Job 16:6

6 Though I speak [dabar], my grief [ka'eb] is not asswaged [chasak]: and though I forbear [chadal], what am I eased [halak]? KJV-Interlinear

6 'If I speak, my pain is not lessened, And if I hold back, what has left me? NASB

You have probably heard the phrase, 'Damned if you do and damned if you don't.' That phrase applies to relationships with people.

No matter what you do, you are still guilty of something. And here Job applies this logic to his friends.

Recall that in the first week of their visit, everyone was silent. Job said nothing, they said nothing. The only one who probably said anything was Jobs wife, as she went about her daily routine of taking care of everyone.

So, while Job was being silent, his friends were preparing their mental opinion of why he was in the fix that he was in. They originally came to give him moral support and comfort. But when they saw his very dismal condition, they quickly changed their attitude from one of empathy, to one of judgment.

While Job was silent, they offered no support. When Job began to speak, then they launched their own verbal attack of accusations. Innuendo at first, and later outright accusations of his obvious guilt.

So again, if Job is silent, people offer only sarcasm. If he speaks, their looks of contempt, only increase. And such is the nature of the rest of this chapter.

God has drawn out all of Jobs strength and exposed him to society.

Society looks upon Job, who is a righteous person, and society sees only condescension, contempt, hate, derision and so forth. People are at their worst when it comes to dealing with the fall of one who was previously thought to be good.

People are judgmental, opinionated, and down right wicked. They kick when their victim is down, and they kick again. People will recall up your past. People will invent your errors. People will exaggerate your flaws. Whether true or not, wicked people will use every tool at their disposal to make sure that your credibility never recovers.

And this is really true if you happen to be a competitor of theirs. Whether in politics, business, or socially, makes no difference, the competitive instincts rise up and the hammers of envy or hate will come crashing down on you.

Some folks elevate themselves by destroying those they compete with. Often times marriages have great difficulties because of this kind of inordinate competition. That is, a competition which is forced where no competition should exist.

Now is the time to post a prayer.