed in the morning. Life was empty. But one day as she was going for a walk she “happened” to meet someone who invited her to a small group fellowship. From there she became a Christian and God began to heal her. God just “happened” to send someone into her life to tell her about His love and healing power.

Things looked awfully bleak for Job…for a long time he didn’t want to get out of bed in the morning. But God met him and healed him. And God can do the same for you! He loves you and cares about you.