Dive deep into the poignant dialogue from Job chapters 13 and 14, as we explore Job’s heartfelt appeal to God amidst his suffering. Discover the timeless questions Job raises about life, spirituality, and the brevity of human existence. Our host draws parallels between Job’s experiences and personal reflections gathered over decades, imbuing the narrative with rich insights and spiritual wisdom.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. Alan J. Huth shares a Bible passage with comments from over 35 years of his personal Bible reading journals and applies the Word of God to our daily lives.
Today brings us to Job chapters 13 and 14. Job is continuing to respond to Zophar. So let’s listen in to Job as he continues to speak in these two chapters, chapters 13 and 14 of Job.
Job 13 Behold, my eye has seen all this, my ear has heard and understood it. What you know, I also know. I am not inferior to you. But I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to argue my case with God. As for you, you whitewash with lies. Worthless physicians are you all. Oh, that you would keep silent and it would be your wisdom. Hear now my argument and listen to the pleadings of my lips. Will you speak falsely for God and speak deceitfully for him? Will you show partiality toward him? Will you plead the case for God? Will it be well with you when he searches you out? Or can you deceive him as one deceives a man? He will surely rebuke you if in secret you show partiality. Will not his majesty terrify you and the dread of him fall upon you? Your maxims are proverbs of ashes. Your defenses are defenses of clay. Let me have silence, and I will speak, and let come on me what may. Why should I take my flesh in my teeth and put my life in my hand? Though he slay me, I will hope in him, yet I will argue my ways to his face. This will be my salvation, that the godless shall not come before him. Keep listening to my words, and let my declaration be in your ears.” Behold, I have prepared my case. I know that I shall be in the right. Who is there who will contend with me? For then I would be silent and die. Only grant me two things, then I will not hide myself from your face. Withdraw your hand far from me, and let not dread of you terrify me. Then call, and I will answer, or let me speak, and you reply to me. How many are my iniquities and my sins? Make me know my transgression and my sin. Why do you hide your face and count me as your enemy? Will you frighten a driven leaf and pursue dry chaff? For you write bitter things against me and make me inherit the iniquities of my youth. You put my feet in the stocks and watch all my paths. You set a limit for the soles of my feet. Man wastes away like a rotten thing, like a garment that is moth-eaten. Job 14 Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble. He comes out like a flower and withers. He flees like a shadow and continues not. And do you open your eyes on such a one and bring me into judgment with you? Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? There is not one. Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass, look away from him and leave him alone, that he may enjoy, like a hired hand, his day. For there is hope for a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease. Though its root grow old in the earth, and its stump die in the soil, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put out branches like a young plant. But a man dies and is laid low. Man breathes his last, and where is he? As waters fail from a lake, and a river wastes away and dries up, so a man lies down and rises not again. Till the heavens are no more, he will not awake or be roused out of his sleep. Oh, that you would hide me in Sheol, that you would conceal me until your wrath be past, that you would appoint me a set time and remember me. If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my service I would wait till my renewal should come. You would call, and I would answer you. You would long for the work of your hands. For then you would number my steps. You would not keep watch over my sin. My transgression would be sealed up in a bag, and you would cover over my iniquity. But the mountain falls and crumbles away, and the rock is removed from its place. The waters wear away the stones, the torrents wash away the soil of the earth. So you destroy the hope of man. You prevail forever against him, and he passes. You change his countenance and send him away. His sons come to honor, and he does not know it. They are brought low, and he perceives it not. He feels only the pain of his own body, and he mourns only for himself.
