Big Idea: In a situation that seems hopeless, Job maintains a ray of hope in God.
Understanding the Text
In chapter 19, Job responds to Bildad’s second speech. Job uses a mixture of lament and legal language to express how abandoned he feels by his friends (19:1–6), by God (19:7–12), and by the full range of people in his community (19:13–19). In the final verses of the chapter, Job pleads with his friends for compassion (19:20–22), he articulates his hope for a redeemer to take up his cause (19:23–27), and he warns his friends that they will have to face God’s judgment (19:28–29). Job does express some faint hope in God, even though his predominant emotion at this time is hopelessness. Only after Yahweh speaks to him in chapters 38–41 will Job’s hope find its fulfillment.
Historical an…