"Will You Now Turn Me To Dust?"  

Job opened a window into human nature with his thoughts expressed in 10.8&9. This entitlement will eventually lead to resignation. 

It is human nature to experience some degree of impulsivity, impetuousness and entitlement from time to time throughout our lives. As we recognize these traits in kids, we  attempt to bring redirection through various measures of discipline and encouragement. Who enjoys being around a 'spoiled' kid?

I think it is quite the same thing God was doing with Job here in the 10th chapter. First came the necessity of Job realizing just how he was feeling, owning those feelings and changing. It's continually amazing to me to 'hear' how I sound from time to time when I sound off about something. All of a sudden I get a glimpse of something going on with me...it's a revelation and clarification of what is happening to my values.

When I hear sounds of 'impulsivity,' 'impetuousness,' and/or 'entitlement' coming from my mouth - I recognize the need for self-control in my life.  Lack of self-control, perhaps better stated in my experience as needing to "get a grip," is almost being shouted when I get into the pity party of "I deserve better than this!"

Job did us the favor of expressing exactly how he felt and why he felt that way. Can anyone honestly say they haven't felt some sense of entitlement when things go wrong? How many folks do you know who immediately stand up and say, "Why not me? Why shouldn't I be the one to lose my job...suffer grief...have cancer...find my friends and family have turned against me?!" 

Eventually Job said, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." Eventually, but not immediately. There had to first come a sense of resignation...resignation to his feelings of being worthy of better than this; resignation to his hopes, aspirations and ambitions; resignation to his sense of ownership of all he lost; resignation to the sovereignty of God.

Then we can state with humility, "Your hands shaped me and made me..." and we can add, 'do with me as you will.' The great Reformer Calvin is quoted as having said, "Thou bruisest me, O God, but if it be thou doing it, it is well."