Oh my goodness. Job’s despair is palpable in these two chapters, isn’t it? His physical pain is unbearable, but that’s only part of the pain he is suffering. His spirit is broken, too.
He had to sit and listen as his so-called friend said that he must have done something to deserve the calamities that have befallen him, and in the words we read today, he shows that he feels as if he has become a target for God’s wrath. Remember Jesus’ words on the cross? “My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?” Such hopelessness and utter despair.
Remember how God described Job? As blameless and upright? In his despair, Job confesses his sin. As Paul said in Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Of course, Job was human and therefor imperfect. But remember, God looks at the heart of man, and he saw Job as a man who’s faith was in the redeeming power of God. As yet, the Messiah had not come, nor had He yet been prophesied, but Job had faith in God’s perfect plan.
A while back, I had the pleasure of interviewing my friend, Kenny Metcalf. Kenny was the keyboard player for the band Stryper back in the 80s. As a matter of fact, he was the guy who shared the Gospel with the members of the band and brought them to Christ.
A few years after he left the band, Kenny was stricken with an autoimmune disease that caused sores all over his body, literally from the top of his head to the bottoms of his feet. He truly had a Job-like experience.
In the interview, we talked about his early life, how he knew the guys who would become the band Stryper, his touring with the band, his disease, how he praised God even as he was near death, and how God healed him.
If you would like to hear the interview, just go to kenny.lifespringmedia.com. It’s a podcast, so you can listen on the website or download it to your device.
I also videotaped the interview, and have much of it on YouTube.
The Kenny Metcalf Interview on the Lifespring! Podcast is here.