Job 26:1–31:40 Job's Finial Response to His Friends

Job 26:1-14 Job Declares God's Awesome Power

But Job answered and said:

²“How have you helped him who is without power?

How have you saved the arm that has no strength?

³How have you counseled one who has no wisdom?

And how have you declared sound advice to many?

⁴To whom have you uttered words?

And whose spirit came from you?

⁵“The dead tremble,

Those under the waters and those inhabiting them.

⁶Sheol is naked before Him,

And Destruction has no covering.

⁷He stretches out the north over empty space;

He hangs the earth on nothing.

⁸He binds up the water in His thick clouds,

Yet the clouds are not broken under it.

⁹He covers the face of His throne,

And spreads His cloud over it.

¹⁰He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters,

At the boundary of light and darkness.

¹¹The pillars of heaven tremble,

And are astonished at His rebuke.

¹²He stirs up the sea with His power,

And by His understanding He breaks up the storm.

¹³By His Spirit He adorned the heavens;

His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.

¹⁴Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,

And how small a whisper we hear of Him!

But the thunder of His power who can understand?”

27:1-23 Job Steadfastly Holds to his Righteousness

¹Moreover 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,

³As long as my breath is in me,

And the breath of God in my nostrils,

⁴My lips will not speak wickedness,

Nor my tongue utter deceit.

⁵Far be it from me

That I should say you are right;

Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.

⁶My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go;

My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live.

⁷“May my enemy be like the wicked,

And he who rises up against me like the unrighteous.

⁸For what is the hope of the hypocrite,

Though he may gain much, If God takes away his life?

⁹Will God hear his cry

When trouble comes upon him?

¹⁰Will 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.

¹²Surely 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:

¹⁴If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword;

And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.

¹⁵Those who survive him shall be buried in death,

And their widows shall not weep,

¹⁶Though he heaps up silver like dust,

And piles up clothing like clay—

¹⁷He may pile it up, but the just will wear it,

And the innocent will divide the silver.

¹⁸He builds his house like a moth,

Like a booth which a watchman makes.

¹⁹The rich man will lie down,

But not be gathered up; He opens his eyes,

And he is no more.

²⁰Terrors overtake him like a flood;

A tempest steals him away in the night.

²¹The east wind carries him away, and he is gone;

It sweeps him out of his place.

²²It hurls against him and does not spare;

He flees desperately from its power.

²³Men shall clap their hands at him,

And shall hiss him out of his place.

28:1-28 Job Declares the way to Wisdom

¹“Surely there is a mine for silver,

And a place where gold is refined.

²Iron is taken from the earth,

And copper is smelted from ore. (unlike his friends, Job’s metaphors are really educational if not enlightening)

³Man puts an end to darkness,

And searches every recess

For ore in the darkness and the shadow of death.

⁴He breaks open a shaft away from people;

In places forgotten by feet

They hang far away from men;

They swing to and fro.

⁵As for the earth, from it comes bread,

But underneath it is turned up as by fire;

⁶Its stones are the source of sapphires,

And it contains gold dust.

⁷That path no bird knows,

Nor has the falcon’s eye seen it.

⁸The proud lions have not trodden it,

Nor has the fierce lion passed over it.

⁹He puts his hand on the flint;

He overturns the mountains at the roots.

¹⁰He cuts out channels in the rocks,

And his eye sees every precious thing.

¹¹He 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?

¹³Man does not know its value,

Nor is it found in the land of the living.

¹⁴The deep says, ‘It is not in me’;

And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’

¹⁵It cannot be purchased for gold,

Nor can silver be weighed for its price.

¹⁶It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,

In precious onyx or sapphire.

¹⁷Neither gold nor crystal can equal it,

Nor can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold.

¹⁸No mention shall be made of coral or quartz,

For the price of wisdom is above rubies.

¹⁹The 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?

²¹It is hidden from the eyes of all living,

And concealed from the birds of the air.

²²Destruction and Death say,

‘We have heard a report about it with our ears.’

²³God understands its way,

And He knows its place.

²⁴For He looks to the ends of the earth,

And sees under the whole heavens,

²⁵To establish a weight for the wind,

And apportion the waters by measure.

²⁶When He made a law for the rain, And a path for the thunderbolt,

²⁷Then He saw wisdom and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out.

²⁸And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.’ ”

29:1-25 Job Longs for Days Past  

¹Job further continued his discourse, and said:

²“Oh, that I were as in months past,

As in the days when God watched over me;

³When His lamp shone upon my head,

And when by His light I walked through darkness;

⁴Just as I was in the days of my prime,

When the friendly counsel of God was over my tent;

⁵When the Almighty was yet with me,

When my children were around me;

⁶When 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,

⁸The young men saw me and hid,

And the aged arose and stood;

⁹The princes refrained from talking,

And put their hand on their mouth;

¹⁰The voice of nobles was hushed,

And their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.

¹¹When the ear heard, then it blessed me,

And when the eye saw, then it approved me;

¹²Because I delivered the poor who cried out,

The fatherless and the one who had no helper.

¹³The blessing of a perishing man came upon me,

And I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.

¹⁴I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;

My justice was like a robe and a turban.

¹⁵I was eyes to the blind,

And I was feet to the lame.

¹⁶I was a father to the poor,

And I searched out the case that I did not know.

¹⁷I broke the fangs of the wicked,

And plucked the victim from his teeth.

¹⁸“Then I said, ‘I shall die in my nest,

And multiply my days as the sand.

¹⁹My root is spread out to the waters,

And the dew lies all night on my branch.

²⁰My 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.

²²After 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.

