Job Reproves His Friends
“Behold, my eyes have seen all this; my ears have heard and understood. What you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you.
Yet I desire to speak to the Almighty and argue my case before God.
You, however, smear with lies; you are all worthless physicians. If only you would remain silent; for that would be your wisdom!
Hear now my argument, and listen to the plea of my lips. Will you speak wickedly on God’s behalf or speak deceitfully for Him? Would you show Him partiality or argue in His defense? Would it be well when He examined you? Could you deceive Him like a man? Surely He would rebuke you if you secretly showed partiality. Would His majesty not terrify you? Would the dread of Him not fall upon you?
Your maxims are proverbs of ashes; your defenses are defenses of clay. Be silent, and I will speak. Then let come to me what may. Why do I put myself at risk and take my life in my own hands? Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. I will still defend my ways to His face.
Moreover, this will be my salvation, for no godless man can appear before Him.
Listen carefully to my words; let my declaration ring in your ears.
Behold, now that I have prepared my case, I know that I will be vindicated. Can anyone indict me? If so, I will be silent and die.
Only grant these two things to me, so that I need not hide from You:
Withdraw Your hand from me, and do not let Your terror frighten me. Then call me, and I will answer, or let me speak, and You can reply.
How many are my iniquities and sins? Reveal to me my transgression and sin. Why do You hide Your face and consider me as Your enemy? Would You frighten a windblown leaf? Would You chase after dry chaff? For You record bitter accusations against me and bequeath to me the iniquities of my youth. You put my feet in the stocks and stand watch over all my paths; You set a limit for the soles of my feet. So man wastes away like something rotten, like a moth-eaten garment.”
“What you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you. Yet I desire to speak to the Almighty and argue my case before God.”
Not only is Job fed up with his friends, but he is equally fed up with God. While traditional courtesy forbids Job from telling his friends to leave off and go home, he wants them to realize that his beef is with God. God is the One who has allowed these calamities and now Job wants to plead for himself before God.
Evidently, in the past, Job has had a vibrant prayer life, an ongoing dialogue with God. But now God is silent and all Job can hear are the voices of his accusers. There is an old saying that “It is far better to remain silent and to be thought wise than to open your mouth and to remove all doubt.” Most of us may appear wise as long as we don’t begin speaking. That is why Job is advising his friends, “If only you would remain silent; for that would be your wisdom!“
“Will you speak wickedly on God’s behalf or speak deceitfully for Him?” Job’s friends have been pretending that they speak for God; yet, Job is certain none of them really know God in the first place. Why? Because people who really know God are far less ready to give easy answers and platitudes than people who only think in meme – type phrases. People who truly know God are far more willing to listen and to remain silent, allowing God to work. The longer we spend with God, the less apt we are to try to act as an amateur providence, inflicting our will on someone in God’s name. Job’s friends have been trying to fix him with words, a useless endeavor.
“Your maxims are proverbs of ashes; your defenses are defenses of clay.” How many of us have been tempted to say something similar to those who have come as advisors only to accuse us unfairly?
“Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.” If you do not remember anything else from this chapter, remember verse 14. Job’s faith in God is so complete that he is willing to accept death as God’s perfect will for him. Do not misunderstand; Job still wants the opportunity to argue directly with God. But Job is willing to accept God’s will. Job’s accusers know nothing of such faith.
“Only grant these two things to me, so that I need not hide from You: Withdraw Your hand from me, and do not let Your terror frighten me. Then call me, and I will answer, or let me speak, and You can reply.” Finally, Job addresses God, asking that God remove His terror and then call Job to speak. This challenge seems amazing, seeing that Job is addressing the Lord of the Universe. But Job believes so firmly that he is righteous that he is even willing to throw down this challenge to God.
APPLICATION: Reading the Book of Job, we marvel at Job’s presumption. Here is one little guy sitting somewhere scratching his boils with a broken piece of pottery and yet he is demanding an audience with the Lord of the Universe. Sounds crazy, no? But Job’s complaints and accusations are the same ones that sufferers have lodged against God ever since creation.
One of my aunts contracted polio during the 1952 epidemic, the last major polio epidemic to hit the U.S. before the vaccine was developed. For the next several years, my aunt was paralyzed from the neck down and forced to live on rocker beds and iron lungs while her family cared for her. My three cousins lost most of their childhood and my uncle lost his health, all while caring for my aunt. I am sure my uncle must have asked God “Why?” many times. I have no idea how God answered him.
In 1980 we lost my beloved mother to a very rare form of cancer that made its own steroids. These steroids depressed her immune system so much that she developed brain abscesses containing two different kinds of fungi. Although my mother was a non-smoker, the cancer was a form of lung cancer generally associated with smoking. My mother’s death tore a hole in our family as well as in our small – town community. In the end, all we could do was to trust that God knew better than we did, but that did not lessen the suffering for any member of my family.
Accidents, illnesses, earthquakes, wars – disasters are everywhere. Job compared himself to a windblown leaf or to chaff. Our lives hang by a thread maintained only by the mercy of God. In the end, the best thing to do is to trust when we cannot see or understand. “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.”
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many are suffering and are losing hope. Help us to trust where we cannot see, being willing to believe that You are our Deliverer and Protector. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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