Job 6:13
Is there any help within me now that success is driven from me?
Is there any help
The phrase "Is there any help" reflects Job's deep introspection and sense of helplessness. The Hebrew word for "help" here is "עֶזְרָה" (ezrah), which denotes assistance or support. In the context of Job's suffering, this question underscores his feeling of abandonment and the absence of any human or divine aid. Historically, Job's lament is set in a time when divine favor was often equated with material success and health. Job's rhetorical question highlights his isolation and the perceived withdrawal of God's support, a theme that resonates throughout the book.

within me
The phrase "within me" suggests an introspective search for strength or resources. The Hebrew word "בִּי" (bi) indicates an inward focus, emphasizing Job's internal struggle. In the ancient Near Eastern context, personal strength and resilience were often seen as gifts from the divine. Job's questioning of his own inner resources reflects his profound despair and the spiritual crisis he faces, as he feels devoid of any internal or external support.

now that success
"Now that success" points to a pivotal change in Job's circumstances. The Hebrew word for "success" is "תּוּשִׁיָּה" (tushiyyah), which can mean wisdom, soundness, or success. This term implies not just material prosperity but also a sense of well-being and divine favor. Job's reference to the loss of success marks a transition from a state of blessing to one of suffering, highlighting the dramatic reversal of his fortunes and the theological implications of such a change.

is driven from me
The phrase "is driven from me" conveys a sense of forceful removal or expulsion. The Hebrew verb "נִדְחָה" (nidchah) suggests being cast away or banished. This imagery evokes the idea of success being forcibly taken away, emphasizing the abrupt and violent nature of Job's losses. In the broader scriptural context, this reflects the theme of divine testing and the mysterious ways in which God allows suffering. Job's lament here is not just about personal loss but also about the perceived absence of God's justice and presence in his life.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Job
A man described as blameless and upright, who feared God and shunned evil. He is the central figure in the Book of Job, experiencing immense suffering and loss.

2. Uz
The land where Job lived. It is often associated with the region east of Israel, though its exact location is uncertain.

3. Job's Suffering
The context of this verse is Job's lamentation over his suffering, having lost his wealth, children, and health.
Teaching Points
Acknowledging Human Limitations
Job's question highlights the reality of human frailty. We must recognize our limitations and the need for divine strength.

Dependence on God
In times of distress, believers are encouraged to rely on God rather than their own abilities, as human strength is often insufficient.

The Role of Faith in Suffering
Job's lamentation invites believers to explore the role of faith during trials, understanding that faith does not eliminate suffering but provides a framework for enduring it.

The Search for Meaning
Job's experience encourages believers to seek God's purpose in their suffering, trusting that God is sovereign even when circumstances are dire.

Community Support
Job's isolation in his suffering reminds us of the importance of community and support from fellow believers during difficult times.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Job's expression of helplessness in Job 6:13 resonate with your own experiences of feeling overwhelmed or unsupported?

2. In what ways can Psalm 121 provide comfort and assurance when you feel that "success is driven from you"?

3. How can Paul's message in 2 Corinthians 12:9 about God's grace being sufficient help you reframe your understanding of personal strength and divine support?

4. Reflect on a time when you felt your own strength was insufficient. How did you experience God's provision or presence during that time?

5. How can the church community play a role in supporting individuals who, like Job, feel that they have no help within themselves? What practical steps can you take to be a source of support for others?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 121
This Psalm speaks of looking to the Lord for help, contrasting Job's feeling of helplessness with the assurance of divine assistance.

2 Corinthians 12:9
Paul speaks of God's grace being sufficient, which can be seen as a New Testament parallel to Job's struggle with understanding his own strength and God's role in his suffering.

Isaiah 40:29-31
These verses speak of God giving strength to the weary, offering hope and a reminder of divine support even when personal strength fails.
A True Estimate of Grief Under the Severities of AfflictionR. Green Job 6:1-13
The Sufferer's Self-JustificationE. Johnson Job 6:1-13
Job's Answer to EliphazJ. Parker, D. D.Job 6:1-30
Job's First ReplyRobert A. Watson, D. D.Job 6:1-30
Job's Great SufferingHomilistJob 6:1-30
People
Job, Tema
Places
Sheba, Tema, Uz
Topics
Completely, Deliverance, Driven, Isn't, Myself, Quite, Resource, Soundness, Substance, Success, Truth, Wisdom, Within
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Job 6:1-13