²⁴If I mocked at them, they did not believe it,

And the light of my countenance they did not cast down.

²⁵I chose the way for them, and sat as chief;

So I dwelt as a king in the army, As one who comforts mourners.

30:1-31 Job Decries His Fallen Stature 

¹“But now they mock at me, men younger than I,

Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock.

²Indeed, 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,

⁴Who pluck mallow by the bushes,

And broom tree roots for their food.

⁵They were driven out from among men,

They shouted at them as at a thief.

⁶They had to live in the clefts of the valleys,

In caves of the earth and the rocks.

⁷Among the bushes they brayed,

Under the nettles they nestled.

⁸They 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.

¹⁰They abhor me, they keep far from me;

They do not hesitate to spit in my face.

¹¹Because He has loosed my bowstring and afflicted me,

They have cast off restraint before me.

¹²At my right hand the rabble arises;

They push away my feet,

And they raise against me their ways of destruction.

¹³They break up my path,

They promote my calamity; They have no helper.

¹⁴They come as broad breakers;

Under the ruinous storm they roll along.

¹⁵Terrors 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.

¹⁷My bones are pierced in me at night,

And my gnawing pains take no rest.

¹⁸By great force my garment is disfigured;

It binds me about as the collar of my coat.

¹⁹He 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.

²¹But You have become cruel to me;

With the strength of Your hand You oppose me.

²²You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride on it;

You spoil my success.

²³For 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.

²⁵Have I not wept for him who was in trouble?

Has not my soul grieved for the poor?

²⁶But when I looked for good, evil came to me;

And when I waited for light, then came darkness.

²⁷My heart is in turmoil and cannot rest;

Days of affliction confront me.

²⁸I go about mourning, but not in the sun;

I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help.

²⁹I am a brother of jackals,

And a companion of ostriches.

³⁰My skin grows black and falls from me;

My bones burn with fever.

³¹My harp is turned to mourning,

And my flute to the voice of those who weep.

31:1-40 Job Declares his Righteousness 

¹“I have made a covenant with my eyes;

Why then should I look upon a young woman?

²For what is the allotment of God from above,

And the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?

³Is it not destruction for the wicked,

And disaster for the workers of iniquity?

⁴Does 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,

⁶Let me be weighed on honest scales,

That God may know my integrity.

⁷If 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,

¹⁰Then let my wife grind for another,

And let others bow down over her.

¹¹For that would be wickedness;

Yes, it would be iniquity deserving of judgment.

¹²For 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,

¹⁴What then shall I do when God rises up?

When He punishes, how shall I answer Him?

¹⁵Did 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,

¹⁷Or 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);

¹⁹If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,

Or any poor man without covering;

²⁰If his heart has not blessed me,

And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;

²¹If I have raised my hand against the fatherless,

When I saw I had help in the gate;

²²Then let my arm fall from my shoulder,

Let my arm be torn from the socket.

²³For 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’;

²⁵If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great,

And because my hand had gained much;

²⁶If I have observed the sun when it shines,

Or the moon moving in brightness,

²⁷So that my heart has been secretly enticed,

And my mouth has kissed my hand;

²⁸This 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);

³¹If 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);

³³If 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—

³⁵Oh, 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!

³⁶Surely I would carry it on my shoulder,

And bind it on me like a crown;

³⁷I 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;

³⁹If 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.

Preamble: Job 26:1-31:40 is all Job’s words. His friends having finished their discourses and Job having endured all their terribly misguided and cruel assaults on his person and character, will now respond with some serious questions of his own. However, during this Job will still fail to see one critical thing, and that is in defending himself, Job has gone on to say some terribly unjustifiable things about God. Things that he must now repent of.

26:1-4 ¹But Job answered and said:

²“How have you helped him who is without power?

How have you saved the arm that has no strength?

³How have you counseled one who has no wisdom?

And how have you declared sound advice to many?

⁴To whom have you uttered words?

And whose spirit came from you?

When Eliphaz began his discourses, he first acknowledged that Job had indeed been a counsellor to many, that he had been a man who strengthened weak hands with his words, that people had been blessed and encouraged by him (see Job 4:3-4). And so now Job asks Bildad the previous speaker (and by default all his friends) how have you done the same? Since you consider yourselves wise men where then are the people you have helped and saved? Where then are the people whom you kept back from destruction? Whose arm have you strengthened? And whose spirit was uplifted by you? Since you so readily and easily condemn me which such utter cruelty, where is the wisdom in that?

26:5-14 ⁵“The dead tremble,

Those under the waters and those inhabiting them.

⁶Sheol is naked before Him,

And Destruction has no covering.

⁷He stretches out the north over empty space;

He hangs the earth on nothing.

⁸He binds up the water in His thick clouds,

Yet the clouds are not broken under it.

⁹He covers the face of His throne,

And spreads His cloud over it.

¹⁰He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters,

At the boundary of light and darkness.

¹¹The pillars of heaven tremble,

And are astonished at His rebuke.

¹²He stirs up the sea with His power,

And by His understanding He breaks up the storm.

¹³By His Spirit He adorned the heavens;

His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.

¹⁴Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,

And how small a whisper we hear of Him!

But the thunder of His power who can understand?”

