Job is hard to look at. If Dr. Mayhew is correct, Job is suffering from an extremely advanced form of Leprosy, which distorts one’s appearance so that they become grotesque and often unrecognizable, as was the case with Job. He’s repulsive, and it’s difficult to maintain eye contact with him. Being unable to do that, Job’s friends resort to an intellectual debate over the cause of his situation rather than ministering to Job amid his suffering. Job answers, “Do you think your words are convincing when you disregard my cry of desperation?” Job is crying out for help, comfort, and support in chapter three from the pit of despair. His friends stand around the edge of the pit and talk about how Job got into the pit in the first place when what he needs is help at the moment. It’s like the blind man who cried out for Jesus. The disciples told him to be quiet. He was making a scene. They were unconcerned about his plight. There was no compassion.
Finally, Job shouts, “Look at me!” But they don’t want to. He’s too repulsive. He’s too hard to look at. He wanted them to see his suffering, acknowledge his pain, and empathize with his situation. He knew if they would open their hearts and then their eyes, they would recognize his need is not intellectual debate but compassion and comfort. But he gets none!
We know that Job was “righteous” in God’s estimation because we are told that at the beginning of the book. We sympathize with Job because we are convinced of his innocence. But it’s not only the innocent that need compassion and comfort. Israel as a nation was suffering in unimaginably repulsive ways. Unlike Job, they brought suffering to themselves because of their rebellion and disobedience to God. But Isaiah doesn’t focus on cause-effect reasoning but tells them that there will come a great comforter who will be their Messiah. Isaiah writes what this Messiah will do and say. “Comfort, comfort ye, my people. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and tell her that her iniquity is pardoned.” (Isaiah 40:1-2) In his innocent suffering, Job needed comfort. In Israel’s guilty suffering, they needed compassion and comfort. We sometimes suffer for no rational reason. Sometimes, we suffer because we’ve brought it on ourselves. In both cases, we need the deliverer. Jesus is our deliverer and Messiah. He will come and sit next to us in the pit of despair. The “man of sorrows” who is “well acquainted with grief” will take our hand in his own nail-pierced hands and comfort us in our pain, and He will lift us out of the pit of despair.