Job 13 · The Lantern

Job Prepares His Case

Look, my eye has seen all this; my ear has heard and understood it.

As you know, I also know; I am not falling short of you.

But I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to argue with God.

This means, "I know the tremendous greatness of God, the endless wisdom of the Creator and his prodigious power; but even though I know that, 'I will speak to the Lord,' because if I know his power, I also know his justice. For he is just, he supports those who in the meantime, without rendering themselves accusers, speak to him.

Yet still I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God. We 'speak with the Almighty,' when we beseech His pity; but we 'reason with Him,' when uniting ourselves to His righteousness, we sift our actions with minute investigation.

But as Sophar had proposed the divine excellence (11:6) as an argument against Job for undertaking to dispute with God, he continues, "Yet let me speak to the Almighty," as if to say: Although I understand from his diverse effects the excellence of divine wisdom and power not less than you, I am still not reasonably altered by this from my proposition.

But you are plasterers of falsehood; you are all worthless physicians.

Oh that you would be utterly silent — and it would be wisdom for you!

Hear, please, my argument, and listen to the contentions of my lips.

"Consider now the words which I am about to say in order to correct you, and then judge whether I pronounce them thoughtfully." "Do you not speak before the Lord and utter deceit before him?" "Do you not realize that God hears your speeches?

Hear now my reproofs, and hearken to the judgment of my lips. Now he did well first to bring forward 'reproof,' and afterwards 'judgment.' For except by reproof first the swelling of the fool be put down, the judgment of the righteous is not by comprehension at all understood.

So, since you propose false dogmas and you take unsuitable means to prove them, you are in need of correction. This is what he concludes, saying then, "Listen, then, to my correction," by which I will correct your process of reasoning, "and hear the judgment of my lips," with which I will condemn your false dogmas.

Will you speak injustice for God, and speak deceit for him?

Will you lift up his face? Will you contend for God?

"If he follows your traces," Job says. Therefore you, who speak so now would have not spoken so, if you were directly involved in the case that is judged. That is, if you were in my place and God were judging your matters with severity, you would have not judged my words as you do now.

Will ye take His person? will ye strive to judge for God? For when foolish men behold the doings of the wise, they all seem to them to be worthy of blame; who, forgetting their own emptiness and deficiency, pass judgment on the concerns of others the more eagerly, in proportion as they are more deeply ignorant of their own.

They could respond, however, that they did not say anything deceitfully against Job, but only what they thought. Job therefore shows that if this were true, they would fall into another vice although they had been excused from deceit, namely, the respect of persons which excludes the justice of a judge.

Would it be good when he searches you out? Or as one mocks a mortal, will you mock him?

He will surely reprove you, if in secret you lift up faces.

Will not his majesty dismay you, and the dread of him fall upon you?

Your remembrances are proverbs of ashes; your defenses are defenses of clay.

Be silent from me, and I myself will speak — and let come upon me what may.

As those, Job says, who devour themselves have a consolation, as those who bite their flesh feel a certain relief in their sufferings, so it is the same with me, when I express myself in these terms, "And I may put my life in my hands." Consider, above all, this sentence, "I may put my life in my hand." This means, I will destroy myself!

Hold your peace for a little, that I may speak whatsoever my mind shall bid me. He shews that they spoke with the perception of the flesh, whom he therefore binds to silence, that he may speak that which 'his mind bids him.' As if he said in plain words, 'I do not speak in a carnal, but in a spiritual way, because; hear by the perception of the Spirit things that I bring forth…

After Job had corrected the process of reasoning of the friends who sought to defend divine justice with lies, he now proceeds to destroy their false dogmas under the form of a debate with God.

Why should I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in my hand?

Hear also from him what tribulations he bore and yet did not depart from the love of God: "Why have I taken my flesh in my teeth, and why is my soul laid in my hands? Even if He slay me, it is for Him only that I will wait," as if a man were to say, Even though He love me not, yet will I not depart from His love.

Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in my hand? In Holy Scripture 'teeth' are sometimes used to be understood for the holy preachers, and sometimes for the interior senses. Thus of the holy preachers it is said to the Bride, Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing.

His friends have accused Job of two things: impatience and ostentation, (4:2 and 7) both of which he excludes from himself so that he might not seem in the following disputation to speak either from anger or from pride. Observe that impatience comes from an overabundance of sorrow not moderated by reason, for sorrow leads to despair when excessive.

Though he slay me, I will hope in him. Yet I will argue my ways to his face.

