Sunday, October 23, 2011
JOB’S FINAL SUMMARY
Job 27-31
This morning we come back to Job. Let’s be honest -- Job is a difficult book to figure out. A recent guest said something like this to me after the service: “I appreciate you taking the time to go through Job. I think it is helpful, because sometimes I just don’t know what to make of things I read from the book of Job.” Many of us can say “Amen” to that. The plain truth is that Job is difficult. One of the main reasons is because most all of us have trouble identifying with Job. Even if we have experienced some great difficulties, for most of us, our difficulties can hardly compare with those of Job. Furthermore, it is difficult for us to identify with Job because we have far more revelation than he did. We can’t turn the clock back and experience what it was like to live before the cross. Aren’t you glad! Praise God that we are privileged to have the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes.
Not only is the book of Job difficult for those who read it, but it was doubly difficult for the man who was living it. He experienced firsthand all the afflictions that we read about. Not only that, but he was in the dark as to why those things were happening. He didn’t have nearly as much light as we who read his account in the Word of God. What loneliness he felt. Everyone he knew was against him. In his own mind, he couldn’t understand why God Himself had turned against him.
During the past few months we have walked with Job through the loss of possessions, the loss of children, and then the loss of his health. We have spent the most time watching him lose his own friends. While these three men sat down and wept with him for seven days before saying a word, they have now said plenty and their words have become increasingly unkind. Job has concluded, and rightly so, that his friends are aiming to crush him rather than to comfort him. That is why he accused them of being “miserable comforters” (Job 16:2). Chapters 4-26 have consisted of Job’s debate with his three friends.
Now we have come to the end of the debate. Job’s friends have nothing more to say. As a matter of fact, Zophar didn’t even speak in the third round of the debate. Perhaps he thought it would be useless to say anything more to Job. Now we come to chapters 27-31. These five chapters give us the last words of Job (at least until we come to the end of the book). At first, you might think that this is just an extension of Job’s reply to Bildad’s short address in chapter 25. How do we know the debate ends with Job’s words in chapter 26? We know because of what we are told in the text itself. Notice how chapter 27 begins: “Morever Job continued his discourse and said…” (Job 27:1). While the ESV is not as literal, it tries to emphasize the change: “And Job again took up his discourse, and said…” Rather than just reading more of the words of Job in chapter 27, we have this little introduction that sets off these chapters from chapters 4-26. Then at the beginning of chapter 29 we find the same thing: “Job further continued his discourse and said…” (In the KJV, ESV, and others the words of 27:1 and 29:1 are identical). So we see that these five chapters serve as the summing up of all the things Job has said.
This morning we are going to deal with these chapters. Again this week, I will simply try to give us a few nails to hang our thoughts on, with the hope that it will help us understand what Job is saying. I believe you will find these chapters easier to read than most of what has gone before. Perhaps it is because we have become somewhat experienced in reading Job. I think you will find it helpful to follow the little outline that you have in your bulletin.
I. Job’s Thinking and His Need for Wisdom (27-28)
A. Defending Self (27:1-6)
Let’s begin by reading Job 27:1-6…
Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said: 2 "As God lives, who has taken away my justice, And the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter, 3 As long as my breath is in me, And the breath of God in my nostrils, 4 My lips will not speak wickedness, Nor my tongue utter deceit. 5 Far be it from me That I should say you are right; Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.6 My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go; My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live.
Bear in mind that Job is speaking these words in the context of what has been said in the last 20+ chapters. When he speaks of his righteousness and integrity, he is not saying that he is sinless, as he has confessed his sin more than once. Rather, he is emphasizing that he has not committed the wickedness of which he has been accused by his three friends. Furthermore, if he did say that he was guilty of those sins, such speech would be wicked and deceitful. Job makes it very clear that till his dying day he will not turn loose of his integrity. If he were to confess what was not true, his life would not be integrated and whole, but it would be fractured and divided. Job assures his friends that he will not be a double-minded man.
