Job 13 Death Defying Faith
This second of three chapters, in which Job defends himself, not just to Zophar, but the other two “comforters” as well. It may appear as though he speaks to God in the bulk of this chapter; yet as we read it, we can see this is similar to a court appearance he desired to have, with his friends being the plaintiffs and he defending himself. We also discover in this chapter, perhaps the most faith filled statement Job makes.
Everything that these men have said, he knows. He desires to speak to Almighty God and reason with Him over the quandary Job finds himself in. It is before God that he was certain a defense could be made that prove they were in error over the transgression that Job allegedly committed.
They are referred to as liars, as they had said that the affliction was a result of hidden confessed sin; yet they had not or could prove such a case for their premise. In referring to them as “worthless physicians”, most of the wise men of that time were involved in not only spiritual issues, but in physical as well. They had likely tried their practice on Job; which had proven unsuccessful.
Job wished they’d be quiet and that it would as simple as they claimed.
Job sees these men as among those who “speak wickedly for God” and talk in deception for Him. Would they mock God as they had Job? Wouldn’t His excellence in holiness, purity bring a holy fear? Their “platitudes” were “proverbs of ashes”, they had been destroyed; their defenses are “defenses of clay”, speak of how fragile and broken they were. This righteous man, Job; took everything to defend himself before them and desired to do so before the Lord.
In verse fifteen, we read Job’s confession of faith “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” What a statement, with all that he thought God had brought against him, he was determined to trust God even in the event of death. However he did desire to “defend my own ways before Him.”
In verse sixteen, we read another powerful declaration of faith; “He also shall be my salvation”. He trusted the Almighty with his eternal future. Because of his “declaration” of faith, he was confident “I shall be vindicated.”
We read that he made two simple requests of the Lord. One to not “withdraw Your hand far from me”; Job must have understood that this affliction was about to conclude. Two that he wanted God not cause him to be “afraid”. Should God call, he would answer. If Job prayed, he knew God would hear and they would be able to converse. However, because he was unable to connect with the Lord and it was his “iniquities and sins”; show them to him so he could repent and deal with them. His perception was that God was hiding His face and thought of Job as an “enemy”.
Like slaves, he had been put in “stocks”, limiting where and how far he could go.
Saints, let us determine to be so committed to the Lord as Job that we will trust Him even in the face of death.