Job now changes gears and his tone to declare the fear of God, that is known everywhere and falls on everything, for it even rests upon those in Sheol, for there the dead tremble at the Presence of God (vs. 5). Indeed, Sheol is naked before Him and Destruction has no covering (vs. 6). Nothing then can hide from Him, or is hidden from Him. Job goes on then wonderfully describing the wisdom of God in stretching out the north over empty space and hanging the earth on nothing (vs. 7), These sorts of insights were unheard of then, and are things that even modern science cannot fully explain now. Job continues by marveling at the thick black clouds that are filled with water by Him and yet they do not break (vs. 8). These works then, and so much more, show God Wise and Sovereign. Even God’s Throne is hidden from our sight, hidden by His cloud to conceal it (vs. 9). Job then describes where the earthly sky and outer space meet (vs. 10). And so, from the depths of Sheol to the heights of heaven, even there the pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at His rebuke (vs. 11). The Wisdom of God, the fear of God, then is everywhere! Returning to earth, it is God who stirs up the sea by His power, and it is He by His understanding who breaks up the storm (vs. 12). For God by His Spirit adorned the heavens; Job also marvelously sees the Holy Spirit in all of God’s creative genius and works; an insight that his friends do not show; and that by His hand God pierced the fleeing serpent (vs. 13), which is a direct reference to Leviathan, an ancient sea creature that is at times symbolically used of Satan in the Bible, but which some cultures have exalted because of its great power, nonetheless it is in fact only completely subject and subservient to God and His power is Job's point. Job then concludes by saying these are the mere edges of His ways, and how small a whisper we hear of Him, (that is how little we really know about Him, which was then a reality, for the Word of God had not yet been fully given, not anywhere near its entirety, as it now has been). Remember too Job lived before Abraham, but sometime after Noah. And so, even though Job had a limited revelation of God, he had a sound revelation of Him, which is something God affords everyone, until through their own sin and or rebellion against Him they lose it and or distort it. In concluding Job considers the thunder of God’s power, the most powerful sound in nature that seemingly appears out of nowhere and fills the heavens and mankind’s hearts, indeed every living creatures’ heart, with great fear and trepidation. Who then can understand it, says Job (vs. 14).

27:1-6 ¹Moreover 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,

³As long as my breath is in me,

And the breath of God in my nostrils,

⁴My lips will not speak wickedness,

Nor my tongue utter deceit.

⁵Far be it from me

That I should say you are right;

Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.

⁶My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go;

My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live.

Job’s words here are a mix of rashness and thoughtlessness born out of his own broken heartedness, for that is the only way one can understand them here. Interesting though Job is the only one who says of God that He lives, which is a true declaration of faith, but then he sabotages this himself by charging God with wronging him! By saying that God has taken away his justice, and that it is the Almighty who has made his soul bitter (vs. 1-2). Now to rebuke God is an extremely serious matter, and yet Job does not see his very grave error (he will though). Job goes on then to declare that he will not speak wickedly or deceitfully as his friends have (vs. 3-4), absolutely refusing then to give any validation to his friend’s accusations against him (vs. 5). But again, by charging God with wronging him (which is an absolutely indefensible position for Job or anyone else to take) Job has now crossed into the realm of indefensible and wicked speech and yet he does not see that. Instead, he reverts back to his self justification saying, “Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.

⁶My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go;

My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live.”

And so yes, Job has/had great integrity, for he was declared blameless by God before this all happened to him, but during the course of his trials we have seen Job’s hurt and anguish, and even at times anger whittle it all away. Job then is being made to see that he like all others on earth is in need of salvation. For it is only by God’s grace that he (and we) can stand in the Presence of God and be justified by Him. For now, though Job will go and give us some great discourses on the wicked mans plight, correcting some of what his friends distorted and or misrepresented, as he continues to seek to vindicate himself.

27:7-10 ⁷“May my enemy be like the wicked,

And he who rises up against me like the unrighteous.

⁸For what is the hope of the hypocrite,

Though he may gain much, If God takes away his life?

⁹Will God hear his cry

When trouble comes upon him?

¹⁰Will he delight himself in the Almighty?

Will he always call on God?

Job now pronounces judgement on his enemies, on all those who rise up against him, saying may their end be like the wicked and the unrighteous. Job goes on then to condemn the hypocrite, the one who pretends to have faith in God, but in reality doesn't, who only sees having faith in God as a means to enrich oneself in someway. And so Job says though they gain much if God takes away their life will God hear their cry? Will God listen to them when trouble comes upon them? If they never really believed in Him or trusted Him? Will they then delight themselves in the Almighty when things go ill with them, will they always call on God, as Job has? For its one thing to have faith in God in the good and prosperous times, its quite another to keep faith in Him even when your whole world is falling apart all around you. Nonetheless Job has kept his faith in God, but would his friends if they were subject to the same? Is Job’s question to them.

27:11-12 ¹¹“I will teach you about the hand of God;

What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.

¹²Surely all of you have seen it;

Why then do you behave with complete nonsense?

Job having heard his friends nonsensical reasonings about the wicked persons plight, will now declare in truth how God deals with them, how He brings them down to their end (27:13-23). Now in some ways this is even a self-correction for Job about this, about his having previously complained that they are at ease while he himself is so troubled.  

27:13-23 ¹³“This is the portion of a wicked man with God,

And the heritage of oppressors, received from the Almighty:

¹⁴If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword;

And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.

¹⁵Those who survive him shall be buried in death,

And their widows shall not weep,

¹⁶Though he heaps up silver like dust,

And piles up clothing like clay—

¹⁷He may pile it up, but the just will wear it,

And the innocent will divide the silver.

¹⁸He builds his house like a moth,

Like a booth which a watchman makes.

¹⁹The rich man will lie down,

But not be gathered up; He opens his eyes,

And he is no more.

²⁰Terrors overtake him like a flood;

A tempest steals him away in the night.

²¹The east wind carries him away, and he is gone;

It sweeps him out of his place.