In order to put greater emphasis on what he is saying, Job speaks these words as an oath. His strong statements come in verses 4-6, but notice how he introduces them in verses 2-3, “As God lives… and the Almighty… as long as my breath is in me, and the breath of God in my nostrils…” This was a common means of taking an oath. He is basically saying, “God is my witness; before God Himself, I affirm that what I am about to say is true.”
Also notice the little parenthesis in verse 2, “As God lives, [here it is] who has taken away my justice, and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter…” This is how Job identifies God. This is what he has to say about the Almighty. He is the one who instead of giving me justice has made me bitter. While Job is telling the truth in verses 4-6, we can’t overlook these comments about God. Though the Lord has given Job great revelation about his Redeemer and his future, he still views God as the creator of his bitterness, the one who refuses to deal fairly with him. As Job defends himself against his friends, he lashes out at God Himself.
It is true that Job has maintained his integrity. Praise God that he wasn’t willing to cave in and say what his friends wanted to hear in hopes that he would indeed regain God’s blessing, as they had promised. But on the other hand, it is a bit difficult to congratulate him, after what he has just said about God. Perhaps the Lord is trying to teach him that he doesn’t have to defend himself; he can rest with God. Remember what we read about the Lord Jesus in 1 Pet. 2:22-23, "Who [Jesus] did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23. Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously." Because Jesus knew that God judges righteously and because He knew that He had done no wrong, He was able to commit His cause to His Father and leave it there. But because Job didn’t have full confidence that God judged righteously, he felt the need to defend himself.
Brothers and sisters, the situation is rare indeed when we need to defend ourselves. The only time that is necessary is when the cause of the gospel is at stake (as it was with Paul). I remember something about a situation where John Wesley was accused of terrible things. His brother came to him and asked, “What are we doing to do about this?” John Wesley replied, “We are going to do nothing.” When we truly trust God to act for His glory and our good, we don’t have to defend ourselves.
B. Punishment for the Wicked (27:7-23)
Let me make a couple of comments before we read the rest of chapter 27. In the first few verses, Job will strongly imply that his friends are guilty of wickedness. Then in the rest of the chapter Job will wax eloquent on how God will punish the wicked. Let’s read it in 29:7-23…
May my enemy be like the wicked, And he who rises up against me like the unrighteous. 8 For what is the hope of the hypocrite, Though he may gain much, If God takes away his life? 9 Will God hear his cry When trouble comes upon him? 10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he always call on God? 11 "I will teach you about the hand of God; What is with the Almighty I will not conceal. 12 Surely all of you have seen it; Why then do you behave with complete nonsense? 13 "This is the portion of a wicked man with God, And the heritage of oppressors, received from the Almighty: 14 If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword; And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread. 15 Those who survive him shall be buried in death, And their widows shall not weep, 16 Though he heaps up silver like dust, And piles up clothing like clay-- 17 He may pile it up, but the just will wear it, And the innocent will divide the silver. 18 He builds his house like a moth, Like a booth which a watchman makes. 19 The rich man will lie down, But not be gathered up; He opens his eyes, And he is no more. 20 Terrors overtake him like a flood; A tempest steals him away in the night. 21 The east wind carries him away, and he is gone; It sweeps him out of his place. 22 It hurls against him and does not spare; He flees desperately from its power. 23 Men shall clap their hands at him, And shall hiss him out of his place.
When I first read this, I want to say, “Is this the same Job who spoke about the wicked in chapter 21?” In that chapter, he begins by asking the question: “Why do the wicked live and become old, Yes, become mighty in power?” (21:7). He then goes on to describe the prosperity of the wicked. You may remember that Job also spoke about the fate of the wicked in chapter 24, beginning in verse 18. In that passage, we can’t be sure whether Job is speaking for himself or quoting his friends. If he is speaking for himself, it is still difficult to determine whether he is saying that the wicked live in prosperity and then die and easy death, or if he is saying that God will punish the wicked in the end. But in this passage, there is no question that Job is expounding on the truth that God does indeed punish the wicked. The only question concern the timing of that punishment. While Job certainly emphasizes that God will punish the wicked in the end, there are also some statements here which indicate that some of that punishment will be in this life.
