Job 19 Summary

Please open your Bible to the Book of Job. We’ll be in the 19th chapter of this book this morning in our 7th installment of this fly-through summary. We’ll hope to get through to the end of chapter 21 by the end of our time.

Now, we’re in the second of three cycles of arguments between Job and his friends.

In our last message we had Eliphaz try to convince Job that he’s really wicked and that’s why God’s punishing him. Then we had Job respond to those accusations. We had Bildad also try to convince Job that he’s a wicked man and that’s why he’s suffering – as punishment from God for his wickedness.

And that leads us to the material we’ll cover today where the plan is to actually finish considering the rest of this second cycle of arguments between Job and the friends in chapters 19-21.

We’re going to see more of these men trying to understand God’s ways. But since God’s ways are past their discovering, they really need to trust God’s wisdom in how he’s dealing with Job and how he deals with this world. But this too will prove to be a task that’s too great for them. Eventually they will need what you and I need – God to come and give his authoritative word on the matter. But that isn’t going to happen for a few more chapters.

So, we’ll be seeing today how man tries to understand God’s ways apart from his authoritative word. Chapter 19 is Job’s speech in response to Bildad from last time. Chapter 20 is Zophar’s second and final response to Job. And chapter 21 is Job again to close our this second cycle of arguments.

Job Responds to Bildad & Friends | Job 19

So, let’s see what Job has to say – in response to Bildad’s last litany of accusations against him – in chapter 19.

Job 19 Summary of Verses 1-6

Job responds to the Friends | Job 19:1-6

Job responds to his so-called friends in verses 1-6.

Job 19 Summary of Verses 1-3

How long will the friends continue their attack? | Job 19:1-3

He begins by asking them how long they intend to attack him – because to him, he’s heard enough – verses 1-3…

KJV Job 19:1Then Job answered and said,

Job 19:2 How long will ye [vex my soul/torment me],
and [break me in pieces/crush me] with words?

Job 19:3 These ten times have ye [reproached/insulted] me: {i.e., they’ve spoken only five times – but he doubles it in his mind based on how painful and irksome their insults have been… }
ye are not ashamed that ye [make yourselves strange to/wrong/attack] me.

Job 19 Summary of Verses 4-6

Job’s problem is with God ultimately and not the friends | Job 19:4-6

And Job goes on to declare that his problem is with God ultimately and not the friends – verses 4-6…

Job 19:4 [And be it indeed that/Even if/But even if it were true that]I have erred,
mine error [remaineth with myself/lodges within me/remains solely my concern].

Job 19:5 If indeed ye [will magnify/would vaunt/would exalt] yourselves [against/above] me,
and [plead/prove] [against/to] me my reproach:

Job 19:6 Know now that God hath [overthrown/wronged] me,
and hath [compassed/closed around/encircled] me with his net.

So, it’s God – and not the friends – whom Job wants to confront. Because even though Job is still righteous, God for some unexplained reason continues to treat him the way that Job and his friends think should happen only to wicked people.

Job 19 Summary of Verses 7-12

Job laments God’s treatment of him | Job 19:7-12

And it’s this treatment of him by God that Job is going to now lament in verses 7-12…

Job 19:7 [Behold/If], I cry out [of wrong/Violence!], but I [am not heard/get no answer]:
I cry aloud [i.e., for help…], but there is no [judgment/justice].

Job 19:8 He hath [fenced up/walled up/blocked] my way [that/so that] I cannot pass,
and he hath [set/put] darkness [in/on/over] my paths.

Job 19:9 He hath stripped [me of my glory/my honor from me],
and taken the crown from my head.

Job 19:10 He [hath destroyed me/breaks me down/tears me down] on every side, [and/until] I [am gone/perish]:
and mine hope hath he [removed/uprooted] like a tree.

Job 19:11 He hath also kindled his wrath against me,
and he [counteth/considers] me unto him as one of his enemies.

Job 19:12 His troops [come/advance] together,
and [raise/build/throw] up their [way/siege ramp] against me,
and encamp round about my [tabernacle/tent].

Job 19 Summary of Verses 13-19

Relationships ruined | Job 19:13-19

And in various ways, how God has treated Job has resulted in all of his human relationships being disrupted and ruined – verses 13-19…

Job 19:13 He hath put my [brethren/relatives] far from me,
and mine acquaintance are [verily/completely] estranged from me.

Job 19:14 My [kinsfolk/relatives/kinsmen] have failed,
and my [familiar/intimate] friends have forgotten me.

Job 19:15 They that dwell in mine house, and my maids, [count/consider] me for a stranger:
I am [an alien/a foreigner] in their sight.

