The Patience Of Job (Really?)

“I cry to you, O God, but you don’t answer. I stand before you, but you don’t even look. [Job 30.20]

All my life I have heard of "the patience of Job." But, you know what? Job might have appeared righteously patient in the first couple of things he said, but seven days after his friends came along, Job's patience seems to have vanished into a torrent of argumentative words and accusations. This started in Job chapter 3.

At last Job spoke, and he cursed the day of his birth. [Job 3.1]

So really, "the patience of Job" is a misnomer as far as the whole of the story goes. Job's story is no lesson in patience at all! If anything, Job's story displays an example of the very opposite of patience.

In most cases, mine in particular, impatience might not be evident until I open my mouth. It's when 'at last I speak' the reality of the impatience within me is revealed. And, far too much like Job, when I open my mouth, the pity party begins like that of a spoiled impatient entitled child.

Here is another observation. Neither Job's wife nor his friends really helped the situation. What I see in this, rather than making accusations against Job's wife and friends, is that every man has to deal with patience alone between himself and God ...and this is probably best done in concentrated worship, which brings up another observation... 

Was Job's seven days of silence a good thing or a bad thing? I am going to speculate, based on what immediately followed Job's silence, that his silence, instead of worshiping through his suffering, was an incubation time for impatience. Instead of humbly seeking repentance before Holy God in that seven days, Job's thoughts must have become proud. I know from experience that unchecked pride, given enough time in silence, festers into words no one should say!

This is where God's earlier discussions with Satan (chapters 1 & 2) might be better understood. God never asked anyone a question He did not already know the answer to. So, when Satan came as a 'report' to God, he was evidently not paying a bit of attention to Job. It was only after God's questions to Satan that he finally realized (and even said it) that Job would 'fold' once the actual pain began. God already knew this even though He had declared Job innocent for all that could be seen on the surface. Even though God acknowledged what all could see, that Job was upright in all his ways, God also called Satan to account for Job because Satan himself could not see into Job's soul and had evidently stopped 'whispering in Job's ear' - at least until that seven days of silence began! Job then, like so many of us today, stopped worshiping, started 'thinking' and that's where Satan's lies and deception began to encourage Job's pride, self-pity, and foolish talk.

Yes, Job was a lot of things, but patient was not one of them!

Father, I am appalled at how much of myself I see in Job. Oh, please forgive me for my impatience that is driven by pride and self-pity and then revealed in my foolish words. Every hardship I have ever encountered is totally justified - so as I consider this, may my focus be faithfully and patiently upon Jesus as my Redeemer, Advocate, Healer, and Justifier!