Concerning the wicked, there is no principle which tells us how God will treat the wicked in this world. It may be that a wicked man will prosper greatly right up until the day he dies. On the other hand, he may reap what he sows right here in this world. What we know is that God will set everything right in the end. We can also have confidence that He makes no mistakes in how He handles a person in this life.
There is very likely a connection between verses 7-12 and 13-23. Is Job not warning his friends that if they persist in their wicked accusations, they will participate in the reward of the wicked? There are Old Testament passages which tell us that those who falsely accuse are liable to receive the punishment they have pronounced upon the accused.
C. Job’s Book on Wisdom (28)
Chapter 28 is all about wisdom. At first, we might think that the words of this chapter somehow got misplaced. Maybe a page came out of Proverbs and landed between Job 27 and Job 29. No, these words are exactly where they belong. To some extent Job recognizes his great need for wisdom. It is possible that he is implying that it is only his friends who need wisdom, but I don’t believe that is the case. Remember that Job recognizes he is in the dark. As we will see, he understands that wisdom comes from God and that he needs it. In reality, he needs the Lord’s wisdom far more than he realizes. It is that divine wisdom that will give him the grace to quit defending himself so vigorously and to trust God.
Notice the outline and how each new section (verses 12, 20) begin with the basic question: Where can wisdom
be found? Look again at the outline of this chapter….
1. Wisdom cannot be sought (1-11)
2. Wisdom cannot be bought (12-19)
3. Wisdom is from God alone (20-28)
Now let’s read chapter 28…
"Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place where gold is refined. 2 Iron is taken from the earth, And copper is smelted from ore. 3 Man puts an end to darkness, And searches every recess For ore in the darkness and the shadow of death. 4 He breaks open a shaft away from people; In places forgotten by feet They hang far away from men; They swing to and fro. 5 As for the earth, from it comes bread, But underneath it is turned up as by fire; 6 Its stones are the source of sapphires, And it contains gold dust. 7 That path no bird knows, Nor has the falcon's eye seen it. 8 The proud lions have not trodden it, Nor has the fierce lion passed over it. 9 He puts his hand on the flint; He overturns the mountains at the roots. 10 He cuts out channels in the rocks, And his eye sees every precious thing. 11 He dams up the streams from trickling; What is hidden he brings forth to light. 12 "But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? 13 Man does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the living. 14 The deep says, 'It is not in me'; And the sea says, 'It is not with me.' 15 It cannot be purchased for gold, Nor can silver be weighed for its price. 16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx or sapphire. 17 Neither gold nor crystal can equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold. 18 No mention shall be made of coral or quartz, For the price of wisdom is above rubies. 19 The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold. 20"From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? 21 It is hidden from the eyes of all living, And concealed from the birds of the air. 22 Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard a report about it with our ears.' 23 God understands its way, And He knows its place. 24 For He looks to the ends of the earth, And sees under the whole heavens, 25 To establish a weight for the wind, And apportion the waters by measure. 26 When He made a law for the rain, And a path for the thunderbolt, 27 Then He saw wisdom and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out. 28 And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.' "
Job uses the mining illustration, demonstrating that man is an expert at discovering and digging out precious metals. Not only is wisdom far more valuable than rubies, but it is more illusive than the rarest of jewels. Today we would probably update Job’s illustration and say something like this: Man can do amazing things through his technology, yet he knows little of true wisdom. But praise God there is a place to find wisdom. It is found with the Lord and with Him alone. As Paul writes in I Tim. 1:17, he is the only wise God.
This chapter closes with a grand statement concerning how a human being can be wise. Before it was penned by the Psalmist or by Solomon in the Proverbs, Job tells us, “The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding” (28:28). The secret to wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Focus on self and the world will never yield wisdom, no matter how intelligent a person is. It is when we focus on the Lord and live our entire life with respect to His approval that we will find wisdom.