Job 19:16 I [called/summon] my servant, [and/but] he [gave me no answer/does not respond];
[i.e., even though…] I [intreated/implore] him with my [i.e., own…] mouth.

Job 19:17 My breath is [strange/offensive/repulsive] to my wife,
though I intreated (<— 1x) for the children’s sake of mine own body [or, I am loathsome to my brothers…].

Job 19:18 [Yea/Even], [young children/youngsters] [despised/have scorned] me;
[i.e., When…] I arose, and they [spake against/scoff at] me.

Job 19:19 All my [inward/closest] friends [abhorred/detest] me:
and they whom I loved are turned against me.

Job 19 Summary of Verse 20

Physical condition | Job 19:20

And with Job’s relationship with God at its lowest point ever – and with his human relationships basically non-existent at this time, Job is going to start to lament his physical condition once more – verse 20…

Job 19:20 My bone [cleaveth/clings/sticks] to my skin and to my flesh,
and I am escaped with [i.e., only…] the skin of my teeth.

So, Job could certainly have continued to describe his physical condition. But he stops after just one verse.

Job 19 Summary of Verses 21-22

An appeal for pity | Job 19:21-22

Because it’s all gotten to be too much for him to bear. And so, Job appeals for pity from his friends on the basis of all the trouble in his life – verses 21 and 22…

Job 19:21 Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends;
for the hand of God hath [touched/struck] me.

Job 19:22 Why do ye persecute me [as/like] God,
and are not [satisfied/satiated] with my flesh?

Job 19 Summary of Verses 23-24

Words Immortalized in Writing | Job 19:23-24

But since no one – neither God nor his friends – seems to be listening to and sympathizing with Job, he goes on to express a desire for his words and arguments concerning his personal innocence to be immortalized in writing – verses 23 and 24…

Job 19:23 Oh that my words were now written!
oh that they were printed [in a book/on a scroll]! {they are now, but he wants more than that…}

Job 19:24 That they were [graven/engraved] with an iron [pen/stylus/chisel] and [i.e., with…] lead in [the/a] rock for ever!

So, Job doesn’t want his words written merely with ink and parchment. He wants them inscribed with metal onto a rock.

Why?… So that they’re there forever.

Job 19 Summary of Verses 25-27

Job will see God | Job 19:25-27

Because Job envisions a time when he will one day see God.

And I think the idea is that he’d like to be able to present God with this permanent record of all the reasons why he shouldn’t be punishing Job – when Job sees his redeemer face to face and everything is made right with him – verses 25-27…

Job 19:25 [For/As for me] I know that my redeemer liveth,
and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

Job 19:26 And [though after my skin worms destroy this body/even after my skin is destroyed],
yet in my flesh shall I see God:

Job 19:27 Whom I shall see for myself,
and mine eyes shall behold, and not another;

though my [reins/heart] [be consumed/grows faint/faints] within me.

So, this is a remarkable statement. Job says that he will die. But he knows that God lives and will literally stand on the earth in the last days. And at that point, Job – though he died – will see God in his own body.

And no doubt this shows a great deal of faith on the part of Job – to utter such hopeful words.

How did Job know that this was going to happen? Who told him?

Perhaps Job had heard the prophesy of the man Enoch who was seven generations after Adam’s creation. As the New Testament book of Jude references – this man had prophesied as follows: “Behold, the Lord cometh…” (Jude 14). The Lord’s coming has been anticipated on this earth since at least that point.

And where that truth for believers is a great joy, for Job it’s a relief. But I think he’s relieved at this thought of God’s coming to earth – because he thinks that he’ll be able to see God and plead his case before him to the effect that he’s not guilty and not deserving of punishment – as he’s apparently been receiving from this God whose return to earth is certain.

Job 19 Summary of Verses 28-29

Stop persecuting me | Job 19:28-29

And armed with this confidence that Job will one day see God and everything will be made right, Job threatens his friends and urges them to stop persecuting him – verses 28 and 29 to end the chapter…

Job 19:28 But [ye should/should (or if) ye] say,

[Why/How will] [persecute we/we pursue] him,
[seeing/since] the root of the [matter/trouble] is found in [me/him]? {i.e., since he’s to blame for his suffering…}

Job 19:29 Be ye afraid of the sword:
for wrath bringeth the punishments [of/by] the sword,
that ye may know there is a judgment.

And that threat could be Job saying that God will deal with these men by bringing them to a violent end – or maybe Job has gotten to the point where he himself is threatening violence against them for their untrue and unjust accusations against him.

Either way, it’s quite an ending to his speech.