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10 “I loathe my life;
I will give free utterance to my complaint;
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
I will say to God, Do not condemn me;
let me know why you contend against me.
Does it seem good to you to oppress,
to despise the work of your hands
and favor the designs of the wicked?
Have you eyes of flesh?
Do you see as man sees?
Are your days as the days of man,
or your years as a man’s years,
that you seek out my iniquity
and search for my sin,
although you know that I am not guilty,
and there is none to deliver out of your hand?
Your hands fashioned and made me,
and now you have destroyed me altogether.
Remember that you have made me like clay;
and will you return me to the dust?
Did you not pour me out like milk
and curdle me like cheese?
You clothed me with skin and flesh,
and knit me together with bones and sinews.
You have granted me life and steadfast love,
and your care has preserved my spirit.
Yet these things you hid in your heart;
I know that this was your purpose.
If I sin, you watch me
and do not acquit me of my iniquity.
If I am guilty, woe to me!
If I am in the right, I cannot lift up my head,
for I am filled with disgrace
and look on my affliction.
And were my head lifted up, you would hunt me like a lion
and again work wonders against me.
You renew your witnesses against me
and increase your vexation toward me;
you bring fresh troops against me.
“Why did you bring me out from the womb?
Would that I had died before any eye had seen me
and were as though I had not been,
carried from the womb to the grave.
Are not my days few?
Then cease, and leave me alone, that I may find a little cheer
before I go—and I shall not return—
to the land of darkness and deep shadow,
the land of gloom like thick darkness,
like deep shadow without any order,
where light is as thick darkness.”
(ESV)
Job’s attitude takes a turn in this chapter. When I read these passages I picture a courtroom scene. God is the prosecution and Job is the defense. Job is complaining that since the prosecution has brought no evidence against him, he has a right to demand a resolution. And so his language in this chapter seems very defensive. He begins to grill the prosecution (God) on what charges are against him.
I will say to God: “Do not declare me guilty! Let me know why You prosecute me.
Job 10:2 HCSB
At this point, it’s almost as if Job would prefer God just do something. Condemn me and kill me, or acquit me and restore me. It’s an “all or nothing” attitude.
Interestingly, in a somewhat peculiar way, Job is asking God for a mediator.
Do You have eyes of flesh, or do You see as a human sees? 5 Are Your days like those of a human, or Your years like those of a man, 6 that You look for my wrongdoing and search for my sin, 7 even though You know that I am not wicked and that there is no one who can deliver from Your hand?
Job 10:4-7 HCSB
I find this so fascinating because the problem Job seeks is what all humanity seeks. We need a deliverer. We wish for someone who can reveal God in the flesh. This is not uncommon today. People want to know who could possibly bridge the gap between us and God! The good news is, we have a mediator in Jesus Christ who became our deliverer. In a way, I feel this is exactly what Job in longing for. Essentially, Job is saying, “If your ways are so much bigger than me, then who in the world can help to mediate my current condition and your mysterious sovereignty?”
Jesus Christ came to mediate a relationship between us and God. He died so that we could approach the Father in righteousness and bear His image on Earth. Without Jesus, we have no business approaching God in our sinful state. I am so thankful for His sacrifice.