²²It hurls against him and does not spare;

He flees desperately from its power.

²³Men shall clap their hands at him,

And shall hiss him out of his place.

Previously Job refuted his friends’ false and misleading declarations that the wicked always spend their days in darkness and troubles etc., but now Job gives the other side to that, and that is though they may prosper for a season there is a day of reckoning for the wicked. And so now Job marvelously declares God’s Judgment on the wicked and the oppressor, saying that if their children are multiplied it is for the sword; that is, as they lived and done violently, so they will perish violently, as they have been corrupt and unjust so to will their offspring know hunger (vs. 13-14). And those offspring that survive shall be buried in death; meaning their lives and legacies down here will be shortened (consider Prov. 10:27). As for their widow’s they shall not weep; at least not like those who mourn the passing of the righteous and just person (vs. 15). And as for their ill-begotten wealth, though they heap it up, nonetheless one day it will be redistributed to the just (vs. 16-17). Their homes too then are temporary, like the dwelling of the moth, and like the booth (i.e. a temporary shelter) which a watchman makes (vs. 18). And like the Scripture throughout, Job does not see the rich man as someone to be honored simply because they are “rich.” (consider Job 34:19; Psalm 49:16-20; Prov. 22:16; 28:6; Jeremiah 5:26-29; 9:23-24; Micah 6:10-12; Luke 6:24-26; 12:16-21; James 1:9-11; 2:1-13; 5:1-6 etc.). Instead, Job sees their end as those who die without knowing God, for having never feared Him, nor believed in Him, their lives end in terror on their death beds before they are swept away into eternity forever, righteous and just men then shall rejoice at their passing! (Vs. 19-23, consider Prov. 11:10)

28:1-28 ¹“Surely there is a mine for silver,

And a place where gold is refined.

²Iron is taken from the earth,

And copper is smelted from ore.

³Man puts an end to darkness,

And searches every recess

For ore in the darkness and the shadow of death.

⁴He breaks open a shaft away from people;

In places forgotten by feet

They hang far away from men;

They swing to and fro.

⁵As for the earth, from it comes bread,

But underneath it is turned up as by fire;

⁶Its stones are the source of sapphires,

And it contains gold dust.

⁷That path no bird knows,

Nor has the falcon’s eye seen it.

⁸The proud lions have not trodden it,

Nor has the fierce lion passed over it.

⁹He puts his hand on the flint;

He overturns the mountains at the roots.

¹⁰He cuts out channels in the rocks,

And his eye sees every precious thing.

¹¹He 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?

¹³Man does not know its value,

Nor is it found in the land of the living.

¹⁴The deep says, ‘It is not in me’;

And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’

¹⁵It cannot be purchased for gold,

Nor can silver be weighed for its price.

¹⁶It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,

In precious onyx or sapphire.

¹⁷Neither gold nor crystal can equal it,

Nor can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold.

¹⁸No mention shall be made of coral or quartz,

For the price of wisdom is above rubies.

¹⁹The 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?

²¹It is hidden from the eyes of all living,

And concealed from the birds of the air.

²²Destruction and Death say,

‘We have heard a report about it with our ears.’

²³God understands its way,

And He knows its place.

²⁴For He looks to the ends of the earth,

And sees under the whole heavens,

²⁵To establish a weight for the wind,

And apportion the waters by measure.

²⁶When He made a law for the rain, And a path for the thunderbolt,

²⁷Then He saw wisdom and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out.

²⁸And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.’ ”

Preamble: Job will now begin with a series of wonderful metaphors to try to analogize the hiddenness of wisdom, which though it is sought, is only found by knowing and fearing God (28:28).

Commentary 

Job then begins by describing mans pursuits for gold and silver, iron and copper; the most precious metals in ancient times; as a metaphor for the pursuits of wisdom, wonderfully describing both their mining process as well as their being processed, before he goes on to describe one of the mysteries of the earth (which shows great insight by him, vs. 5-6). Job then rejects any notions that wisdom is found within the animal kingdom on earth (vs. 7-8); something which his friends sarcastically expounded to him, and often is referred to as, “animism.” Job then rejects that any wisdom is found there and instead he once again declares the Sovereign Power of Almighty God which surpasses all (vs. 9-11); before asking the question, but where can wisdom be found? (vs. 12). If its not found in the depths of the earth, and its not found with beasts of the field, where then is wisdom, that the most precious discovery of all to be found? For unlike those who pursue their treasures riches without it; as Job previously described their end; wisdom alone remains with the man who keeps it as his treasure from beginning to end. Job’s metaphors then are really enrichening and enlightening, unlike his friends’ metaphors which were more often than not nonsense, than displaying any sort of true understanding. Moving on then, Job now describes the ancient miners digging a shaft far away in desolate places in pursuit of their “treasures”, spending many days in the confines of darkness, risking their lives swinging to and fro in pursuit of their “treasures” within the mine shaft. And yet the do not consider that all their labors are only for that which does not last, nor will it remain with them.

Thus, Job says of them in verse thirteen,

“Man does not know its value,

Nor is it found in the land of the living.”