In 1984, at 29 years old, I read Job 11 through 14 on the same day. I had an interesting journal entry concerning my prayer that day. I sound a little bit like Job, so let me read that to you. I’m getting consumed by my work. I need the Holy Spirit’s protection, guidance, and direction to prevent this from happening. I really feel out of touch with my family, friends, church, Sunday school. I need help from the Lord. At that time, I was working for the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry. It’s like the state chamber for the state of Colorado. That morning, when I read those chapters in Job, I made one note, and that was out of chapter 13, verse 15. Though he slay me, I will hope in him. In 1997, at 42 years old, I read a lot of chapters of Job on the day in my journal I’m looking at. I read Job 12 through 21. That’s a lot of chapters. Concerning chapters 13 and 14, I just made notes on chapter 13. Concerning verse 15, I wrote, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before him. And then referring to verses 20 and 21, Only two things do not do to me. Withdraw your hand from me, And let not the dread of you make me afraid. In 2015, at 60 years old, I read Job 12 through 13 on one day, and 14 and 15 on the other day. Concerning chapter 13, I wrote, Job wants to argue my case with God, according to verse 3. Though he slay me, I will hope in him, verse 13. Job is willing to risk it all to plead his case before God. What he wants is the why. Make me know my transgressions and my sin. Why you hide your face from me? and why you count me as your enemy. And I was referring to verses 23 and 24. Then I continued to write, he never gets his answer. Concerning chapter 14, I wrote, Job continues, he understands life is limited and brief. And I was referring to verses 1 and 2. If we are born with a sin nature, how can we correct it? And I was referring to verse 4. We cannot, I wrote. And then I wrote, man dies once, no reincarnation. And I was referring to verses 12 and 14. Let’s briefly take a look at chapters 13 and 14. Job desires to argue his case before God. I think he’s saying, I’d rather argue my case before God than you three friends. I quoted verse 15 in all three of those journals, so let’s take a look at that verse again. Job realizes that if he does argue his case before God, he may not win. In verse 23, he begs God, Why do you hide your face and count me as your enemy? Any of us would want to know the answers to those questions if we were suffering great hardship and we thought we were innocent. And then we move into chapter 14. It’s really about the brevity of life. Verse 1 says, Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble. He comes out like a flower and withers. He flees like a shadow and continues not. I’m 63 years old as I record this. I understand. Life is quick. It’s fleeting. He continues this thought in verse 5. Yes, friends, our days are numbered. the day of our birth, the day of our death, determined in the heavenlies by God Himself. There’s nothing we can do to extend our sojourn on the earth. And in verse 10, he asks the age-old question, But a man dies and is laid low, man breathes his last, and where is he? If you’re asking that question today, there are two answers. When one dies, he’s either in heaven or he’s in hell. That’s what the Word of God tells us. So there is an afterlife for every one of us. Verse 14 asks that question. If a man dies, shall he live again? No, not physically, but yes, spiritually. In these two chapters, we can hear the concern in Job’s voice. We would be no different. When we suffer, we want to know why. What’s happening to us? Why me, we say. That’s all Job wants. He wants an answer. He wants to plead his case before the Lord and hear the answer, even if he is slain himself. So often we’re the same. We want to hear. We want a yes or a no. The maybes of life are torture to us. And Job also understands. His life is brief. In this suffering, he would like to have an answer because he knows he can’t go back and live it over again. So how about you? Are you suffering? Do you have a big problem? You have no answers. Do you want to plead your case before God? Do so today after listening to AdBible. Get down on your knees. Plead your case before a loving, holy, and forgiving God. He says in the New Testament, Seek and ye shall find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you. I encourage you to do that today. Plead your case before God Almighty. And Father, as we do, you promise to hear our prayers. What a gift. We thank you for that. That you listen to your people. So Lord, hear the cries of people suffering today. And though you didn’t answer Job, maybe you’ll answer us. He just wanted to know why. He wanted to know what his relationship with you was. That’s what we want to know today as well. Hear our cries. Hear our prayers. And by your grace, provide a way of escape that we may be able to endure. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. I was sitting outside an ice cream store with my wife and a pastor and his wife and children in our hometown. A couple walked by and overheard our conversation and asked if I was a pastor. I said no. But the pastor I was with asked them what church they attended. They named their church, and he said, I know he speaks there every first Sunday of the year. They looked me over, and the woman said to her husband, he’s the Bible guy. She turned to me and said, because of your message, he started reading his Bible this year. So to pastors listening, that’s what will happen if you invite us to come and share in your church. More of your people will read the Bible. If you want that, contact us at EzraProject.net. We know only about 10% of your people are daily Bible readers. After an Ezra Project message, about two-thirds commit to daily Bible reading. 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