Job 16:6

Yet now should I speak, my pain would not be assuaged;

   Should I desist, how much goes away?

This verse obviously continues the topic from the previous, but focuses on Job’s pain rather than the imagined pain of his friends. One of the outcomes of pain is that you tend to think only of yourself. It can be really hard to think of others when you are suffering mightily. I have found it hard to contribute around here when my knee or my brain are not functioning well. It is not the desired outcome but is probably typical.

‘Pain’ was also ‘grief’. ‘Assuaged’ was also ‘held back’, ‘let up’, and ‘relieved’.

‘Desist’ was also ‘forbear’, ‘stop’, ‘do not’, and ‘remain silent’. ‘Goes away’ was also ‘leaves’, ’is eased’, ‘is relieved’, and ‘have I lost’. Lost was an interesting twist.

When I was younger, I had a temper. Or at least that was the phrase when people thought I got mad too easily. Knowing I had a temper, I held a lot of stuff in to prevent social blow ups. Turns out I still have a temper, but I try to let it out when I am alone. Not sure it has any relationship to high blood pressure, but I do tend to feel better when I scream.

As is typical of our culture today, we saw multiple people drive less than well yesterday, and both my traveling companion and I wanted to give the offender a piece of our mind. Naturally, doing so would have no impact on the other person unless we knew them personally. I know this in my mind, but I often get the urge to make sure they know I did not like their actions. My new goal in this matter is to be hyper vigilant and prevent some person behaving poorly from impacting my life.

I assume the real question of the verse is how do we know when to comfort someone else. Some moments others will reject the gesture, and others they will embrace it. Job implies that we cannot know, but we must be willing to make the gesture regardless of the response and know that our relationship with the other person will survive their emotionally driven response. Just as with sharing Christ with others, it goes better when based on a relationship exhibiting loving behavior.

Written 6/19/25, Posted 7/24/25, Job 380