Job 10:3

Does it do you good to practice oppression,

   To despise the work of Your Hands,

      Showing favor to the plans of the wicked,

 

I have learned that one of the main ways subscription services make money is to raise rates without warning you and waiting until you figure it out to offer lower options. I have seen it with cable companies, satellite companies, telephone companies, internet companies, streaming companies, newspapers, and worst for the car satellite radio companies. I finally dropped the one newspaper I read over their prices. I almost cut the one my wife reads. But in all this, I found that Apple told me before they charged me. I think Disney may have too. Maybe even Google. All I really learned is that I need to pay attention.

This verse obviously continues from the one before as Job repeats his plea to God for others to hear. I do not remember a lot of detail from English classes, or Chemistry, or even math, but I know these are rhetorical questions. The intent is not to open a dialogue, but to make a point or a series of points.

“Do you good” was also “seem good”, “please you”, “good unto thee”, “benefit you”, and “give you pleasure”. “Oppress” was also “defraud” and “harass”. I did not think the goal was to ask if the act was good in and of itself, but whether God got some benefit (good, joy, etc.) and I wanted to avoid the “Make you happy” aspect. Defraud was an interesting choice and harass was off putting. I felt oppress was a little broader than either.

“Despise” was also “spurn”; “work” was “toil” or “labor” or “making”. I actually liked the sentiment of spurn but went with despise again for the wider range of meaning. I understand that work, toil, and labor all have a common basis, but here God did not toil or labor to create us, He simply did it. Nothing is any harder for Him than anything else, so I think the idea was something He did and not something that He put extra effort into.

“Showing favor” was also “smile” and “shine”. “Plans” was also “schemes” and “counsel”. I preferred the action of showing favor and the plainness of plans.

As it turns out, I actually know God believes it is of benefit for us to go through hardship to become more mature. I know He does not despise the work of His hands. And I know He does not favor the plans of the wicked, the wicked just take a little more effort and have less restrictions when making plans. Job is taking big, huge swipes as big pieces of life in small little sets of words. One thing that should be clear to us is that God is bigger than us. His viewpoint is infinity higher. We may not understand, but we do not have to.  (Word does not like it when I say actually.) All we have to actually do is know that God loves and cares for us and to follow Him accordingly.

 

(Written 11/30, Posted 12/3, Job 211)