These words mean, "Even if he kills me, I will support myself with my hope and faith in him." O admirable man, who, being destined to be killed, praises his killer and looks at him. Indeed Job knew that if he had taken away his life, the same one who is the Lord of Abraham, would have given it back to him. He believed that God was able to make alive those who had died.

Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him. But I will rebuke mine own ways before Him. He also shall be my salvation. There is no room for the virtue of patience in prosperous circumstances. He is really patient, who is at once bruised with misfortune, and yet not bowed down from the erectness of his hope.

He then states the reason why he should neither tear his flesh through impatience nor carry his soul in his hands, saying, "Even if he should kill me, I will hope in him," saying in effect: You do not believe because of the temporal evils which I suffer that I have stopped hoping in God.

He also will be my salvation, for a godless man will not come before him.

Hear, hear my word, and my declaration in your ears.

The Lord is near those, it is said, who invoke him, and therefore God is kindly disposed toward them. So listen, Job says, to what I am about to say: I will maintain my kindly disposed judgment upon God, who is just and speaks truthfully; and by trusting his truthfulness, I believe that I will appear to say words more righteous than yours.

Hear my speech, and take in my riddles with your ears. Herein, that he names 'riddles,' he shews that he has parts of his speech framed in figures. Whence too it is fitly added by the voice of the faithful People.

Then as he is about to enter into a debate, he first renders his listeners attentive in two ways: in one way by couching what he will say with a certain mystery, since if we declare what must be said to be difficult, our listeners would be more attentive.

Look now, I have set out my case; I know that I shall be counted righteous.

Who is it that will contend with me? For then I would be silent and expire.

Only do not do two things to me; then I would not hide myself from your face:

The lack of clarity in the text could be explained in the following way. Job says, "If you want to treat me as the friends say, as if you wanted to show my wickedness, I will hide from your face." But if I am right, then "withdraw your hand far from me, and do not let your dread terrify me!" Every sinner hides from God's face, since he does unworthy things.

Only do not two things unto me: then will I not hide myself from Thy face. What are we to understand here by the 'face of God,' saving His visitation? In which, whilst He beholds, He also punishes our sins, from which no just man even is hidden, if the two things, which he entreats, be not removed.

Since, then, he has sought someone to argue with him, saying, "Who will be judged with me?" and as he had said already, "I desire to dispute with God," (v.3) from here on he speaks as if he is in the presence of God and is disputing with Him. But for a man to dispute with God does not seem fitting because of the excellence by which God excels man.

Take your hand far from me, and let your terror not dismay me.

Then call, and I will answer; or let me speak, and answer me.

How many are my iniquities and sins? Make me know my transgression and my sin.

Why do you hide your face, and count me as your enemy?

Will you terrify a driven leaf, and pursue dry chaff?

Why, Job says, do you not act clearly? Why do you not say, See, this is the reason why I punish you? It is no small consolation for those who are chastised to know the reason for their punishment. That is why Job says, "Make me know my transgressions," but God will not let him know.

Wilt Thou shew Thy power against a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt Thou pursue the dry stubble? For what is man but a leaf, who fell in Paradise from the tree? what but a leaf is he, who is caught by the wind of temptation, and lifted up by the gusts of his passions? For the mind of man is agitated as it were by as many gusts, as it undergoes temptations.

Second, because someone could object that God punished him in order to show his power, he rejects this cause saying, "Do you show your power against the leaf which is driven by the wind?" For it is not fitting that some very powerful man should wish to show his power against something very weak.

For you write bitter things against me, and make me inherit the iniquities of my youth.

And you put my feet in the stocks, and watch all my paths; you cut a mark about the soles of my feet.

Thou puttest my foot also in the stocks, and lookest narrowly into all my paths; Thou markest the prints of my feet. God 'set man's foot in the stocks,' in that he bound fast his wickedness with the strong sentence of His severity. And He 'looketh narrowly into all his paths,' in that He judges with minute exactness all the several particulars that belong to him.

"You observe the strength of my feet." The words "you observe" signify God's consideration, because we keep our eye on what we care for. And the words "my feet" refer to the firmness, because feet are supports. But these words are also analogous to the roots of the plants. That is, you have sent me tribulations and imposed them on me with force and care.

Fourth, someone could object that, even though Job had not committed grave sins, he had still committed some sins which are inevitable in this present life, and so he is punished for these in this way.

And he wastes away like something rotten, like a garment that the moth has eaten.

Job13

Job Prepares His Case