No One Can Argue with God
Study note
Job agrees in principle that a human cannot be righteous before God. But his argument is not about sin -- it is about power. God is so wise and mighty that no one can challenge him and win. God moves mountains, shakes the earth, commands the sun, and created the constellations. He passes by unseen, and no one can stop him or question what he does.
1 Then Job answered, Then Job answered and said,
2 'I know all of that is true. But how could any person ever prove they are in the right when standing before God?' I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?
3 'What if someone tried to argue with God? They could not answer even one question out of a thousand.' If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.
4 'God has incredible wisdom and enormous strength. Has anyone ever gone up against him and come out on top?' He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?
5 'He moves entire mountains before they even realize what happened. He flips them over when his anger flares up.' Which removeth the mountains, and they know not: which overturneth them in his anger.
6 'He shakes the ground right off its foundations, and the pillars holding it up start to tremble.' Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.
7 'He can order the sun not to come up. He can lock away the stars so none of them shine.' Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars.
8 'All by himself, he spread out the sky. He walks right across the top of the ocean waves.' Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.
9 'He is the one who made the Bear, Orion, the Pleiades, and all the star groups in the southern sky.' Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south.
10 'The amazing things he does go way beyond what our minds can grasp. There is no means to count all his wonders.' Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number.
11 'If he walks right by me, I cannot see him. If he passes in front of me, I do not even sense it.' Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not.
12 'If he decides to take something away, nobody can stop him. Nobody has the right to ask him, "What do you think you are doing?"' Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say unto him, What doest thou?
Job Cannot Get a Fair Hearing
Study note
Job feels trapped. Even if he were completely innocent, he could not defend himself before God. If God decided to argue with him, Job could not answer even one question in a thousand. He says God crushes him with storms and multiplies his wounds for no reason. Job makes a shocking claim: God destroys both the innocent and the wicked.
13 'God does not hold his anger back. Even the mightiest forces of chaos bow down flat before him.' If God will not withdraw his anger, the proud helpers do stoop under him.
14 'So how in the world could I ever argue my case with someone like that? How could I even begin to find the right words?' How much less shall I answer him, and choose out my words to reason with him?
15 'Even if I were completely innocent, I would have no answer. All I could do is beg the one judging me to show mercy.' Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer, but I would make supplication to my judge.
16 'Even if I called out to him and he answered, I still don't think he would listen to what I have to say.' If I had called, and he had answered me; yet would I not believe that he had hearkened unto my voice.
17 'He uses a storm to crush me and piles more wounds on me for no reason at all.' For he breaketh me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause.
18 'He refuses to let me catch my breath. He keeps filling me up with bitterness.' He will not suffer me to take my breath, but filleth me with bitterness.
19 'If this comes down to raw power, he is obviously the strong one. If it comes down to a fair trial, who is going to make him show up?' If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong: and if of judgment, who shall set me a time to plead?
20 'Even if I were innocent, the words from my own mouth would end up condemning me. Even if I were blameless, my own words would make me look guilty.' If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.
21 'I am blameless, but I do not even care about my own life anymore. I am sick of living.' Though I were perfect, yet would I not know my soul: I would despise my life.
22 'It all ends up the same way. Therefore I keep saying: he wipes out people who are blameless right alongside the wicked.' This is one thing, therefore I said it, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.
23 'When a sudden disaster kills people, he laughs at the suffering of innocent ones.' If the scourge slay suddenly, he will laugh at the trial of the innocent.
24 'The whole world gets handed over to wicked people. He blindfolds the judges so they cannot see what is right. If it is not God doing this, then who is?' The earth is given into the hand of the wicked: he covereth the faces of the judges thereof; if not, where, and who is he?
If Only There Were a Mediator
Study note
Job's days are racing past. No matter how much he tries to cheer up, he is terrified because he knows God will not declare him innocent. He says that even if he washed himself perfectly clean, God would plunge him into a muddy ditch. Job's deepest wish is for a mediator -- someone who could stand between him and God and lay a hand on both of them. Without such a person, Job feels he cannot speak to God without fear.
25 'My life is speeding by faster than a runner. Every day flies past without a single good thing in sight.' Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good.
26 'My days rush by like the fastest boats on the water, like a hawk diving straight down on something to eat.' They are passed away as the swift ships: as the eagle that hasteth to the prey.
27 'If I try to tell myself, "I am going to stop complaining and put a smile on my face,"' If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my heaviness, and comfort myself:
28 'the terror of my suffering comes flooding right back. I know you are not going to say I am innocent.' I am afraid of all my sorrows, I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent.
29 'I have already been found guilty. So why should I keep wearing myself out for nothing?' If I be wicked, why then labour I in vain?
30 'Even if I scrubbed myself with the purest soap and made my hands spotlessly clean,' If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean;
31 'you would throw me headfirst into a filthy pit, and even my own clothes would be disgusted to touch me.' Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me.
32 'God is not a regular person like me. I cannot challenge him to a face-to-face meeting in a courtroom.' For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment.
33 'If only there were a referee between us, someone who could put one hand on me and the other on God --' Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both.
34 'someone who could make God back off so that I would not be so terrified of him anymore.' Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me:
35 'Then I could speak up without being afraid. But that is not how things are for me right now.' Then would I speak, and not fear him; but it is not so with me.