Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power? No; he would pay attention to me.
Job's friends read his suffering as proof of guilt, so he turns from them to God, longing to find Him and lay out his case. He asks whether God would crush a weak man with sheer power — and answers no.
The Question Job Answers Himself
The friends assumed that God's dealings with Job were a display of raw power against a guilty man. His "No" rests on knowing God better than they did.
William KellyIs this the language or the feeling of someone who knows he is guilty of wickedness before God? We never hear such language even from Eliphaz or any other of the friends. I am not denying their faith. I am only saying that their state did not match Job's, despite all his bitter complaints. "I would lay out my case before Him, and fill my mouth with arguments. I would know the words He would answer me, and understand what He would say to me. Will He plead against me with His great power?" Job knew God better.
Heard, Not Made Strong
Older translations read "he would put strength in me." Commentators say that wording goes too far. Job's point is that God would listen to him.
William Kelly"Will He plead against me with His power?" That is what they thought. "No," he said; nothing of the sort; "but He would put strength in me." "Strength" goes a little too far. It is more like, "He would give heed to me." … I knew it would be all right if I could only get a hearing. If I could come close to Him, then He would listen.
Trust Breaking Through the Complaint
Job accuses God and trusts Him in the same breath.
Samuel RidoutAnd right here, when his almost insane defiance of God is at its peak, a flash of that confidence in God breaks out — the confidence we have already noted. "Will He plead against me with His great power! No! but He would put strength in me," or "regard me with compassion." These are certainly not the words of an unbeliever. He doubts God's ways and accuses Him, but he is sure that if he could only see Him, everything would become clear. … It is always better to bring even our doubts about God to Him, if we have nothing else to bring.
A Change From His Earlier Mood
Job had not always spoken this way. Earlier, answering his friend Bildad, he admitted God's strength in a tone of despair. Power alone seemed to settle the matter.
Samuel RidoutJob seems to agree with Bildad that God is just. He says, "Of course He is just, for there is no appeal from anything He does. He has both wisdom and power, and can overwhelm any pointless effort to reason with Him." This is terrible. It is not a man humbly asking God for a reason, as Jeremiah does in similar circumstances (Jeremiah 12:1-4). It is the hardness of despair — might is right, and God has might on His side.
Here he expects God to listen, not to crush.
Confidence With Self-Righteousness Mixed In
Job's certainty here is not pure faith. He is sure God will hear him because he is sure he is in the right. That confidence did not survive the meeting itself.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThen, blinded by self-righteousness, he speaks a bold word: "I would know the words He would answer me, and understand what He would say to me." He is so sure of it all that he declares, "He would pay attention to me." How different it was when the Lord did speak! Then Job's lips closed, and opened again only to voice the deepest self-loathing. Yet even in these words, still in the dark about the reason for his suffering, he shows that he is not the defiant wicked man, but a man who longs for God.
Commentators differ in emphasis. Some point to Job's knowledge of God here. Others point to the self-defence wrapped around it.
The Search That Was Not One-Sided
Job is searching for God. He is not the only one searching.
Samuel RidoutIt is all most tragic; and if it were only Job seeking God, he might well sink in despair. But, all unknown to himself, God is seeking Job, and will find him too, before long.
Summary
- The fear — Job's friends saw his suffering as God's great power aimed at a guilty man. Job denied it, because he knew God better than they did.
- The hope — Job does not ask for strength to fight. He asks God to pay attention to him, to regard him with compassion.
- The flaw — self-righteousness came mixed in with that confidence. Job was sure of a hearing because he was sure of himself.
- The reversal — when God did speak, Job's arguments vanished. He fell silent, and spoke again only to loathe himself.
- The comfort — carry even your doubts about God straight to God. While Job searched for Him, God was already searching for Job.