“I have become a laughingstock…” Job 12:4a

Suddenly, Job was filled with resilience, and was able to rise above his self-pity to rebuff Zophar’s condescension and insults. Job began with sarcasm (!), remarking that true wisdom would die with his fiends (no misspelling here, if you catch my drift) – his one-time friends that had turned into tormentors (v.1). Job
asserted himself to have just as sharp a mind as they, rebuking them with the words: “I am not inferior to you. Who does not know all these things?” (v.2)

The shame Job spoke of in chapter ten (v.15c), is clarified through the description he assumed his friends had of him: “I have become a laughingstock to my friends, though I called upon God and He answered – a mere laughingstock, though righteous and blameless! Men at ease have contempt for misfortune as the fate
of those whose feet are slipping.” Theologian David McKenna described the implications of Job’s words:

“A certain ghoulish glee always attends the downfall of the
high and the mighty. Jealous tongues cluck with juicy gossip whenever a great
person shows signs of weakness, makes a false move, or experiences a failure.
Americans, in particular, cannot countenance human weakness in their leaders.
The slightest physical flaw in a president sends the stock market spinning downward
and starts the cartoonists’ pencils doodling caricatures that make the person a
laughingstock.” (The Communicator’s Commentary, JOB, p.110, pp.3; Word Publishers,
1986)

McKenna’s words fit perfectly in describing today’s culture thirty years after he wrote them!! No doubt, Job would not have used such language had his fiendish ‘friends’ not smirked at his demand for an audience with God. They saw such a demand as ridiculous as a donkey being born a man (11:12, implying Job to be a witless man!). Still, Job maintained his innocence (v.4c).

Now armed with infused indignation, Job’s verbal counter-attack is well aimed at the ease from which his visitors have come, saying: “Men at ease have contempt for misfortune as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.” (v.5) Unless one has experienced suffering, understanding the pain of those in the midst of it
can never be fully grasped. If we are truly honest with ourselves, society as a whole is uncomfortable with those who suffer: soldiers with permanent disabilities from war injuries; those handicapped from birth; and those who have become disabled by accidents. Laws have been passed in an effort to level the playing
field for disabled citizens, though that still does not fix the problem of a culture which favors physical perfection.  Even disabled war heroes are honored for their bravery, only to be ignored and forgotten in the halls of VA hospitals across the nation.

How do these few verses from long ago speak to us today? Those who are disabled try to make sense of their life, just as much as Job was trying to make sense of his upside-down life. Many disabled people face prejudice of a different kind, having to overcome hurdles of assumed limitations. These courageous people work twice as hard to show their worth and abilities as viable to the workplace and within society. Believer’s can be catalysts within social networks who can work as advocates for those being made a laughingstock or castaway reject of society. Indeed, those who walk by faith may be the only Jesus those with disabilities may ever see!

Be Jesus to someone today… rescue those in the peril of desperation; encourage the downtrodden; offer a cup of hope to one who is hopeless; and be an advocate for those needing one to fight for them.
Have a blessed day…