Job 23

Job 23:1

2. Job’s Response (Chaps. 23, 24)Chapters 23 and 24 are all one speech, merely divided for convenience by the ancient Bible scholars. Job develops three main themes in chapter 23: his longing to present his case at God’s throne (vv. 1-9); his defense of his own righteous lifestyle (vv. 10-12); and his fear of God as if He were his adversary (vv. 13-17). 23:1-9 Job’s complaint is bitter. If only he could come to God’s throne and find Him! Spurgeon comments: His first prayer is not “O that I might be healed of the disease which now festers in every part of my body!” nor even “O that I might see my children restored from the jaws of the grave, and my property once more brought from the hand of the spoiler!” but the first and uppermost cry is, “O that I knew where I might find HIM, who is my God! that I might come even to His seat!” God’s children run home when the storm comes on. It is the heaven-born instinct of a gracious soul to seek shelter from all ills beneath the wings of Jehovah. Job is confident that if he could approach the Lord He would have to admit that Job was righteous and so he would be delivered forever from his Judge. 23:10-12 Verse 10 is often quoted to prove the sanctifying effects of trials, but in context it is really Job’s confidence in a “not-guilty” verdict. In the meantime God acts in an arbitrary manner, and His fearful judgments leave Job terrified. In spite of this, Job believes that if his case were to ever come to trial at God’s Judgment Seat, he would be found to be as pure as gold and to have been always obedient to God’s words, which he has treasured . . . more than his necessary food. The lovely words of verse 10 are well worth learning by heart for our own lives: But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.23:13-17 Meanwhile the unique and apparently arbitrary God does whatever His soul desires and Job is afraid of Him, and even terrified, because God has made Job’s heart weak.