Job 13

Job 13:1-12

In this chapter, 1. Yeh concludes himself their equal in wisdom, ver. 1, 2. and condemns their partiality and deceitfulness, under colour of pleading God’s cause, ver. 4-8. threatens them with the judgment of God, ver. 9-12. defines them to be silent, ver. 3, 13, 17. and then turns from them to God, ver. 5. He professes his confidence in God, ver. 15, 16, 18. He repulsates with God concerning his deplorable condition, ver. 14-19, &c. complains of the confusion he wins in, ver. 20-22. and of the rigour of God’s proceedings against him, ver. 23-28.

1. LO, mine eye hath seen all this, mine ear hath heard and understood it. 2. What ye know, the same do I know also: I am not inferior unto you. 3. Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God. 4. But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value. 5. O that you would altogether hold your peace, and it should be your wisdom. 6. Hear now my reasoning, and hearken to the pleading of my lips. 7. Will you speak wickedly for God? and talk deceitfully for him? 8. Will ye accept his person? will ye contend for God? 9. Is it good that he should search you out? or as one man mocketh another, do ye so mock him? 10. He will surely reprove you, if ye do secretly accept persons. 11. Shall not his? excellency make you afraid? and his dread fall upon you? 12. Your remembrances are like unto ashes, your bodies to bodies of clay.

In vindicating his cause against his unkind friends, some severity mixes with his just self-defence.

1. He desires them to weigh what he had said, that they might be convinced he was not to weak as they would infirmate, he spoke from experience and observation, and he was assured that both would corroborate his sentiments, and prove him at least their equal in understanding. Note, We should well weigh before we condemn; rash censures shew only the folly of those who before them.

2. He wishes the cause might be brought before God, v. 3. either to reason with him as a disputant, or as the simple between him and his friends: could this be granted, he feared not to carry the point. Note, Conscious simplicity fears not the eye of pressing truth.

3. He sharply upbraids their cruel treatment of him: Ye are forgers of lies, contriving and publishing judicious cuteness to the truth of God, and highly injurious to the character of their neighbour; that God never afflicted the righteous, and that Job’s sufferings were on account of his wickedness: ye are all physicians of no value, idol-physicians, pretenders to science, but ignorant both of the cause of his maladies, and the method of cure, deceiving his hopes, and as useless as the idol flock or show. Note, (1.) A deliberate lye is a crying sin, against such false tongues no innocence can protect. (2.) Whatever here below the awakened sinner flies to, for help and healing, will make him worle rather than better: none can cure the miseries of a fallen spirit, but that great physician, who hath the balm of life and grace to minister to the sin-flick food.

4. He begs them to hold their peace, v. 5; rather than speak such words as wound, inflicted of healing; and that their wisdom would better appear in silence, than in arguments to weak, and urged with such unkindness. He earnestly entreats them to bear his reasoning, and not he inattentive to, or disregard his pleadings, as they seemed to do. Note, (1.) Hathness to speak, and rashness to utter without mature deliberation, exposes the folly, inflicted of displaying the wisdom of a disputant.

(2.) Truth needs only a fair hearing, but prejudice is deaf, and the best of men often suffer unheard, or unnoticed.

