Lecture 3 — Job laments his terrible destiny

^7:11^ For this reason, I will not refrain from speaking; in the trouble of my spirit I will speak; I will talk in the bitterness of my soul.

^7:12^ Am I the sea or a whale that you surround me to lock me up?

^7:13^ If I say, ‘My bed will comfort me; I will be relieved by talking to myself, on my couch,

^7:14^ then you will frighten me with dreams; and terrify me with visions.

^7:15^ This is why my soul has chosen hanging, and my bones death.

^7:16^ I have despaired; I will not live longer to any purpose.

130. For this reason, I will not refrain from speaking. After Job showed by arguments that the consolation of Eliphaz, promising earthly prosperity, was inconsistent, he now shows the same thing by deducing arguments of unfittingness, because if he should rely on that consolation which had been given to him from the hope of earthly prosperity by Eliphaz, as has been shown, it would follow that it would be necessary for him to still remain in sadness, to utter words of sorrow, and to despair entirely. This is because Eliphaz’s hope is frivolous. He concludes therefore, as though arguing against this proposition, for this reason, because to hope in earthly prosperity is vain, as has been shown. Moreover, you have nothing else with which you console me, and therefore, I, as if destitute of consolation, will not refrain from speaking, but rather, I will speak words of lamentation which my mind suggests. He continues, in the anguish of my spirit, I will speak, that is, as the trouble which I suffer impels my spirit to speak. Not only does he suffer exterior trouble, but also interior sadness conceived from it. So he continues, I will talk in the bitterness of my soul, for I will speak vain and almost incredible words as the bitterness of my soul will supply me.

131. Among other things which embittered men usually discuss together, they are accustomed especially to search for the causes of their bitterness, because there is hardly an embittered man who does not seem in his own mind to have been afflicted, either very unjustly or more than is just. So Job, playing the part of an embittered man, inquires as to the cause of his affliction, saying, am I the sea, or a whale that you surround me to lock me up? Note here that the providence of God works in one way for rational creatures, and in another way for irrational creatures. Rational creatures merit or demerit because of free will. Because of this, rewards and punishments are due to them. Irrational creatures, however, neither merit rewards nor incur punishments, since they do not have free will. God, however, acts in their regard to increase or restrict them on the basis of what is due to the good of the universe. From this economy, God constricts the sea so that it does not occupy the whole surface of the earth, to make the earth a place for animals and the things born on land. In a similar way he constricts the whale to remain in the ocean rather than in the seas, because if he were in the other seas, he could harm someone. Job, therefore, seeks to know if there is some explanation for his affliction, like the confining of the sea and the whale; namely, that he is not afflicted because of some lack of merit, but on account of some usefulness to others because of it.

132. He says that he has been surrounded to be locked up in the sense that he had been so burdened by trial that no liberation or consolation lay open to him on any side. Consequently, he proves next that he is deprived of those remedies which ordinarily console the afflicted. One is sleep, for sorrow is mitigated after sleep. To note this he says, if I say: my bed will comfort me, in the time of sleep. Another remedy is the consolation wise men give themselves by the deliberation of reason. He touches this cure when he says, I will be relieved, from the oppression of sadness, by talking to myself, by the deliberation of reason, on my couch. For when wise men are alone, removed from the distraction of men and commerce, they can speak more within themselves, thinking something through according to reason. These cures too could not help him, because at the time when he should have used these remedies, other impediments like terrible dreams and horrible visions were present in him which disturbed him. To express this he continues, then you will frighten me with dreams, which appear to one when sleeping, and with visions, which appear to the one awake who has lost the use of his exterior senses; you will terrify me. Images at night are usually formed by thoughts experienced during the day, and so, because Job thought about sad things during the day, he was disturbed at night by similar images. For the weakness of the body contributes to the fact that people experience disturbing images when sleeping.

133. So, then, when consolation is refused me from every side, and no way but death remains for me to escape so many anguishes, I therefore prefer death, however abject, to such a painful life. He then expresses this, saying, this is why my soul has chosen hanging. Lest someone should think that this decision comes from some thought opposed by stronger thoughts, he insists there is nothing in him so strong that it does not desire death. So he says, my bones have chosen death. For bones in Scripture usually mean what is strong in man. He shows why he chooses this, saying, I have despaired, namely, I have lost the hope which you gave me that I might enjoy earthly prosperity. He shows why he despaired, adding, I will not live longer to any purpose. Two things can be understood, which he had posited above in this statement (Job 7:6): that the greater time of his life had already passed away, and that he does not return after this life to the same life which he lived on earth. This unfitting conclusion is the result of the consolation of Eliphaz for Job himself and would lead him to despair, choose death, and have no way to curb sorrow.