How does Job 7:13 reflect Job's struggle with finding comfort in sleep? Job 7 : 13 – The Line in Focus “When I think, ‘My bed will comfort me, my couch will ease my complaint,’ ” What Job Expected from Sleep - Bed and couch were the customary places of rest—symbols of safety, relief, and privacy. - Job anticipates that lying down will: • “comfort” (“nacham” – to console, soothe sorrow) • “ease” (“nasa” – lift, carry away) his “complaint” (groaning, anguished protest). Why the Comfort Never Comes (vv. 14-16) - God allows terrifying dreams: “then You frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions” (v. 14). - Sleepless dread makes life feel worse than death: “I would choose strangling and death rather than my bones” (v. 15). - The very gift designed for renewal is withheld, intensifying Job’s sense of abandonment. Layers of Job’s Struggle Reflected in the Verse 1. Physical exhaustion – Pain-racked body longs for the most basic relief (cf. Job 2 : 7). 2. Emotional depletion – Hope that at least at night the lament might pause (cf. Psalm 6 : 6-7). 3. Spiritual perplexity – Belief in God’s sovereignty makes the nightmare feel divinely orchestrated (cf. Lamentations 3 : 7-8). Scripture Echoes on Sleep and Suffering - Rest as a divine gift: “He gives sleep to His beloved” (Psalm 127 : 2). - Sleepless nights under affliction: “My eye will not close in sleep” (Psalm 77 : 4). - Cry of the righteous in distress: “How long, LORD?” (Psalm 13 : 1-3). What the Verse Teaches About Deep Trials - Even natural remedies fail when the Lord permits severe testing. - Loss of restorative sleep magnifies every other sorrow. - Honest lament is permitted; Job’s words are recorded without censure. - God’s eventual response (Job 38-42) proves He was listening all along. Encouragement Drawn from Job’s Experience - Scripture validates the believer’s agony and sleepless nights. - The absence of comfort does not equal the absence of God; purpose often precedes understanding (Romans 8 : 28). - Ultimate rest is secured in the Redeemer, foreshadowed by Job’s own confession: “I know that my Redeemer lives” (Job 19 : 25). |
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