Job 13

Job 13:1

13:1-19 Job scolds his critics. They have not said anything new. He wants to plead his case with God, not with these forgers of lies and worthless physicians. If they kept silent, people would think they were wise. Their explanation of God’s action was not true; they would be accountable to Him for it. Their arguments were weak and useless. If they would just be quiet, he would plead his case . . . before God and commit his life to Him. He is confident he will be vindicated, but even if God were to slay him he will still trust the Lord. 13:20-28 From 13:20 through 14:22, Job addresses God directly. He begs relief from suffering and demands an explanation of why God is treating him so severely. He wastes away like a rotten thing, a moth-eaten garmentscarcely worthy of such notice by God. Francis Andersen evaluates Job’s words as follows: Here Job shows himself to be a more honest observer, a more exuberant thinker, than the friends. The mind reels at the immensity of his conception of God. The little deity in the theology of Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar is easily thought and easily believed. But a faith like Job’s puts the human spirit to strenuous work.