II. Job’s Final Words (Chapter 29-31)
A. Oh for the Good Old Days (Chapter 29)
We have all heard people talk about “the good old days,” whether they use that specific term or not. A teacher longs to return to the days when children could be disciplined at school. A farmer wishes for those old tools that were made to last. A mom longs for the days when her children were babies, before they faced all the pressures of today’s world. Rhonda and my mom got a big laugh out of watching me at the Farm and Ranch Museum in Las Cruces a few years ago. They had an old Sears and Roebuck catalogue and I found it fascinating. Sometimes children laugh about Dad or Granddad talking about the days when he used to walk five miles uphill to school in knee-deep snow, only to have to walk five miles uphill on the way home. My mom suggested that I was trying to order from it because I liked the prices. Maybe she was right.
Well, Job longed for the good old days. Let’s just let him speak for himself, as we listen to 29:1-11…
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.
Job describes how the Lord watched over him. As a result, he was loved and respected by all those around him. No wonder he wanted to return to former times. He longed to trade his present pain for the wonderful life he had known before the turmoil of the last few months.
Now we come to verse 12. Notice the first word, “Because.” Job is going to explain why he believes the Lord had blessed him. Let’s read it in verses 12-17…
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.
Job speaks of his righteousness. Notice the nature of his righteousness. Primarily it consisted of Job helping the poor, the widows, the blind and the lame. Job had some understanding of true godliness. I remind you of what the New Testament writer James says: "If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. 27. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world" (James 1:26-27).
Don’t miss the connection here, highlighted by the word “because.” Job was enjoying the blessings of God in the good old days. Why? In his mind, it was because he was living a righteous life, relieving the afflictions of the poor and hurting. Keep that in mind as we read the next section of this chapter.
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. 23They 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 expected things to continue just as they were. He thought he would die in his comfortable “nest.” Why? Because he was continuing to do the things he knew was right. If God was blessing him for his righteousness and he was continuing to live a righteous life, therefore God must keep blessing him with good health, a wonderful family, and an abundance of possessions. So Job thought. But there is a flaw in his thinking. God gives temporal blessing according to His own plan and purposes. He gives and takes away, and that process does not depend on man’s righteousness. Does God sometimes give and abundance of temporal blessings to reward a believer’s faithfulness? Yes, but not always. We cannot insist that God’s purposes line up with our sense of fairness.
As the chapter ends, the theme returns to Job’s life of blessing and ministry.
B. But Woe Is Me (Chapter 30)
Job expected everything to continue as it was, but then we come to chapter 30. Though he expected to die contentedly in his nest, he now knows differently. Notice the opening words of chapter 30 -- “But now.” “I expected blessing, but now woe is me.” Steve Lawson entitles this chapter “The Great Depression,” and that is quite accurate. Lawson outlines the chapter as follows…
1. Job’s foes despise him (1-15)
2. Job’s body devastates him (16-19)
3. Job’s God deserts him (20-23)
4. Job’s hope departs from him (24-31)
Think on those ideas as I read through the chapter. Job 30…
"But now they mock at me, men younger than I, Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock. 2 Indeed, what profit is the strength of their hands to me? Their vigor has perished. 3They are gaunt from want and famine, Fleeing late to the wilderness, desolate and waste, 4 Who pluck mallow by the bushes, And broom tree roots for their food. 5 They were driven out from among men, They shouted at them as at a thief. 6 They had to live in the clefts of the valleys, In caves of the earth and the rocks. 7 Among the bushes they brayed, Under the nettles they nestled. 8 They were sons of fools, Yes, sons of vile men; They were scourged from the land. 9"And now I am their taunting song; Yes, I am their byword. 10 They abhor me, they keep far from me; They do not hesitate to spit in my face. 11 Because He has loosed my bowstring and afflicted me, They have cast off restraint before me. 12 At my right hand the rabble arises; They push away my feet, And they raise against me their ways of destruction. 13 They break up my path, They promote my calamity; They have no helper. 14 They come as broad breakers; Under the ruinous storm they roll along. 15 Terrors are turned upon me; They pursue my honor as the wind, And my prosperity has passed like a cloud. 16 "And now my soul is poured out because of my plight; The days of affliction take hold of me. 17 My bones are pierced in me at night, And my gnawing pains take no rest. 18 By great force my garment is disfigured; It binds me about as the collar of my coat. 19 He has cast me into the mire, And I have become like dust and ashes. 20 "I cry out to You, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You regard me. 21 But You have become cruel to me; With the strength of Your hand You oppose me. 22 You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride on it; You spoil my success. 23 For I know that You will bring me to death, And to the house appointed for all living. 24 "Surely He would not stretch out His hand against a heap of ruins, If they cry out when He destroys it. 25 Have I not wept for him who was in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor? 26 But when I looked for good, evil came to me; And when I waited for light, then came darkness. 27 My heart is in turmoil and cannot rest; Days of affliction confront me. 28 I go about mourning, but not in the sun; I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help. 29 I am a brother of jackals, And a companion of ostriches. 30 My skin grows black and falls from me; My bones burn with fever. 31 My harp is turned to mourning, And my flute to the voice of those who weep.
