Job 6:10

Then I would yet have this consolation:

   Although He has not spared me from anguish,

      I would leap up in joy,

         That I have never denied the commands of the Holy One.

 

I ran into a wall today. One excuse is that I had just woken up and was a little groggy. Another was that my fine motor skills are inadequate for walking. I also bumped the corner with the back wheel of the car while turning today. I was more awake, but I had two incidents already today. If God wanted me to not hit things, I would have failed miserably.

Job claims here that he never denied the commands of the Holy One. I know I cannot say that. I would like to. I would like to think that I could do so in the future. But I know I am weak, and I know that I will fail. The good thing is that we do not go directly to hell as soon as we make one mistake.

“Consolation” was chosen over “comfort” as it seemed less physical. “Having” the consolation was chosen over something “being” the consolation. “Then … yet” was chosen over “then … still” or ignoring this additional time element al together.

The middle portion of this verse has all sorts of variations within it.

“I would even exult in unrelenting pain.”

“My joy in unrelenting pain.”

“Though in anguish I would exult (He will not spare).”

“I would harden myself for sorrow (Let Him not spare).”

“As I writhe in unsparing pain.”

“(Though I writhed in pain unsparing).”

“I shrink back in pangs He spares not.”

“As I trembled in pitiless agony.”

I can only say that I tried to capture all the ideas presented in a clear outcome. I cannot say I understand how the writhing or trembling became leaping in joy and exulting (nor how I got four lines from three), but I feel confident that the consolation and joy in the face of anguish appropriate. I am sure this deserves more study, but maybe another time.

“Have never” was chosen over “have not” for “poetic” reasons. “Commands” was chosen over “words” for the additional power behind the word. And “denied” was chosen over “suppressed” or “concealed” for the completeness of the application. One different idea was that Job never suppressed his words against the Holy One. This is too early in the discourse to be applicable as he has yet to say everything he wants to.

This was a difficult passage for me to write about as I struggled with how to present it and I felt a “personal” push to replace the joy with trembling, and stuff it in three lines. I may yet come to find that is from God and not me, but I left this original effort confident that God had revealed a depth to Job’s faith that even anguish could not extinguish, and it felt consistent with the message Job was symbolizing for us.

I have many short comings. I fail many times. But I know God made me this way for His purposes and I use this example of Job to try and be joyful even when I stumble and fall. I believe God put the story of Job in the Bible to help our everyday lives and not just the big pits that happen once a lifetime. I want joy. I have joy. Not because of me, but because of God. This is how I want to be during trials whether they are small like walking from one room to another or big like living after others die or experiencing health/lifestyle changes. Joyful. That is what I want to be.