How long? is a question usually asked by those enduring hardship but look for relief. It is a question that David often asked the Lord: “How long will you forget me, O Lord… forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” (Psalm 13:1). “Lord, how long will you look on? (Psalm 35:17; cp. 63:3; 74:10; 79:5; 80:4; 89:46; 90:13 etc.). How long? is a question that cries out for mercy. Job used it, while speaking with the Lord in Job 7:19. He asked him how long he intended to afflict him, even to the point, where he had no relief from pain in the time it took for him to swallow his spittle! Bildad also used the question, twice: once in his first speech (Job 8:2) and the second in his second (Job 18:2). Both times he wondered when Job would end his speaking. So, with Bildad it had more to do with a lack of patience with Job’s defense than with any pain he had to endure. Nevertheless, Job was deeply hurt over the reaction his friends had over his calamity, and he claimed that they have misinterpreted what the Lord had done to him.
Job began his second reply to Bildad by repeating his own opening question in both his speeches (Job 8:2; 18:2). Job asked him how long Bildad intended to grieve him and bruise him with words (Job 19:2). Nevertheless, as he had done in all his previous replies, Job turned from addressing a single friend to addressing all three at once, saying: “These ten times[1] you have reproached me, you aren’t even ashamed that you make yourselves strange to me!” (Job 19:3). It is astonishing, when one pauses to think and consider, how one’s religion often causes one to treat others badly. We feel threatened by our friend or by an acquaintance at the slightest expression of disrespect shown toward what we believe.
The friends’ theology was threatened by Job’s condition. For all intents and purposes, Job was a righteous man, but he couldn’t be, if their theology was correct. According to their worldview, vis-à-vis their scheme of world rule, what had happened to their friend couldn’t have occurred, if he was a righteous man! Therefore, they felt compelled to make that fact known to Job, no matter how much it hurt him in their doing so.
In a modern context, one might express this as follows. One’s friend is an atheist, but a good, moral, family man, a person who wouldn’t hurt anyone. He is slain by a man who was in trouble with the law nearly all his life. He had murdered more than once, but this time he gets the death penalty for his crime. On the evening of his execution, only hours before he would, himself, be dead, he turns to Christ. Many would claim God would be merciful to the criminal, but not to the atheist who was slain by the criminal. Where’s the justice in that? Where’s the compassion? …the grace …the mercy of God in such circumstances? On the other hand, we need to keep in mind that this manner of understanding life represents one’s own scheme of world rule! It is what works, according to us. It is **our** theology that demands this kind of thing. The question is, do we, who embrace such theology, have it right? Is this what the word of God actually says? The friends thought they had it right, but in the end, they had come to realize they were wrong.
Job tells his friends: Look! I have hurt no one through my theology. If I am wrong, who have I hurt but myself (Job 19:4)? I haven’t hurt you; why, then, do you hurt me (cp. verse-3)? He goes on to say (paraphrased): “If you continue to use my suffering against me, to claim I am a wicked man, by becoming my judge, consider what kind of God you defend. Indeed, he has overthrown me and has compassed me about with a net. Why has he done this? By being my judge, understand that you are condemning me, as though your claims are his” (Job 19:5-6). Job continues (again, paraphrased): “I cry out as one who has been wronged. Whatever the reason for the Lord’s treatment of me, it is not according to the manner in which I’ve been judged by you. I cry out, but you don’t hear me; you continue to act as my judges (Job 19:7). How long will you continue to do so? You better be correct, for you claim to speak for God!”
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[1] Job says his friends reproached him “ten times” but actually there were only five speeches by his three friends. The word ten is often used as a Hebraism to denote many: Genesis 31:7; Leviticus 26:26; Numbers 14:22; Nehemiah 4:12; Daniel 1:20.
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