If they then don’t have it, nor have they found it. If wisdom isn’t found in hidden in dark places of the earth, and its not found within the animal kingdom, then maybe it is found in the depths of the oceans and seas, however,

“The deep says, ‘It is not in me’;

And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ ^{Vs. 14}

Well, if it cannot be found there, then maybe it can be purchased? However, wisdom is the one commodity that is never for sale, for it cannot be purchased with gold or silver (vs. 15), nor can people bargain or trade for it. Therefore, rich people don’t inherently have it, nor can they buy it. And yet wisdom is far more valuable than the most precious gold of Ophir (an ancient location renowned for its golds purity and abundance) and wisdom is more desirable than precious gem stones, like the onyx or sapphire (vs. 16). And yet none of these even come close to equaling it in its value, just like gold and the finest crystal can never equal it, nor will it be exchanged for jewelry and fine gold (vs. 17). For wisdom is of more valuable than coral or quartz, than rubies and the precious topaz gem stone of Ethiopia. Indeed Godly wisdom cannot be purchased, not even be the finest of gold (vs. 18-19). If then wisdom is not found with the most desirable wealth and treasures, if it does not come from these, “From where then where does come? And where is the place of understanding? ^{Vs. 20}

Job then will go on and answer his own question; but first he says of wisdom that it is hidden from the eyes of all living, that it is concealed even from the birds of the air which soar over everything. For wisdom is not inherently found with man or beast, or even the birds of the air, or any other living being of creation. If wisdom then is not found with the living, then maybe it is found with the dead, however,

“Destruction and Death say,

‘We have heard a report about it with our ears.’ ^{Vs. 22}

Wisdom then is diffidently not found in the grave, it is not found there. Man then should never seek it there, for there is no wisdom in death, only in living and the Lord Jesus Christ died on the Cross so that we all could live. Having then told us where wisdom isn’t, Job will now tell us where it is, and has always been, and will always be, and that is with God, for He alone understands its way and He alone knows its place (vs. 23). For it was by wisdom that He established all the ends of the earth, that He wrote all the laws of physics and nature that govern all of creation (vs. 24-26, also see Prov. 8). Therefore, when God saw wisdom, when He had searched it out, He declared it (vs. 27), and said to man:

“Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,

And to depart from evil is understanding.” ^{Vs. 28}

Wisdom then is found with fearing the Lord, and this we do by believing and obeying His Word. Believe then the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for that is how the wisdom of God comes to live in us, and change us. 

29:1-25 ¹Job further continued his discourse, and said:

²“Oh, that I were as in months past,

As in the days when God watched over me;

³When His lamp shone upon my head,

And when by His light I walked through darkness;

⁴Just as I was in the days of my prime,

When the friendly counsel of God was over my tent;

⁵When the Almighty was yet with me,

When my children were around me;

⁶When 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,

⁸The young men saw me and hid,

And the aged arose and stood;

⁹The princes refrained from talking,

And put their hand on their mouth;

¹⁰The voice of nobles was hushed,

And their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.

¹¹When the ear heard, then it blessed me,

And when the eye saw, then it approved me;

¹²Because I delivered the poor who cried out,

The fatherless and the one who had no helper.

¹³The blessing of a perishing man came upon me,

And I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.

¹⁴I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;

My justice was like a robe and a turban.

¹⁵I was eyes to the blind,

And I was feet to the lame.

¹⁶I was a father to the poor,

And I searched out the case that I did not know.

¹⁷I broke the fangs of the wicked,

And plucked the victim from his teeth.

¹⁸“Then I said, ‘I shall die in my nest,

And multiply my days as the sand.

¹⁹My root is spread out to the waters,

And the dew lies all night on my branch.

²⁰My 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.

²²After 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.

²⁴If I mocked at them, they did not believe it,

And the light of my countenance they did not cast down.

²⁵I chose the way for them, and sat as chief;

So I dwelt as a king in the army, As one who comforts mourners.

29:1-25 Commentary

Job now opens this section of his discourse with a longing for the past, when God watched over him, when the friendly counsel of God was over his tent, for it was God who made all his ways prosperous, and it was then that his children surrounded him, and his life was filled with joy, blessings, and peace from God. (vs. 1-5), “When my steps were bathed with cream, And the rock poured out rivers of oil for me!” ^{vs. 6} When he was revered man in his community, when he stood as a judge and counselor over the people, and people feared and revered his counsels (vs. 7-11):

“Because I delivered the poor who cried out,

The fatherless and the one who had no helper.

¹³The blessing of a perishing man came upon me,

And I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.

¹⁴I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;

My justice was like a robe and a turban.

¹⁵I was eyes to the blind,

And I was feet to the lame.

¹⁶I was a father to the poor,

And I searched out the case that I did not know.

¹⁷I broke the fangs of the wicked,

And plucked the victim from his teeth.” ^{Vs. 12-17}

Thus Job lists some of the righteous ways of his life, delivering the poor who cried out for help, indeed Job was a help to the fatherless, and all who had nowhere and no one to turn too (vs. 12). Job brought rest and refreshing to the perishing man and also saw the widow was guarded from exploitation and abuse (vs. 13). Job's person and life was clothed in righteousness and he wore justice like a rob and turban (vs. 14). Job continues saying, he was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame (vs. 15), thus he made sure they were cared for. Again Job says he was a father to the poor, that is he acted as both a guardian and provider for them, making sure their rights were not denied them. For as he says, he searched out the case he did not know and he broke the fangs of the wicked and plucked the victim from his teeth (vs. 16-17). And so it was in having done righteousness and justice Job believed that his place would be secure, that his glory and health would remain with him, that he would live out the rest of his days in peace (vs. 18-20). Job then recalls in verses twenty-one to twenty five how he was then a man whom men listened too, for they kept silent at his counsels, and when he spoke, they dared not speak again (vs. 21-22). Indeed, men eagerly waited for his words, like those thirsting, who open their mouths wide for the spring rains (vs. 23), so they drank up Job’s words with eagerness. And when Job mocked their counsels as foolishness, none dared rebuke him, because they knew his words were spoken in truth, and as for the light of his countenance it always shone brightly, no one ever put Job to shame before this(vs. 24).

