Chapters 6 & 7 are Job's first response.

6:8-9 The request that God would destroy Job may seem very extreme but it shows the depths of despair that the man was in.

7:17-21 Whilst this is part of Job's response to Eliphaz is reads more like a prayer to Yahweh.

6:4 So Job realises that the things that have happened are 'of God' but it does not make them any easier to bear. I am sure we can identify with that truth.

7:4-7 eloquently describes the suffering - night and day - of his affliction. Some of us might be able to identify with this. However Job saw no end to this torment - (7:7) 'mine eye shall no more see good'.

6:8-9 Whilst Job wishes to die taking his own life does not seem to be an acceptable option for him. He would rather that God would take away his life.

7:3 Job's use of 'months' maybe indicates that by this time his trials have been running for quite some time. There is little indication in the book of Job as to how long his distress lasted. Maybe this is one of those indications.

Poor Job!  For those of us who have, or have had, sleep problems, know how horrible sleepless nights can be.  Job 7:3,4  speaks loud and clear about his real depth of suffering – and that was before the days when our modern medicines help us so much.

Job has seen his family and property destroyed and is now struggling with a horrible, crippling disease (7:5). He realizes that the LORD has inflicted these things (6:4) and yet he is puzzled as to why (7:20,21). His solution to the whole matter is for the LORD to end his life (6:8,9). (Notice that in all Job's pain and suffering, suicide is not an option). It is important for Job to die with his integrity in tact (6:10). We have seen this integrity displayed before in refusing his (first?) wife's suggestion (2:9). One thing that Job does not allow for, at this point, however, is for his situation to ameliorate (6:11). Would we criticize him for lack of faith or give him a hug? Job thinks his friends should show empathy (6:14) rather than criticism (6:26). Perhaps we can use Job's account for sensitivity training. When we come across a brother or sister going through extreme difficulty, are we first given to analyzing and criticizing their walk, or do we rush to express compassion? Let scripture be our guide (Matt 7:1,2; 1Pet 3:8).

6:5 Here Job is saying that he has a cause to bemoan himself, saying that animals do not complain when they have food to eat.

7:14  When Job says "Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions" he is responding to Eliphaz’s claims to having had a special revelation – Job 4:12-16

7:2-3 Job contrasts his experience with that of the servant receiving his rest with his own continuing suffering. As if he sees himself as a servant but not being treated well by his master.

6:10   Job seems to be justifying himself by saying that he has not hidden God’s words. That is his claim is that he has applied them in his own life.

7:15 ["soul" KJV or "I" NIV] is the Hebrew word "nephesh" (5315) commonly translated as "soul" though its primary meaning is creature, a breathing creature man or animal. Nephesh in the Old Testament has been variously rendered person, self, creature, life, soul. Here we read the "nephesh" choosing strangling and death thus indicating mortality. This is reinforced later in verse 15 where we read of the soul not choosing "life" (KJV) which in this case is the Hebrew word "etsem" (6106).

7:1 The term an appointed time, in the KJV, literally means a state of warfare.  And so, Job is saying that man's life is constantly full of combat against evil.  He can never really control things, and must always be an hireling who seeks his wages. The two elements of a soldier, and a wage earner, come together in Job's analysis of his life. He feels that he is caught in a useless existence of having to be constantly on guard against the enemy while doing what he has to do to survive 7:3,4.

6:8-10 Whilst Job sought for God to take his life there would be no value in that as God seeks with Job – and all of us – that he would learn from his experience.

7:7 Who is Job telling that his life is ‘wind’? One presumes he is telling his friends, though he is expressing a principle that Scriptures teaches. Because his life is ‘wind’ Job, it seems, feels that his friends should not speak with him as they have been doing.

2:2 The land was divided by lot to the tribes and families within the tribes of Israel when they entered the land. Naboth had his inheritance taken away by violence by Ahab. 1 Kings 21:3 - 16 It seems that a similar sort of thing was happening at this time as well.

2:3 'this family' might indicate a specific family within the nation of Israel or Judah. However Amos 3:1 Uses a similar phrase to speak of the whole nation.

2:4 Israel and Judah are settled in the land. There is a temple in Jerusalem. The people thought they were secure, they did not contemplate that their sinfulness was going to be their downfall. So Micah advises them that they will be surprised when the judgment comes from God. The judgment came from the Assyrian for Israel and Babylon for Judah.

2:1 The behaviour of those that devised iniquity ‘upon their bed’ contrasts markedly with David who thought about God’s work on his bed – Psa 63:6

2:7    In asking the question “do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?” the prophet is challenging Israel to trust God rather than their idols.

Vs.12,13 The LORD will allow His people to go into captivity for their sins.  But, He promises a time when He will bring them back to live in peace.  The LORD is the breaker - the one who will open the way.  He will break down all barriers as He leads His people back home.  

