Job 16:1-22

16:1-22 | This is Job’s second response to his friends, whom he decries as miserable comforters. Job calls himself “broken” (7:1), and he begins to despair as those who suffer often do: “Where is my hope?” (7:15).

16:2-5 | Job had been tortured and tried to the limit; his suffering was so complete that others could never say they alone experienced any particular suffering; he had been in their place.

16:6-17 | It is often the case that a person’s anger reflects his or her love. Believers who get angry with God reveal that they care about Him even though they do not fully understand Him.

16:6-14 | Job considered God an adversary. Job was not alone in struggling this intensely with God. Jacob fought with the Angel of the Lord all night (Gen. 32:24-30); Peter argued with God (Acts 10:9-16). Anger with God can sometimes be a catalyst for spiritual growth. It can mean a person is outgrowing a less mature understanding of God.

16:18-21 | Job was not crying out for a mediator but for an advocate. He wanted a lawyer who would represent him before God. Here again is the gospel in Job – Jesus is the believer’s advocate at the throne of God (Heb. 7:25; 1 John 2:1).