You will notice that verses 1-15 describe a situation that is exactly opposite that set forth in the first 11 verses of chapter 29. Now rather than being respected by all, he is despised by even the worst of men. His bodily pains gnaw at him day and night, and he is keenly aware that God is the one responsible for it. He anticipates that God will continue to oppose him the rest of his life. Even in the midst of such hopelessness, Job can’t forget the fact that he helped the poor and troubled. It would seem that all hope is gone
C. But I Am Innocent (Chapter 31)
In the bulk of this chapter Job protests his innocence. Let’s read it and then I will make a few comments. Job 31…
I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman? 2 For what is the allotment of God from above, And the inheritance of the Almighty from on high? 3 Is it not destruction for the wicked, And disaster for the workers of iniquity? 4 Does He not see my ways, And count all my steps? 5 "If I have walked with falsehood, Or if my foot has hastened to deceit, 6 Let me be weighed on honest scales, That God may know my integrity. 7 If my step has turned from the way, Or my heart walked after my eyes, Or if any spot adheres to my hands, 8Then let me sow, and another eat; Yes, let my harvest be rooted out. 9 "If my heart has been enticed by a woman, Or if I have lurked at my neighbor's door, 10 Then let my wife grind for another, And let others bow down over her. 11 For that would be wickedness; Yes, it would be iniquity deserving of judgment. 12 For that would be a fire that consumes to destruction, And would root out all my increase. 13 "If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant When they complained against me, 14 What then shall I do when God rises up? When He punishes, how shall I answer Him? 15 Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb? 16 "If I have kept the poor from their desire, Or caused the eyes of the widow to fail, 17 Or eaten my morsel by myself, So that the fatherless could not eat of it 18 (But from my youth I reared him as a father, And from my mother's womb I guided the widow);19 If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, Or any poor man without covering; 20 If his heart has not blessed me, And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep; 21 If I have raised my hand against the fatherless, When I saw I had help in the gate; 22 Then let my arm fall from my shoulder, Let my arm be torn from the socket. 23 For destruction from God is a terror to me, And because of His magnificence I cannot endure. 24 "If I have made gold my hope, Or said to fine gold, 'You are my confidence'; 25 If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, And because my hand had gained much; 26 If I have observed the sun when it shines, Or the moon moving in brightness, 27 So that my heart has been secretly enticed, And my mouth has kissed my hand; 28 This also would be an iniquity deserving of judgment, For I would have denied God who is above. 29 "If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, Or lifted myself up when evil found him 30 (Indeed I have not allowed my mouth to sin By asking for a curse on his soul); 31 If the men of my tent have not said, 'Who is there that has not been satisfied with his meat?' 32 (But no sojourner had to lodge in the street, For I have opened my doors to the traveler); 33 If I have covered my transgressions as Adam, By hiding my iniquity in my bosom, 34Because I feared the great multitude, And dreaded the contempt of families, So that I kept silence And did not go out of the door-- 35 Oh, that I had one to hear me! Here is my mark. Oh, that the Almighty would answer me, That my Prosecutor had written a book! 36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, And bind it on me like a crown; 37 I would declare to Him the number of my steps; Like a prince I would approach Him. 38 "If my land cries out against me, And its furrows weep together; 39 If I have eaten its fruit without money, Or caused its owners to lose their lives; 40Then let thistles grow instead of wheat, And weeds instead of barley." The words of Job are ended.
