Today our reading is Job 29-30.  I’m calling the episode “Can You Blame Him?”

Doesn’t you heart just really go out to Job? My goodness. The poor guy remembers what life was like before his afflictions came, and He speaks of the horrible physical, emotional and spiritual pain he is in. How could anybody not feel bad for him?

Speaking of his pain. I’ve never experienced anything near the physical pain that Job suffered, but I have gone through a few excruciating episodes. I have a back that every once in a while decides to lay me out. The pain can be so bad that I need help to stand up. 

And I’ve had bouts of kidney stones. Oh my goodness. Talk about excruciating. The first time it happened to me, I didn’t know what was going on. I thought I was dying. I went to the ER and of course they knew right away what was going on, and they gave me a shot of morphine. 

Now, I’m not a drug user, so you’d think that morphine would have an effect on me, right? Nope. It did nothing to ease my pain. So they gave me another hit. After a few minutes, the pain went from a ten to maybe a seven. But they weren’t going to give me any more morphine.

And then almost exactly three years ago, I broke my ankle and tore some ligaments in my knee in a motorcycle accident. I was laid up for more than three months, and it took much longer than that to regain my mobility.

I tell you all this to say that when I’m in really bad pain, my personality has a tendency to shift just a bit. Instead of the nice guy that you’ve come to know and love here on the show, I can get…shall we say…snippy. And my normally sunshiny disposition changes to gloom. I’m sure I’m going to die at any moment. 

I’m a terrible patient. 

So given what Job was experiencing, I don’t think we can really hold against him with his feeling sorry for himself. I know what that feels like. But Job had come to the end of his rope. 

Let’s cut him some slack.

Over the next few chapters we’ll hear from Elihu, the last of Job’s friends that came to visit him. And then it’ll be God’s turn. What God says to Job is one of my favorite parts of the Bible.

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 29-30 NLT

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