Therefore, says Job,

“I chose the way for them, and sat as chief;

So I dwelt as a king in the army,

As one who comforts mourners.” ^{Vs. 25}

30:1-19 ¹“But now they mock at me, men younger than I,

Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock.

²Indeed, 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,

⁴Who pluck mallow by the bushes,

And broom tree roots for their food.

⁵They were driven out from among men,

They shouted at them as at a thief.

⁶They had to live in the clefts of the valleys,

In caves of the earth and the rocks.

⁷Among the bushes they brayed,

Under the nettles they nestled.

⁸They 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.

¹⁰They abhor me, they keep far from me;

They do not hesitate to spit in my face.

¹¹Because He has loosed my bowstring and afflicted me,

They have cast off restraint before me.

¹²At my right hand the rabble arises;

They push away my feet,

And they raise against me their ways of destruction.

¹³They break up my path,

They promote my calamity;

They have no helper.

¹⁴They come as broad breakers;

Under the ruinous storm they roll along.

¹⁵Terrors 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.

¹⁷My bones are pierced in me at night,

And my gnawing pains take no rest.

¹⁸By great force my garment is disfigured;

It binds me about as the collar of my coat.

¹⁹He has cast me into the mire,

And I have become like dust and ashes.

Job now decrees his fallen status and standing in great detail describing how he was once a prince among men but is now only taunted, even by young men, vile men, sons of fools whose fathers he disdained to even put with his dogs who watched his flocks. But these low degree people now openly  scorn him! And yet they themselves were only driven out from men, shouted at like thieves, they were forced to gather their food in desolate places, to live in the clefts of rocks and lie down amongst the nettles in the fields, yet these men of very low degree fearlessly spit in his face and openly abhor him! Yes, says Job, I have now become their taunting song. (30:1-10),

“Because He has loosed my bowstring and afflicted me,

They have cast off restraint before me.” ^30:11

Job now attributes all of this as happening to him because of God. Saying that God has forsaken him, and so now the rabble violently rises against him, breaking up (or blocking) his paths and promoting his calamity, Job then consoles himself by saying they themselves have no helper, that is God will not be their help (30:12-13). Job continues by saying, “They come as broad breakers, under the ruinous storm they roll along.” ^30:14 He then decries that terrors are now turned upon him, while they pursue his honor which has only passed like the wind, and his prosperity, which has gone away like a cloud (30:15). What can Job say about all of this? except that his soul is pierced because of his plight, and that his life is now only one of affliction, for even his bones pierce him in the night and his pains allow him no rest at night (vs. 16-17).

“By great force my garment is disfigured;

It binds me about as the collar of my coat.” ^30:18

The reference here is not to clothing but rather Job’s own skin and body which has become terribly marred by his affliction, as it binds him to his agony and makes him feel completely helpless in his own skin. Indeed Job sees God now as only having cast him into the dirt and mire where he has become like dust and ashes (30:19).

30:20-31 ²⁰“I cry out to You, but You do not answer me;

I stand up, and You regard me.

²¹But You have become cruel to me;

With the strength of Your hand You oppose me.

²²You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride on it;

You spoil my success.

²³For 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.

²⁵Have I not wept for him who was in trouble?

Has not my soul grieved for the poor?

²⁶But when I looked for good, evil came to me;

And when I waited for light, then came darkness.

²⁷My heart is in turmoil and cannot rest;

Days of affliction confront me.

²⁸I go about mourning, but not in the sun;

I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help.

²⁹I am a brother of jackals,

And a companion of ostriches.

³⁰My skin grows black and falls from me;

My bones burn with fever.

³¹My harp is turned to mourning,

And my flute to the voice of those who weep.

Starting in verse twenty, Job decries his inability to get God to respond to him, that He does not hear him when he cries out to Him, that He only regards him when he stands up; that is when Job stands, He puts him back down, which is not God, but Satan. Job then cannot understand any of it, and so he says to God that He has become cruel to him, and that with the strength of His hand He opposes him (vs. 20-21). Job then says that He only raises him up to put him down again, and yet He will bring Job to death, to the house appointed for all the living (vs. 22-23). Job then sees no good coming to him from God, which is terribly shortsighted. Now if you think Job is unique in this, think again, for how often do we forget all of God’s goodness towards us the minute things go wrong. Job now reasons with God that surely God would not stretch out His Hand against a heap of ruins, if they cry out when He destroys it (vs. 24). Job then in verse twenty five once again declares his own goodness, saying to God, "Have I not wept for him who was in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor?" "But when I looked for good, evil came to me; And when I waited for light, then came darkness." vs. 26

Verses twenty seven to thirty one then are Job's self introspection about his plight, saying his heart is turmoil and cannot rest, that days of affliction confront him (vs. 27). Saying that he goes about mourning but not in sun, for his boils will not allow him even the simple comfort of sunlight, and just as distressing to him is that when he cried out for help in the assembly no one heard him (vs. 28). And so it is Job says that he is now a brother of jackals and a companion of ostriches (vs. 29). And this while he watches his skin grow black and fall from him, even his bones burn with fever (vs. 30). Therefore Job says that his harp is turned to mourning and his flute to the voice of those who weep (vs. 31). There is then no joy or celebration left in Job's life. 

Job 31:1-40 ¹“I have made a covenant with my eyes;

Why then should I look upon a young woman?

²For what is the allotment of God from above,

And the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?

³Is it not destruction for the wicked,

And disaster for the workers of iniquity?

⁴Does 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,

⁶Let me be weighed on honest scales,

That God may know my integrity.

