JOB continues his reply and again he says, “I am not inferior to you. Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.” This shows how little he knew of Him, as he afterward confesses, though he knew more than his friends. He was occupied with his own righteousness before men, not knowing how far short it came bore God. He had yet to learn that it was only by His grace that he could stand before Him. The righteousness which men can see is one thing, but how different it is to be brought before the all-seeing eye of God, who knows all the thoughts and intents of the heart. The psalmist declared, “If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand.” Psa. 130:33If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? (Psalm 130:3). In our day it is only because the Lord Jesus came into this world, and on account of what He accomplished on the cross, that we can find grace and have a standing before God accepted in Him.
Job was confident that he was not guilty of what his friends accused him, but he did not realize that this would not do in the Lord’s presence. He says, “Ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.” He feels that they were secretly accepting men’s persons and going by outward appearances, thus they condemned him. He had sunk so low in their sight that he was nothing but an object of God’s judgment. But we are reminded of how the Lord told the Jews in John 7:2424Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. (John 7:24), “Judge not according to appearance but judge righteous judgment.” His friends’ arguments were all founded on man’s thoughts, his experiences and things that happen in this world. But all that a believer stands on is what God Himself gives and reveals—and this we find in Christ.
Twice in this chapter Job asks His friends to be silent and he would plead his cause. Often it is wisdom to sit quiet and say nothing. “Hear now my reasonings, and hearken to the pleading of my lips.” If he could only find God out and get into His presence, he knew he would find in Him a faithful God. He prays to God and asks Him to show him his iniquities and his sins, to make him to know his transgressions. He felt as though his feet were in the stocks, but the Lord was very patient with him.
There was deeper faith with Job than with his three friends. He declared, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him:... He also shall be my salvation.” He was ready to bear whatever God would send, even death; and he had a feeling it would be better after this life, for God would be for him; He would be His salvation. “I know that I shall be justified,” but he did not realize that this would be in a far different way than he supposed. As remarked before, we know now this blessed truth, since Christ has come and died on the cross, that sinners are “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
“Wherefore hidest Thou Thy face, and holdest me for Thine enemy? Wilt Thou break a leaf driven to and fro? Wilt Thou pursue the dry stubble? For Thou writest bitter things against me."... Like many of God’s dear people since his day, when brought into deep trial and suffering, Job seemed to feel that God was against him, when the whole truth of the matter was his sorrows and afflictions were only God’s way of leading him into greater happiness and blessing than he had ever known before.
ML-03/27/1960