2:8 ‘even of late’ indicates that the prophet has in mind some recent event in the history of Judah. We may well conclude that these events must have taken place before the reign of Hezekiah.

When God brought His people into the promised land they settled and cultivated God's land. God allowed them to divide up and inherit this land but gave strict instructions as to how this was to be done. No one was to be deprived of their land rites (Num 34:12-18;Lev 25:8-17;Josh 18:1-8;Deut 19:14;Num 27:8-11). Prior to Micah, Ahab wanted Naboth's vineyard and Jezebel killed Naboth so his land could be illegally obtained (1Kin 21:3-16). Micah refers to people in positions of power abusing God's laws, including those of land inheritance.

Mic 2:1-13 -- V1- from the NIV "at mornings light they carry it out (doing evil in broad daylight) because it is in their power to do it". V2- covet and take fields and houses by violence (the poor and powerless getting exploited; might makes right). V3- God plans disaster against "this family" (from KJV meaning Israel and Judah see Amos 3:1), those who devise evil will receive evil from God. V4- from the NIV "In that day men will ridicule you...my people's possession is divided up...He takes it from me! He assigns our fields to traitors" (foreign captors divided up fields. Israel fell in 722 or 721 BC to Assyria and Judah lasted till 586 BC falling to Babylon). V5- God gave the Jews the land and took it away so they could no longer divide it by lot as they once did (Num 26:52-56). V6- The false prophets told the righteous prophet "Do not prophesy about these things; disgrace will not overtake us." (NIV). Disgrace would overtake them but they wanted to hear smoothe things (Isa 30:9-10). V7- Is the spirit of the Lord [KJV "straitened", NIV "angry" (7114) Heb. "qatsar" means "curtail, to harvest, cut down, much discouraged, grieve, lothe, mourn, straiten, trouble, vex"]. Micah is saying should the people of God question that God is angry with them and will he do things as a result of His anger? Then we have God, through Micah, telling them that if they walk uprightly the words will be good. V8- God's people strip off the robe of peaceful people (echos of Joseph and Christ?). V9- "...ye taken away my glory forever" (evil behavior, destroying natural lives and land inheritance and ultimately destroying spiritual lives and future inheritance). V10- they would have to leave the land so complete was their defilement of it - it would not be their ["rest" KJV, (4496) from Heb. "menuchah" in Isa 11:10 it  refers to the future millenial "rest"]. V11- Micah is bitterly sarcastic here. The people wanted lying prophets to tell them happy things, smoothe things (Isa 30:9-10). V12- In 1948 we had a gathering of the 12 tribes to Israel but this refers to a greater gathering, a noisy multitude of men. V13- He who opens the breach (Christ broke through the trap of sin and death Gen 38:27-30) will go up before them; they will break through and pass the gate, going out by it. Their king (Christ) will pass on before them, the Lord (God? Isa 52:12) at their head.

2:11 The way in which Micah comments about what the false prophets are saying and how the people like to hear the message of the false prophets highlights the difficulty that Micah had in his ministry.

When bad things happen to people of the world, we hear: Why me? Or, what have I done to deserve this? We should never say those things if we put our trust in the LORD (Prov 3:5,6). We might not understand the why or what of a situation, but that does not matter as long as we have a solid relationship with the LORD. Vs. 5-13 promises us that the LORD will discipline us. We will face trials to test our faith, which should produce longsuffering (patience) (James 1:2,3). Job is an excellent example for us to ponder. We know that he was successful in his trial and received the appropriate outcome       (v. 11; Job 42:12).

12:9 In speaking of the "father of spirits" Paul is quoting Num 16:22. This is highly significant. In Num 16 we learn how the nation responded to the rebellion of ""one man"" Here in Hebrews the rebelliousness was leading faithful brethren away from Christ.

12:8,10            Notice the two fold use of ‘partakers’ – unless we are associated with Jesus’ suffering we will not be associated with the salvation that he has bought on our behalf.

The "blood of the sprinkling" in v24 refers to the cleansing of our conscience, taken from 10:22. By having our conscience wiped clean, we "put off" the weight of sin that stops us running (12:1). So our prayers for forgiveness, and our faith in the efficacy of that forgiveness, directly affect how fast we run. Holding on to feelings of guilt, or dwelling on the past, stop us functioning as followers of Christ.

12:5-6 It the priests who had believed – Acts 6:7 did return to the Law of Moses the persecution would cease. It was not simply that they were so used to the law of Moses and its sacrifices that they wanted to return to it. If they had so done their lives would have been much easier. Hence the writer explains that God chastens His children and that what they were experiencing was chastening and the way to benefit was to ‘endure’ it rather than avoid it.

One theme that ties this chapter together is "endurance". You can see from the following occurrences how the writer is building his whole argument around it:

12:14  In encouraging the hearers to ‘follow peace’ the writer is quoting David’s advice – Psa 34:14– to the men who joined him in the cave of Adullam – 1Sam 22:1