Job continues Job 13

Job 13: 1-3 "Lo, mine eye hath seen all this, mine ear hath heard and understood it, What ye know, the same do I know also: I am not inferior unto you. Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God."

Job is still talking to his friends. He is not saying that he knows what God knows. He is still talking to his friends but he says he would like to talk with God and reason with him.

I guess we would all like to know 'why' sometimes.

Now he tells his friends he is tired of listening to them.

v5 "O that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom."

Sounds to me like our phrase 'The smartest thing you could do is not talk."

Later in the chapter we have one of the most famous verses in the Bible: v15 "Though he slay me, yet will I thrust in him:" The rest of the verse is lesser known: "but I will maintain mine own ways before him." At first, I thought that was a stubborn statement but I thing he was saying that he would continue to be himself before God and not pretend to be something he was not.

Then he says if he does not speak he will die. As in, I just got to talk about it. v19 "Who is he that will plead with me? for now, if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost."

So Job wants to talk to God but he asked two things, sort of the conditions of meeting together. We have read how Job understands the awesomeness of God and the feebleness of man but he still wants to talk to God. Remember when Moses talked to God on the mount and it was in a dark cloud and the mountain smoked.

The two things were that God would not withdraw his hand far from him and that he would not make him afraid while they talked.

v20-21 "Only do not two things unto me: then will I not hide myself from thee. Withdraw thine hand far from me; and let not thy dread make me afraid."

I think here of Jesus becoming flesh and making it easy for man to approach. He often said 'Be not afraid'.

v22 "Then call thou, and I will answer: or let me speak, and answer thou me."

Much of this reasoning is to prepare Job for the conversation he had with God at the end of the book of Job.

Psalm 25:7 "Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for thy have been ever of old. v7 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD."

Job continues.

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