Job 13:1-28
1 “Behold, my eye has seen all this,
My ear has heard and understood it.
2 What you know, I also know;
I am not inferior to you.
3 But I would speak to the Almighty,
And I desire to reason with God.
4 But you forgers of lies,
You are all worthless physicians.
5 Oh, that you would be silent,
And it would be your wisdom!
6 Now hear my reasoning,
And heed the pleadings of my lips.
7 Will you speak wickedly for God,
And talk deceitfully for Him?
8 Will you show partiality for Him?
Will you contend for God?
9 Will it be well when He searches you out?
Or can you mock Him as one mocks a man?
10 He will surely rebuke you
If you secretly show partiality.
11 Will not His excellence make you afraid,
And the dread of Him fall upon you?
12 Your platitudes are proverbs of ashes,
Your defenses are defenses of clay.
13 “Hold your peace with me, and let me speak,
Then let come on me what may!
14 Why do I take my flesh in my teeth,
And put my life in my hands?
15 Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.
Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him.
16 He also shall be my salvation,
For a hypocrite could not come before Him.
17 Listen carefully to my speech,
And to my declaration with your ears.
18 See now, I have prepared my case,
I know that I shall be vindicated.
19 Who is he who will contend with me?
If now I hold my tongue, I perish.
Job’s Despondent Prayer
20 “Only two things do not do to me,
Then I will not hide myself from You:
21 Withdraw Your hand far from me,
And let not the dread of You make me afraid.
22 Then call, and I will answer;
Or let me speak, then You respond to me.
23 How many are my iniquities and sins?
Make me know my transgression and my sin.
24 Why do You hide Your face,
And regard me as Your enemy?
25 Will You frighten a leaf driven to and fro?
And will You pursue dry stubble?
26 For You write bitter things against me,
And make me inherit the iniquities of my youth.
27 You put my feet in the stocks,
And watch closely all my paths.
You set a limit for the soles of my feet.
28 ”Man decays like a rotten thing,
Like a garment that is moth-eaten.
Job had enough of the bad advice from his friends and finally said, “I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God” after hearing all their arguments and reasoning so far to blame his sin as the cause of his suffering. He called the friends liars and bad doctors whose only reason would be found with their mouths closed due to such erroneous assumptions and misguided prescriptions for Job’s spiritual and physical health. He asked them point blank if they were contending with God instead of Job as they spoke wickedly and with such well-meaning deceit. He asked them if they were ready to face Him when caught by Him in their mockery and partiality of opinions of His judgment seen by the suffering of His righteous one in the end. He reminded them of God’s excellence as a reason to fear Him and that they had no defense against His judgment in their empty platitudes they had been giving Job all this time. Finally, he told them to hold their peace and listen carefully to what Job had to say to them and to God. He told them that even if God slayed him, Job would still trust in His sovereign goodness and accept whatever came his way from the hand of the Almighty. He would still defend his ways as attempts to do what was righteous in God’s eyes, knowing only the LORD was able,to deliver and save him. That is faith in the grace and goodness of God whose character we know far better now as revealed in Christ. He had thought these things through carefully and was prepared to address God with them in their hearing, so he told them to listen carefully as he was vindicated, knowing if he kept quiet that he would certainly perish before God and man. He prayed primarily for two things and he would not hide from God. First, for God to take His hand away from Job to ease his suffering, and secondly to keep Job’s fear of the Almighty from overwhelming him. He would then listen as God called to talk with him and hear his answers, as well as hear him talk and hear God’s answers to Job. He desired a prayer of communication with God, which real prayer truly is. He asked what his sins were that he might understand the depth of them instead of being kept in the dark and wondering why the LORD was hiding from him as if his enemy. He wanted to know why God was allowing these things to happen to limit him and keep him from fear and bitterness of what he had done against Him. Job understood and confessed that all men are rotten in their deeds with holes in their holiness and so deserved divine justice of judgment due to them (Romans 3:20, 23, Hebrews 9:27-28), yet seemed to be asking for mercy through understanding to be reconciled with the LORD as he desired to walk in righteousness once more in God’s eyes (Job 1:1, 8) as we know this is a picture of the gospel of Jesus Christ whose righteousness makes us holy and whose Spirit in us enables us to walk out that holiness (1 Peter 1:15, Ephesians 3:16, Romans 8:4-5, 9-10, 11, 12-13) with Him. As we read and consider these truths, may we also speak and reason with the Almighty when we face adversity with trust in His promises of providence and protection (John 17:15, Galatians 1:4, 2 Thessalonians 3:3, 1 John 5:18b) from the adversary until we are with Him in the resurrection (John 5:29, 2 Corinthians 5:4, Romans 8:11) to life. We trust Him in the face of our accusers with the hope that He calls us holy and righteous in his Son and we live confidently before His face until we see Him so (Revelation 22:4) forever.
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