After Job’s three friends – Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar have each spoken against Job and Job has replied against them one by one, Eliphaz spoke again in chapter 15. He accused Job this time that he had no fear of God with what Job understood and spoke about God. Job replies to Eliphaz in chapter 16 and it continues here in chapter 17.

Verses 1-6, seem to suggest that Job was praying to God for vindication concerning how he felt being wronged by their friends. In accusing him, Job felt that Eliphaz and the other two friends were like false witnesses to him. Some scholars cross-reference Job 17:5 to Deut 19:18-19; Prov 19:5, 9 about the outcome of a false witness.

Job transits to verses 7-9 in sharing about how he felt about all that had happened to him. With the tragic deaths of all his loved ones that had happened to him and with this frustrating conversation that he was having with his friends, Job says in verse 7 that his whole body was not only suffering grief, but also pain. Verses 8-9 tell the readers that Job still stood by what he believed; that is he had done no wrong to deserve all these calamities. He even claimed that the baseless accusations from his friends would only serve to make him stronger in his own belief.

From verse 10-16, Job now writes from his friend’s perspectives and his responses to them. The friends urge him that if he were to acknowledge and repent his wrongdoing, God will turn the night into day and darkness will become light (v12). However, Job argued in v13 that if he were to accept and follow his friend’s viewpoint, it would be like making his bed in darkness and other metaphorical expressions he uses from v13-14. In so doing, he said in verse 15 that the response would not be characterized by hope.

As we look at this chapter, we can observe that on the one hand, Job was grieving over his loss, and yet on the other hand, we can see here that in the midst of his suffering, he wanted to position his lament from the viewpoint of hope.

This is a very challenging moment for Job. We have not even reached even the halfway mark of this book of forty-two chapters. Job still believed that that he was righteous and had done no wrong to deserve such a predicament. He understood that what he was experiencing – his grief and the accusation from his friends would only serve to make him stronger in his faith. It was beyond him to know that the genesis of his suffering is a testing from God – not the kind that he is saying in this chapter but the kind that the subsequent chapters will gradually unfold.

As we or our friends go through various kinds of trials in your life, let us not be too quick to point out any reason behind it – especially the spiritual reason. Let us learn from Job and his friends about the importance of being patient with ourselves and others – give time and space for the person to first feel and express the extent of the difficult moments. There is a saying that goes like this, “God is God. He knows what He is doing. When I can’t trace His hand, trust His heart.”

PRAYER : “Dear God, I am going through this situation in my life: _____ (pray to God what is happening specifically) and I am feeling _____ (tell God what difficult or negative feelings you have). Help me, O God to trust your heart even though I may not be able to trace your hand to figure out why this is happening now. Lead me to a godly person that can listen and pray for me as well. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.”