Job 7 (Listen)
7:1 “Has not man a hard service on earth,
and are not his days like the days of a hired hand?
2 Like a slave who longs for the shadow,
and like a hired hand who looks for his wages,
3 so I am allotted months of emptiness,
and nights of misery are apportioned to me.
4 When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I arise?’
But the night is long,
and I am full of tossing till the dawn.
5 My flesh is clothed with worms and dirt;
my skin hardens, then breaks out afresh.
6 My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle
and come to their end without hope.
7 “Remember that my life is a breath;
my eye will never again see good.
8 The eye of him who sees me will behold me no more;
while your eyes are on me, I shall be gone.
9 As the cloud fades and vanishes,
so he who goes down to Sheol does not come up;
10 he returns no more to his house,
nor does his place know him anymore.
11 “Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
12 Am I the sea, or a sea monster,
that you set a guard over me?
13 When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me,
my couch will ease my complaint,’
14 then you scare me with dreams
and terrify me with visions,
15 so that I would choose strangling
and death rather than my bones.
16 I loathe my life; I would not live forever.
Leave me alone, for my days are a breath.
17 What is man, that you make so much of him,
and that you set your heart on him,
18 visit him every morning
and test him every moment?
19 How long will you not look away from me,
nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit?
20 If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind?
Why have you made me your mark?
Why have I become a burden to you?
21 Why do you not pardon my transgression
and take away my iniquity?
For now I shall lie in the earth;
you will seek me, but I shall not be.”
Devotional:
What is a mere human, that you think so highly of him and pay so much attention to him? You inspect him every morning, and put him to the test every moment. Will you ever look away from me, or leave me alone long enough to swallow? (Job 7:17-19 CSB)
In the middle of our daily trials and tribulations, it could be overwhelming to think that God is focused on us, that He never looks away from us. If we are suffering from loss or pain or sickness, it’s hard to focus our attention upward and look for godly wisdom instead of succumbing to complaining and bitterness. Let’s decide not to be overwhelmed by our current situation and make a commitment to lean not on our own understanding. Instead, lean on God’s Word and seek godly counsel in our struggles.
Pray it: Father, in those moments in which I am tempted to look away from you, help me to remember that you never look away from me. In my suffering, help me turn my gaze to Jesus and his suffering for me that reminds me of your great and relentless love. Amen.
Share it: Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with today?