 ⁷If 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,

¹⁰Then let my wife grind for another,

And let others bow down over her.

¹¹For that would be wickedness;

Yes, it would be iniquity deserving of judgment.

¹²For 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,

¹⁴What then shall I do when God rises up?

When He punishes, how shall I answer Him?

¹⁵Did 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,

¹⁷Or 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);

¹⁹If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,

Or any poor man without covering;

²⁰If his heart has not blessed me,

And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;

²¹If I have raised my hand against the fatherless,

When I saw I had help in the gate;

²²Then let my arm fall from my shoulder,

Let my arm be torn from the socket.

²³For 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’;

²⁵If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great,

And because my hand had gained much;

²⁶If I have observed the sun when it shines,

Or the moon moving in brightness,

²⁷So that my heart has been secretly enticed,

And my mouth has kissed my hand;

²⁸This 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);

³¹If 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);

³³If 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—

³⁵Oh, 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!

³⁶Surely I would carry it on my shoulder,

And bind it on me like a crown;

³⁷I 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;

³⁹If 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.

Preamble: Chapter thirty-one will be Job’s finial declaration in his self defense, it is in fact then his closing argument by which he lays forth his case for his own justification. And in this he will systemically refute every false charge that has been laid against him by his so-called friends. However, what Job will fail to see in all of this; as do all who look to themselves for their own justification; is that while defending himself, Job has said some utterly indefensible things, for he has both attacked and accused God of not only wronging him, but also of acting completely unjustly towards him as well as  in the earth, words then which no one can justify! Job then is man whose broken heart and life, whose unjustly ruined reputation has at this moment blinded him to his own need for his own repentance towards God. Job’s words here though should not de dismissed because of that, rather they are a comprehensive look at what doing justly and righteously truly looks like.

Commentary

31:1-4 ¹“I have made a covenant with my eyes;

Why then should I look upon a young woman?

²For what is the allotment of God from above,

And the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?

³Is it not destruction for the wicked,

And disaster for the workers of iniquity?

⁴Does He not see my ways,

And count all my steps?

And so Job will now declare his own excellent and outstanding conduct, that he himself has kept back his eyes from looking lustfully at young women, that he has not given himself over to lust after them. That in the fear of God, Job now declares that he has not done such things (vs. 4).

31:5-6 ⁵“If I have walked with falsehood,

Or if my foot has hastened to deceit,

⁶Let me be weighed on honest scales,

That God may know my integrity.

Job now declares that his dealings and transactions with others have always been done with honesty, that he has not sought to deceive or mislead anyone, that he always used a just and honest weight in his business dealings with all. And so now Job says, let him be measured with the same, that God may know his integrity. However ones own integrity, no matter how pure, can never save one. For our fundamentally nature is still contaminated by sin, a sin that must be atoned for, and a sin nature that one Day must be fully removed, all which has been done by the Lord Jesus Christ and His Death on the Cross (John 3:16) and His Resurrection from dead, so that when He Ascended back to heaven He could bring His Holy Spirit who regenerates, renews, sanctifies, and transforms us into new creations in Christ into our persons and lives down here. And so first we have our justification, sanctification, and our being made new creations of our persons In Christ before we have the finality of His salvation for us which culminates with us in His Eternal Presence and Glory bearing His full Image in heaven. 

31:7-8 ⁷If 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.

Job now declares that he has not departed from the paths of righteousness, that he has always lived a disciplined life, that he has not let his heart lead him astray, (for the heart is deceitful above all things, Jer. 17:9), and that he has not gone after the desires of his eyes. Therefore, he says if any spot clings to him, (i.e. any just charge), “Then let me sow, and another eat; Yes, let my harvest be rooted out.”

31:9-12 ⁹“If my heart has been enticed by a woman,

Or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,

¹⁰Then let my wife grind for another,

And let others bow down over her.

¹¹For that would be wickedness;

Yes, it would be iniquity deserving of judgment.

¹²For that would be a fire that consumes to destruction,

And would root out all my increase.

Neither did Job follow the false and self destructive way of sexual "freedom and liberation." For Job did not allow his heart to be enticed by a woman other than his wife, nor did he ever try to lure his neighbor’s wife, like the adulter whom charms his way into her life. For then that would’ve been a sin deserving of judgment, a justification for his own ruin and the uprooting all of his increase.

31:13-15 ¹³“If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant

When they complained against me,

¹⁴What then shall I do when God rises up?

When He punishes, how shall I answer Him?

¹⁵Did not He who made me in the womb make them?

Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?

In dealing justly with all, Job now says that even his servants he treated with equity, fairness, and respect. For he did not despise his servants cause when they complained against him. For he always considered their plight and their cause, and when needed he made things right with them. For Job saw himself as being under and accountable to God who created them both.

31:16-23 ¹⁶“If I have kept the poor from their desire,

Or caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

¹⁷Or 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);

¹⁹If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,

Or any poor man without covering;

²⁰If his heart has not blessed me,

And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;

²¹If I have raised my hand against the fatherless,

When I saw I had help in the gate;

²²Then let my arm fall from my shoulder,

Let my arm be torn from the socket.

²³For destruction from God is a terror to me,

And because of His magnificence I cannot endure.