     5945   self-pity

Job 6:11-13

     5457   power, human

Library
July 12 Evening
Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.--HEB. 10:24. How forcible are right words!--I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance. They that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.--If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

Of Sufferings
Of Sufferings Be patient under all the sufferings which God is pleased to send you: if your love to Him be pure, you will not seek Him less on Calvary, than on Tabor; and, surely, He should be as much loved on that as on this, since it was on Calvary He made the greater display of His Love for you. Be not like those, who give themselves to Him at one season, and withdraw from Him at another: they give themselves only to be caressed; and wrest themselves back again, when they come to be crucified,
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of Prayer

"Now the God of Hope Fill You with all Joy and Peace in Believing," &C.
Rom. xv. 13.--"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing," &c. It is usual for the Lord in his word to turn his precepts unto promises, which shows us, that the commandments of God do not so much import an ability in us, or suppose strength to fulfil them, as declare that obligation which lies upon us, and his purpose and intention to accomplish in some, what he requires of all: and therefore we should accordingly convert all his precepts unto prayers, seeing he hath made
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

"Thou Shall Keep Him in Perfect Peace, Whose Mind is Stayed on Thee, Because He Trusteth in Thee. "
Isaiah xxvi. 3.--"Thou shall keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee." Christ hath left us his peace, as the great and comprehensive legacy, "My peace I leave you," John xiv. 27. And this was not peace in the world that he enjoyed; you know what his life was, a continual warfare; but a peace above the world, that passeth understanding. "In the world you shall have trouble, but in me you shall have peace," saith Christ,--a peace that shall make trouble
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Holiness of God
The next attribute is God's holiness. Exod 15:51. Glorious in holiness.' Holiness is the most sparkling jewel of his crown; it is the name by which God is known. Psa 111:1. Holy and reverend is his name.' He is the holy One.' Job 6:60. Seraphims cry, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory.' Isa 6:6. His power makes him mighty, his holiness makes him glorious. God's holiness consists in his perfect love of righteousness, and abhorrence of evil. Of purer eyes than
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

The Sinner Stripped of his Vain Pleas.
1, 2. The vanity of those pleas which sinners may secretly confide in, is so apparent that they will be ashamed at last to mention them before God.--3. Such as, that they descended from pious us parents.--4. That they had attended to the speculative part of religion.--5. That they had entertained sound notion..--6, 7. That they had expressed a zealous regard to religion, and attended the outward forms of worship with those they apprehended the purest churches.--8. That they had been free from gross
Philip Doddridge—The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul

Joy
'The fruit of the Spirit is joy.' Gal 5:52. The third fruit of justification, adoption, and sanctification, is joy in the Holy Ghost. Joy is setting the soul upon the top of a pinnacle - it is the cream of the sincere milk of the word. Spiritual joy is a sweet and delightful passion, arising from the apprehension and feeling of some good, whereby the soul is supported under present troubles, and fenced against future fear. I. It is a delightful passion. It is contrary to sorrow, which is a perturbation
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

A Solemn Address to those who Will not be Persuaded to Fall in with the Design of the Gospel.
1. Universal success not to be expected.--2-4. Yet, as unwilling absolutely to give up any, the author addresses thou who doubt the truth of Christianity, urging an inquiry into its evidences, and directing to prayer methods for that purpose.--5 Those who determine to give it up without further examination.--6. And presume to set themselves to oppose it.--7, 8. Those who speculatively assent to Christianity as true, and yet will sit down without any practical regard to its most important and acknowledged
Philip Doddridge—The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul

"And we all do Fade as a Leaf, and Our Iniquities, Like the Wind, have Taken us Away. "
Isaiah lxiv. 6.--"And we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Here they join the punishment with the deserving cause, their uncleanness and their iniquities, and so take it upon them, and subscribe to the righteousness of God's dealing. We would say this much in general--First, Nobody needeth to quarrel God for his dealing. He will always be justified when he is judged. If the Lord deal more sharply with you than with others, you may judge there is a difference
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Job
The book of Job is one of the great masterpieces of the world's literature, if not indeed the greatest. The author was a man of superb literary genius, and of rich, daring, and original mind. The problem with which he deals is one of inexhaustible interest, and his treatment of it is everywhere characterized by a psychological insight, an intellectual courage, and a fertility and brilliance of resource which are nothing less than astonishing. Opinion has been divided as to how the book should be
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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