Job 10-14

Job 10

Job thinks his death is imminent. He questions why God brought him into the world at all if only to suffer. Job wishes he had died as an infant.

Job 11

Job's friend Zophar speaks. Zophar has a similar perspective to Job's other friends. Zophar urges Job to repent of his sins before God because God is obviously punishing Job. Zophar believes that Job will receive protection and freedom from fear and misery if only Job repents.

Job 12-14

Job again asserts his innocence before God and his three friends. He is frustrated with having to justify himself to his friends when he is already in this state of weakness and misery. He calls his friends liars and says it would be better if they did not say anything at all.

Job talks about the power of God, that God is far more powerful than humans. Job's logic and examples of God's power seem to suggest that he believes that God is the one that struck him down.

In chapters 13-14, Job pleads with God to show him how he sinned and what he did wrong. This perspective actually incorporates the logic of his three friends, that somehow Job did something to deserve. Alternatively, Job is asking for proof from God that Job is innocent.

In 14:14, Job asks if the dead can live again. If they do, this would give Job hope and he would eagerly await death. This is interesting on several levels. First, he has already stated that he wanted to die and did not qualify it with a discussion about a potential afterlife. So, he might be flip-flopping. Second, what exactly is Job's belief of the afterlife? At this point, it is unclear. I would say something similar about Solomon's ideas from Ecclesiastes. Neither Job nor Solomon seem to assume their is an afterlife.