5. He expulsates with them on the folly, sin, and danger of their conduct; who whilst they pretended to plead the cause of God and truth, dishonoured him by fallhood, and misrepresented his dispensations: Will you speak wickedly for God? in condemning a righteous man as a hypocrite, and talk deceitfully for him, by pretending to vindicate his justice as the exposure of his truth. Will ye accept his person, according to human partiality, and construing his afflictions into signs of guilt, refuse to examine my case, and judge me unheard? Will ye contend for God? does his cause need such advocates? or will your pretext to plead for him excide the fallhood of your principles, or the rash censure of your conclusions? Is it good that he should search you out? would he not then detect the evil of your principles, and the cruelty of your conduct? or are you now madest smiles, do ye so mock him? pretending to be on his side, yet speaking to his dishonour. He will surely reprove you, if ye do secretly accept persons; however you may deceive yourselves with imaginations of zeal for the honour of his perfection, he will rather your accusations of an upright man, condemned unjustly by you: Shall not his excellency make you afraid? or his brights, his glorious perfection of power, holiness, truth, &c. and his dread fall upon you, as false witnesses for him, doing so bad a thing, under a pretence of zeal for his glory. Your remembrances are like unto ashes, your bodies to bodies of clay, your arguments are light as ashes, and as weak as a fortification compelled to eminence of clay; or he forgets their weak and mortal flats, as a residue why they should be afraid to provoke the holy and avenging God. Note, (1.) A good intention will not excide, much less justly at all thing. (2.) They who plead for God, need be serious enquirers after truth themselves, and neither willfully or wickedly condemn those whom God hath not condemned. (3.) Whatever deceit we may put on others, or ourselves, God is not mocked; he is not to be heard, is no respect for persons, and will assuredly reprove the evil he discerns, however secretly concealed, or coloured over with whatever pious pretext. (4.) The consideration of God’s excellency and our means, his perfection and our vanity, should awaken in our mind a holy awe, and make us afraid to provoke his displeasure.

6. Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will. 14. Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand? 15. Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. 16. He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him. 17. Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration with your ears. 18. Behold now, I have ordered my cause, I know that I shall be justified. 19. Who is he clear will plead with me? for now if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost. 20. Only do not two things unto me: then will I not hide myself from thee. 21. Withdraw thine hand far from me: and let not thy dread make me afraid. 22. Then call thou, and I will answer: or let me speak, and answer thou me.

Job 13:13-22

Full of matter, he resolved to utter his speech, and begs a moment’s diligent attention, v. 17. to the declaration he was going to make.

1. Whatever became of him, whatever censures his friends laid on him, or whatever troubles from the hand of God, speak he must; he would not sinner the protestations of his innocence, nor pine to death in silent vexation, v. 14. for to hold his tongue under such circumstances of suffering and wrong, would be to hush with grief and expite; or, as some resolve the words, v. 14. He all events I will take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in my hand, come what will come, I will maintain my integrity. Note, (1.) If we have the testimony of a good conscience, we need fear no evil. (2.) It is a relief to speak; to be condemned to silence under oppression and wrong, is doubly hard to be born.

2. He strongly maintains his simplicity before God. Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: the severity of my trials shall not make me quit my dependence on him, and the consciousness of my integrity till death will I never renounce. I will maintain mine own ways before him, that I have walked in truth and all good conscience. Not that herein he placed his hope of salvation; no; He also shall be my salvation, in his loving and sovereign grace in my truth, whatever becomes of me here below; but this he never could hope to partake of, if allowed, and he has been chargeable upon him; for an hypocrite shall not come before him: this he was fully assured of, and as sure this character was not applicable to himself, as his friends had insinuated. Behold, now I have ordered my cause, am ready to maintain it against every accuser; I know that I shall be my life, from

from

Before Christ from the malicious accusations of men, from the sin he had

1. (1) confessed, and in his own heart enjoy the consciousness of his acceptance before God. Who is he that will plead with me? for him appear, and I am prepared to answer every allegation.

Note, (1.) Whatever discouragements are in our way, confidence in God is our great duty and support. (2.) They who

plead the salvation of Jesus Christ, shall find no charge capable of lying against them in the court of heaven. (3.) Though sincerity is neither our perfection nor justification before God, it is a comfortable evidence to our own souls, of an interest in his salvation, whilst hypocrisy gives the lie to every hope. 3. He turns from his friends, to make his address to God. Two things he desires, and then he will undertake to open his cause. (1.) That his afflictions be removed, so suspended; and (2.) That the terror of the Divine Majesty be withdrawn, and that such a manifestation of his precious might be made, as would not confound and dismay him: then as defendant he would answer, or as plaintiff interrogate, and reason with God on his dealings with him. A daring proposal, for which he was afterwards by Elihu, and God himself, justly censured. Note, (1.) In our distress we are too apt to utter what, on reflection, we deeply condemn. (2.) When we see a perfect man so imperfect, it should teach us what a fallen creature is in his best ethere, how ignorant, and, in many instances, how perverse shall before God. P. xi. 12. 4. Dust. cont. 10. P. xii. 1. Ill. viii. 17.