A Good Defense

Job 29:1-25 

1 Job further continued his discourse, and said:

2 "Oh, that I were as in months past,
As in the days when God watched over me;
3 When His lamp shone upon my head,
And when by His light I walked through darkness;

4 Just as I was in the days of my prime,
When the friendly counsel of God was over my tent;

5 When the Almighty was yet with me,
When my children were around me;

6 When my steps were bathed with cream,
And the rock poured out rivers of oil for me!

7 "When I went out to the gate by the city,
When I took my seat in the open square,

8 The young men saw me and hid,
And the aged arose and stood;

9 The princes refrained from talking,
And put their hand on their mouth;

10 The voice of nobles was hushed,
And their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.

11 When the ear heard, then it blessed me,
And when the eye saw, then it approved me;
12 Because I delivered the poor who cried out,
The fatherless and the one who had no helper.

13 The blessing of a perishing man came upon me,
And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.

14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
My justice was like a robe and a turban.

15 I was eyes to the blind,
And I was feet to the lame.

16 I was a father to the poor,
And I searched out the case that I did not know.

17 I broke the fangs of the wicked,
And plucked the victim from his teeth.

18 "Then I said, I shall die in my nest,
And multiply my days as the sand.

19 My root is spread out to the waters,
And the dew lies all night on my branch.

20 My glory is fresh within me,
And my bow is renewed in my hand.'

21 "Men listened to me and waited,
And kept silence for my counsel.

22 After my words they did not speak again,
And my speech settled on them as dew.

23 They waited for me as for the rain,
And they opened their mouth wide as for the spring rain.

24 If I mocked at them, they did not believe it,
And the light of my countenance they did not cast down.

25 I chose the way for them, and sat as chief;
So I dwelt as a king in the army,
As one who comforts mourners.

Job gave His summary defense of his uprightness and the accompanying works to demonstrate his good character before the LORD.  He began by desiring the days gone by where he knew God’s blessings and felt His light guiding his path through life in the darkness around him.  He was in his prime of life, under the counsel of God as his friend, much like Abraham was called the friend of God in James 2:23, with a quiver full of children (Psalm 127:3-5).  Job had an honored and respected position in the town, sitting at the gate to be consulted for wise counsel.  He put others to shame with his example and words of godly wisdom, further approve for the social work he did with the poor, widows, orphans, lame, blind, and needy (James 1:27).  He had helped and defended so many from their oppressors!  He imagined that would simply go on until he died in his home (“nest”), having set roots in the community and shining gloriously before God and man with wise counsel and good deeds needed by so many.  These of course now had all turned their backs on him when he lost everything and everyone except his wife; even his three friends who came to his aid and comfort no longer listened to Job’s wise counsel or even his defense, but judged him as being under God’s wrath for some sin because he no longer was prosperous.  This is why today’s false “gospel” of prosperity, of claiming good health and wealth from God as proof of faith is so ungodly and a treacherous path to go down.  Judgment and providence belong to the LORD, and we are not to assume and judge others when in bad circumstances as a measure of their faith or God’s blessings or curse as a punishment.  We do not see into the heavenly court where God reigns over us.  It is best not to climb up there to pass judgment therefore in His name.  We need only look to ourselves to do as Job by using the wisdom and our means to help others, especially to know Christ through the gospel, as well as to meet pressing needs of the helpless and needy as James defies true religion.  Do we comfort and counsel well as we give a good defense (1 Peter 3:15), or are we caught up in finding fault and attributing sentence on sinners as if we ruled from God’s throne?