1. Job’s statement of purity (1-4)
Job uses very picturesque and poetic language to declare his purity before the Lord. “I have made a covenant with my eyes.” He is simply saying that early in his life he determined by the grace of God not to lust after women. Why should he do that, when he knows full well the consequences of sin, defined here as “destruction for the wicked and disaster for the workers of iniquity.” Since God sees all of his ways, why should Job do wrong in his sight? It would be foolish for him to do so, and he declares soberly and sincerely that he has not done so.
2. Job’s examples of godliness (5-34, 38-40)
Abstaining from sexual lust is only the beginning of Job’s godliness. He spends almost all of the rest of this long chapter using a particular literary form to proclaim his innocence of evil living. Again and again, he repeats the basic them he begins in verse 5, “If I have walked with falsehood, or if my foot has hastened to deceit…” Each time he lists a particular evil practice, he then says that if it is so, he will pay the consequences. But Job’s point is this -- but I am not guilty of any of these things. Rather than just say it straight out, he uses this literally device to make his point with great force. Though approaching from a negative stance, he speaks of his purity, his integrity, his faithfulness, his impartiality, his charity, his humility, and his hospitality.
3. Job’s final appeal (35-37)
We find Job’s final appeal in verses 35-37, ”Oh, that I had one to hear me! Here is my mark. Oh, that the Almighty would answer me, That my Prosecutor had written a book! 36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, And bind it on me like a crown; 37 I would declare to Him the number of my steps; Like a prince I would approach Him.” In most translations these words are set off by dashes or by parenthesis. That is because they suddenly appear and then Job goes back to what he was saying.
The only big question of interpretation is this: Who is this Prosecutor (“adversary” in KJV and most other translations) at the end of verse 35? While some take it to be a reference to Job’s friends, most take it to be referring to the Lord Himself. The NKJV obviously takes it that way, as evidenced by the capital “P.”
Job longs for someone to hear him. Above all, he wants the Lord to hear him and take notice of his arguments. Notice the words, “Oh that the Almighty would answer me.” This is nothing new, as Job has commented more than once that he does not feel like the Lord is listening. Job longs for God to set down the charges against him in writing. As you can see, Job refuses to let this thing go. Over and over, he has insisted that the Lord tell him what he has done wrong, and now he is appealing one last time. Just before these words, Job said, “Here is my mark.” The ESV renders it, “Here is my signature!” In other words, I am putting my signature to my defense. Now he wants his Prosecutor, God, to write out His charges. The the Lord would do so, Job would wear those charges on his shoulder. He would set them on himself like a crown. Why? Because he feels like he could answer those charges and prove himself to be in the right. Job would carefully explain every detail of his righteous life, with the dignity of a prince.
This is Job’s final appeal, and it is a strong one indeed. Job is absolutely convinced that he is in the right and deserves a hearing from the Lord Himself.
Conclusion
Chapter 31 concludes with these words: “The words of Job are ended.” After his friends had ceased to speak, Job went on for five chapters. He has said plenty, but now he’s done. But wait a minute. Job has finished speaking, but there are still 11 more chapters in the book of Job. What now? Who will speak next? You might have noticed that the one person who has not weighed in is God Himself. The Lord spoke to Satan in chapters one and two, but throughout this entire debate, He has not said a word, and that is what really bothers Job. Will the Lord finally speak?
As we think about next week, we might ask ourselves, “What am I saying to God these days?” While we can see that Job said some things he should not have said, what about us? Are we dealing with God at all? What are you saying to Him? What are you asking? How do you evaluate your conversion with the Lord?
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