but ceasing in the dry season and vanishing from their channels in the heat. but ceasesThe Hebrew root for "ceases" is "chadal," which conveys the idea of stopping or coming to an end. In the context of Job's lament, this word reflects the transient nature of human support and comfort. Just as a stream may cease to flow, so too can the reliability of friends and allies falter in times of need. This imagery serves as a poignant reminder of the impermanence of earthly assurances, urging believers to place their ultimate trust in God, who is unchanging and eternal. in dry weather
The phrase "in dry weather" uses the Hebrew word "qorach," which refers to drought or arid conditions. This imagery is powerful in the ancient Near Eastern context, where water was a precious and often scarce resource. The dry weather symbolizes times of trial and adversity, when the true nature of one's faith and the loyalty of friends are tested. For the believer, this serves as a metaphor for spiritual dryness, encouraging a deeper reliance on God during seasons of spiritual drought. it vanishes
The word "vanishes" comes from the Hebrew "natsal," meaning to be snatched away or disappear. This conveys the suddenness and unpredictability of life's challenges and the fleeting nature of human solutions. In Job's experience, the vanishing stream represents the disappointment of unmet expectations and the fragility of human promises. This calls Christians to reflect on the steadfastness of God's promises, which unlike the vanishing stream, remain constant and reliable. from its channel
The term "channel" is derived from the Hebrew "nachal," which refers to a stream bed or ravine. In the ancient world, these channels were vital for sustaining life, providing water for agriculture and daily living. The image of a dry channel evokes a sense of emptiness and unfulfilled potential. Spiritually, it challenges believers to consider the channels of their own lives—are they filled with the living water of God's presence, or are they dry and barren due to neglect or sin? in the heat
The phrase "in the heat" uses the Hebrew "chom," indicating intense heat or scorching conditions. This represents the pressures and trials that can cause one's faith to waver. The heat is a metaphor for the refining process, where impurities are burned away, and true character is revealed. For Christians, this is a call to endure through the heat of life's challenges, trusting that God uses these experiences to purify and strengthen their faith, much like gold refined in the fire. Persons / Places / Events 1. JobA man described as blameless and upright, who feared God and shunned evil. He is the central figure in the Book of Job, experiencing intense suffering and questioning the reasons behind it. 2. Eliphaz, Bildad, and ZopharJob's three friends who come to comfort him but end up engaging in a series of dialogues, often accusing Job of wrongdoing as the cause of his suffering. 3. The Land of UzThe setting of the Book of Job, traditionally considered to be in the region of Edom or northern Arabia. 4. The Dry StreambedsMetaphorically referenced in Job 6:17, representing unreliable sources of comfort or support that disappear when most needed. 5. The Trials of JobThe series of calamities that befall Job, including loss of wealth, family, and health, serving as the backdrop for the discussions on suffering and divine justice. Teaching Points The Nature of Human SupportHuman support can often be unreliable, like streams that dry up. We should be cautious in placing our ultimate trust in people rather than God. The Importance of FaithfulnessJust as streams should provide water, we are called to be faithful and reliable in our relationships, especially in times of need. God as the Ultimate Source of ComfortUnlike the disappearing streams, God is a constant source of comfort and strength. We should turn to Him in times of trouble. Understanding SufferingJob's experience teaches us that suffering is not always a result of personal sin. It challenges us to trust in God's wisdom and sovereignty. The Role of Friends in SufferingJob's friends initially came to comfort him but ended up being a source of distress. This reminds us to be compassionate and understanding when supporting others in their trials. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the metaphor of the dry streambeds in Job 6:17 relate to the reliability of human support in your life? 2. In what ways can you ensure that you are a reliable source of support for others, especially during their times of need? 3. How does the theme of unreliable support in Job 6:17 connect with the teachings in Proverbs 25:19? 4. Reflect on a time when you felt like the streams in your life had dried up. How did you experience God's presence during that time? 5. How can the account of Job and his friends inform the way you approach comforting someone who is suffering? Connections to Other Scriptures Psalm 1Contrasts the righteous man, who is like a tree planted by streams of water, with the wicked, who are like chaff. This highlights the theme of reliability and steadfastness versus unreliability. Proverbs 25:19Speaks of the unreliability of a faithless person in times of trouble, similar to the dry streambeds in Job 6:17. Isaiah 58:11Describes the Lord as a continual guide, satisfying needs in scorched places, contrasting with the vanishing streams in Job. People Job, TemaPlaces Sheba, Tema, UzTopics Affecteth, Burning, Channels, Consumed, Cut, Diminish, Disappear, Dried, Dry, Extinguished, Flow, Heat, Hot, Nothing, Season, Silent, Vanish, Warm, Waterless, WaxDictionary of Bible Themes Job 6:17 4970 seasons, of year Job 6:14-17 5692 friends, bad
8841 unfaithfulness, to people Job 6:14-18 5963 sympathy Job 6:15-17 4260 rivers and streams Job 6:15-20 5590 travel Job 6:15-21 5407 merchants 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 PathOf 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 Links Job 6:17 NIVJob 6:17 NLTJob 6:17 ESVJob 6:17 NASBJob 6:17 KJV
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