Job 7:12  Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me?
13  When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint;
14  Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions:
15  So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life.
16  I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my days are vanity.
17  What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?
18  And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment?
19  How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?
20  I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?
21  And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.

We do not need to face trials similar to what Job faced in order to understand his frustration and despair. We can read about it here in God’s Word. We need to be careful to learn the right lessons from this book. Job said some things he should not have said. He approached God in a very inappropriate manner. We can see the mercy of God here. He allowed Job to accuse Him of things that were completely wrong. Job did not have any good human input into his thinking at this time. His friends had no interest in truth. Job allowed their false theology to infect his thinking. Humility is important for God’s people. Job would learn this. We need to learn this as well.
In verses 12-16 Job accused God of not paying attention to his situation. He assumed because he was not as big as a sea or a whale, God did not notice him. He also complained about his inability to sleep well. It was not just the pain from his boils that was interfering with his sleep. He was having bad dreams as well. He was blaming God for those. He was wrong on that as well. God was not his enemy. The devil was his enemy. Satan had always been his enemy, but he had not been allowed to afflict Job in this manner before this. Because Job was a child of God, he would not fall away from God. It is not possible for a true child of God to be lost. They can say and do things that are wrong but their soul is protected by God. Job’s life would be restored eventually as well. Job’s days were not vanity. He would learn some important lessons through all of this.
In verse 17 Job asked what the purpose of man was. Why did God give more attention to the creation of man in comparison to the rest of His creation? God does things because He is God. His wisdom and His purposes are far greater than that of man. Rather than questioning God’s ways, we need to humbly submit to His ways and trust Him to be faithful to Himself.
In verse 18 Job again wondered why God was testing him every moment. Job did not understand the spiritual battle that was being waged beyond his realm. The devil was trying to prove that God’s grace was not sufficient to keep His child from falling. He did not see all that was going on. He was not a depraved man, but he was wrong in questioning God’s dealings. This matter was much bigger than Job’s sufferings.
In verse 19 Job again sought to die. He was not going to commit suicide. He just wished he could die. Possibly he could just drown or choke on his own spittle. Job had a very dark view of life at this time.
In verse 20 Job seemed to agree with his friends that he had sinned. He did not acknowledge what that sin might be, but he was willing to acknowledge he had sinned. He was not an arrogant man like his friends. Job could not understand why God would not pardon him. Why did God continue to preserve his life just to punish him. Job certainly lacked a proper understanding of God. God is not a God who takes pleasure in seeing His child suffer. He does not prolong our lives just to see us squirm. He had a greater purpose that Job would learn later.
Job warned God that soon he would die. He assumed that God knew the day of his death, but he was wrong in that thinking. He even stated that God would seek for him in the morning and not find him. Certainly Job was lacking in some very basic truth about God. We can know that nothing is a surprise to God. He knows when each person will take their last breath. We can sometimes observe a person dying. We might even see them fighting for breath. We might even tell them it is ok to just stop breathing and die. Those who think that way do not take into account the fact that God is in charge of the length of a person’s life.
The lost need every moment given to them, to reconsider their rejection of the true God. They need to get saved before it is eternally too late.
Those who are saved need to use every moment given them to learn more of their God and also to be a shining light in a dark and dying world. We cannot plan ahead for what might happen before we die. We need to know how to live today and this moment so that we can be ready for whatever we might face before we die. Those that are saved can be assured that God is always near at hand. We can always pray to Him. We can always find comfort in Him.

II Corinthians 1:3  Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
4  Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

We do not scoff at Job. We do not suggest we would never respond as he did. We must understand that we have no reason to respond as Job did. God is willing to protect and provide for His children. A good local church is important as well in having that place of support as we face life. We need godly people to help us to keep our hearts and minds in a healthy state.
Pastor Bartel