The first eight verses of Job 30 are startling in their assessment of some of the people Job knew over the course of his life. The people he described sound like some of the people we see living on the streets and at the edges of our big cities these days, people who have run out of resources, who are homeless and find shelter wherever they can. Sometimes they’re noisy and create a commotion.

Most of us have compassion for these people. Our cities try to get them into homes and help them find work so they can support themselves. We want them to be well and safe and have the opportunity to be productive citizens again.

But Job was harsh in his assessment of some of these down-and-out people. We might be alarmed by some of his words, but I notice God didn’t rebuke Job for what he said. God saw what Job saw.

Prejudice or Discernment?

We should have compassion for people who fall on hard times. When people go through tough seasons in life we need to be ready to help them. Job did that. All of his life he helped the poor and needy; it’s what he was known for in his community. So was Job just prejudiced against certain people he didn’t like, or did he have some kind of discernment that we can learn from?

King David had some strong words for certain people, too. In Psalm 14:1-4 he wrote,

“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.

The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good not even one. Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the Lord.”

 Jesus was also a keen observer of people. He used the analogy of a fruit tree to explain the difference between good and bad character in people

“Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit . . . thus by their fruit you will know them.” Matthew 7:17-20

We need to be good “fruit inspectors”, so we can know the character of people we deal with in life.

What Job Saw

Job’s long experience with people made him discerning. There were two things he observed in the lives of people he didn’t want to associate with.

First, they had used their lives for pursuits that impoverished them, body and soul. They used up resources and weren’t willing to work to replace them. They lived miserable lives as a result of sin, but did nothing to get right with God. They hated people who were better off than they were, but they didn’t want to do the things that led to that good life.

Second, these people passed their wicked ways onto their children. When the word of Job’s predicament got out, it seems a crowd gathered to watch, and among them were the children of people who hated Job. These were people who didn’t get what they wanted from him in the past and now they reveled in his misfortunes. They thought Job deserved to suffer.

Called to Be Discerning

How did Job justify his response to these people?

On one hand, God’s people are called to love others and be kind, on the other hand, we are called to be discerning. Job lived his entire life that way. He was open-handed to the poor he could help, but there were times when he closed his hand to those who wasted what they received on a life of sin. His careful discrimination put him at risk because the people he said “no” to held grudges against him. Their children came in like a pack of dogs when he was vulnerable.

“They detest me and keep their distance; they do not hesitate to spit in my face. Now that God has unstrung my bow and afflicted me, they throw off restraint in my presence . . . They advance as through a gaping breach; amid the ruins they come rolling in.” Job 30:10-11, 14

Job’s suffering included the taunts of his enemies. He had lost his personal defenses, his wealth, the boundaries of his property and his loyal servants. He was vulnerable, but God did not let these antagonists touch him. All they could do was stand at a distance and spit at him.

Two Observations

In Job 30:20-21 Job makes two observations, one that is true and one that is a misconception.

“I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer; I stand up, but you merely look at me. You turn on me ruthlessly; with the might of your hand you attack me.”

 Job was correct that God was not answering him yet, and that God was watching him, but he was wrong to think that God was attacking him. Satan had attacked Job and now there were people assailing him with their words, but he was not under attack from God.

Job Takes Stock

People take stock of their lives when they suffer. In chapter 31 Job combed through his life one more time looking for unconfessed sin. Everything he reviewed seemed to point to the fact that he had done his best. He was done with his defense arguments. It was God’s turn to answer.

“Oh, that I had someone to hear me! I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me; let my accuser put his indictment in writing. Job 31:35

The Central Lesson of Job’s Story

Ray Stedman says that we have now arrived at the most important lesson in the book of Job: Our self-defense arguments do not move God. Job was a good man, but as long as he defended himself, God remained silent. While Job was talking, he was so full of his own thoughts he wasn’t ready to listen to God.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3).

Stedman refers to this poverty of spirit as reaching the end of our arguments and no longer defending ourselves. We can never convince God that we are good; he knows us too well. However, we can show him that we want his will for our lives and we do that by listening to him.

Taking Stock Takes a While

In my experience it takes a while to get to the end of oneself. We seem to need to talk ourselves into it, processing our feelings and perceptions until there is nothing left to say. God is patient with that process and he doesn’t hurry us. He keeps listening until we finish. It’s as if he asks, “Are you done now? May I speak?”

Job has signed his final statement and fallen silent. Next we will hear from Elihu, a young man who brings fresh insights to Job and his three other friends. Then God will have the last word and we will finally learn what he thinks.