Not Caring What People Think

Job continues his speech in chapter 17 by appealing to God for his cause in the face of these accusers who have leveled him with wrongdoing. 

Job 17:3 (ESV) “Lay down a pledge for me with you; who is there who will put up security for me?

In the NLT it's clearer:

Job 17:3 (NLT) “You must defend my innocence, O God, since no one else will stand up for me.

And the reason Job goes to God is because he has learned the true reality of his "comforters". They are not for him or with him in this suffering. They are eager to blame him and ridicule him for their own self-glorification. 

Job 17:4–5 (NLT) You have closed their minds to understanding, but do not let them triumph. 5 They betray their friends for their own advantage, so let their children faint with hunger.

Job concludes later in the chapter:

Job 17:10–12 (NLT) “As for all of you, come back with a better argument, though I still won’t find a wise man among you. 11 My days are over. My hopes have disappeared. My heart’s desires are broken. 12 These men say that night is day; they claim that the darkness is light.

Job refuses to let these self-proclaimed counselors have the last word in his life. He identifies their selfish intentions of just seeking to be right and making a surface judgment over his life and he rejects their counsel. He identifies early on in this second round of conversation that they are wrong and misled about the good and bad of things. And he's not afraid to call them out on it. 

One thing suffering can do for you better than almost any other event - is to help you STOP caring what people's opinions of you are. In fact, Job realizes that death is close, therefore, what does he have to lose in the sight of man? He can be honest, he can be bold and he can say what's in his mind. 

Perhaps this is the primary reason God allows suffering in our lives - to shake us free from what people think! After all, if Job had followed the "wisdom" of these friends he would have perhaps never heard from God himself as he wallowed in self-pity and was convinced his suffering was the result of some sin he had to seek out. And no doubt they would have helped him look!

Job models for us a picture of Christ. He will be the true suffering righteous man who will not concern himself with man's opinions. And because He does not care what others think, He alone can truly tell us the truth that helps us and heals us. We need a friend like Jesus and not Job's friends. We need someone who knows that the help of man is worthless and the Lord has final say over our lives. 

Perhaps this is why Paul appealed to young Timothy to join in suffering. 

2 Timothy 1:8–9 (ESV) Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,

If Timothy would be a profitable Pastor in the lives of his congregation, he needed to tell them the truth regardless of man's opinions. He needed to bring the Great Shepherd's words to bear on life and bring them to the Father.