Job’s self defense now consists of recalling his merciful deeds towards the poor, deeds which were not so much an act of charity done here and there, but were the rule and manner of his life, as communities then had no government social safety net as it were, for the people of them were its social safety net. Therefore, Job says he did not keep back the poor from their desire, or cause the widows eyes to fail (vs. 16), which can mean in one sense that when he harvested his crops and gleaned his fields, he made sure to leave something for them to gather for themselves, that he didn’t drive them away when they sought to do so, (as the cruel and wicked would do). Same when enjoying his bounty, he made sure to provide something to those who could not provide for themselves, (i.e. the fatherless child), but more than just giving them provisions, Job also and frequently provided them with friendship and guidance (vs. 17-18). And as for the poor and naked in the land, Job brought clothing to them, he didn’t turn a blind eye to them, but instead he provided them with a covering, for he warmed them with the fleece from the sheep of his flocks, and they blessed him for doing so (vs. 19-20). Job then was friend of the poor! And when Job sat as a man exercising authority and power in the community (i.e. at the gate) he never misused this God given privilege and responsibility to exploit or take advantage of those who were weak and vulnerable (vs. 21).

For if he had Job says,

²²Then let my arm fall from my shoulder,

Let my arm be torn from the socket.

²³For destruction from God is a terror to me,

And because of His magnificence I cannot endure. ^{Vs. 22-23}

Job then out of his holy fear of God always sought to do justice towards all. How many of todays "power brokers" and top one percent can say that is their number priority? For that was the kind of man Job was and always sought to be, for he never peddled his influence and power, never showed partiality to the rich and powerful, and he never forgot the poor. 

31:24-28 ²⁴“If I have made gold my hope,

Or said to fine gold,

‘You are my confidence’;

²⁵If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great,

And because my hand had gained much;

²⁶If I have observed the sun when it shines,

Or the moon moving in brightness,

²⁷So that my heart has been secretly enticed,

And my mouth has kissed my hand;

²⁸This also would be an iniquity deserving of judgment,

For I would have denied God who is above.

Job now addresses his own heart, where all sins begin, and where one’s true loyalties are always found and revealed. And in this money (or as Jesus said mammon, i.e., riches, possessions, wealth etc.) is often the most compelling thing to the human heart. And so desires for it often become an insidious form of idolatry, which can take one’s faith and hope away from God and place it on it. Thus, Job wisely addresses this first and says that he never made gold his hope or put his confidence in fine gold (as if these perishable and temporal things could ever keep him secure with God, or preserve his life). And so, though he had riches and wealth, his wealth and riches did not own him, he wasn’t their servant, He was God’s! Job then was not a man given to greed and covetousness, he didn’t rejoice because his wealth was great or when his riches increased, for his joy and faith and hope was in the Lord! not his wealth. From materialism then Job in verses 26-27 addresses the literal idolatry that captivated the ancient people’s hearts; specifically the worship of the sun, moon, and stars of the sky etc., for these can be very compelling to all of us down here on earth, but their magnificence is but mere reflection of God’s. And so their glory (like anything else in creation) is to bring us to worshipped Him, not them. Thus, Job says he was not secret idolator who kissed his hand as a symbol worship delight in them. For if he had Job says, 

“This also would be an iniquity deserving of judgment,

For I would have denied God who is above.” ^31:28

31:29-30 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);

Nor had Job been a man of vengeance, and or unforgiveness. He did not rejoice in the destruction of those who hated him, nor did he exalt himself when he saw them fall. Job refrained himself from all of those lower instincts, indeed he says, even when wronged he kept back his mouth from sinning, by asking for a curse upon those who did so. Job then was ever mindful of his heart and mouth.

31:31-32 ³¹If 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);

Not only did job take care of everyone in his household; for both family and servants ate regularly at his table; but his hospitability extended well beyond his own doors and boundaries, to his frequently opening his house to the weary and wayward traveler. If Job had lived in Nazareth at the time of Christ’s birth, Jesus would not have been born in a stable.

31:33-34 ³³If 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—

Job now strongly refutes his friends’ accusations of his being a “secret sinner.” For Job was honest about himself with God and man, he didn’t try to conceal his sin from Him, or hide it from the congregation when he became aware of it, because he feared their anger and contempt. If Job sinned against someone, he acknowledged his sin to the one he wronged, and he confessed it to God.

31:35-40 ³⁵Oh, 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!

³⁶Surely I would carry it on my shoulder,

And bind it on me like a crown;

³⁷I 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;

³⁹If 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.

Job having declared that he has done justly and righteously towards all, now decries that he cannot get a just audience to hear him; certainly not from his friends and his community, who only judge him by his circumstances, (circumstances beyond his control), to condemn him. Thus, Job says he will now stand on his mark, that is on his own righteousness which he has just declared to them all. Indeed, Job feels so confident in this that he even asks that Almighty God answer him, for whatever charges his Prosecutor could write in a book, Job says that he would confidently carry on his shoulders, or bind it on his head like a crown. Job feels that he would be absolutely vindicated in every way. For he even says that he would declare to Him the number of his steps; that is he could justify all of his own ways to Him. Indeed Job says he would approach Him like a prince. Job doesn’t realize it yet but he has just exalted himself and his own doing justly and righteously above God’s. Indeed, Job has spoken very wickedly in calling God his Prosecutor, and he is completely self deceived in regards to his thinking that God should ever answer him. Nonetheless these things will be addressed later. For now, Job will give one last declaration of his doing justly by saying that even the land which he lives upon (and all the people there) were treated most fairly by him. Indeed, he says if he has wronged them “then let thistles grow instead of wheat and weeds instead of barely” (vs. 40). And with that the words of Job are ended, but the Book of Job is not, for there still is another speaker amongst Job’s friends who has kept his silence and held his peace during all of their discourses. And so now with the elder Job finished speaking, the young man Elihu, the youngest man there will now speak. And that will be covered in the next blog entry.

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.