Job 29:14

How was Job's mouth stopped? Through long chapters in his book he argues out his own righteousness. He boasted that he was eyes to the blind, feet to the lame, and a father to the poor. He made the widow's heart sing, he said, and put on righteousness as a garment and judgment as a crown. And it was no idle boast. At last he comes into God's presence and says, "Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer You? I will lay my hand on my mouth." In God's presence his mouth is stopped.

Imperial crown or crown of honour.

It is indeed a beautiful picture, but marred by the pride of personal recital... Job had won the respect and affection of all. He had been a helper of the helpless, a friend of the orphan and the widow. He clothes himself with righteousness as with a garment, and binds it as a crown on his brow. These are strong words, with little of the humility that suits us.

Job was upright, but he began to make this his righteousness. That clearly proves he had never really been in God's presence. The result was this. He reasoned more correctly than his friends. His heart felt far more than theirs did what God was. Yet he charged God with injustice, and with wanting to trouble him without cause... God was bringing him to say, "Now my eye sees You, and I abhor myself."

This "righteousness," as Job 29 shows us, had to do with his outward conduct. The searching light of God had not yet entered his soul. He had been charged with being a deceiver and a hypocrite. He knew he was not, and he was not going to plead guilty to it for a moment. We too know that he was not. But outward correctness does not by itself count for righteousness in God's presence.

Everything he said may have been true, and we have no reason to doubt that he meant it. Even so, it does not suit a man to dwell on his own state. Before the fall, man's happiness was to continue in God's goodness. When he turned from that, he fell into disobedience. For a sinner to dwell on his own goodness — and he has none — is repulsive. When a child of God does the same, it shows clearly that he has not yet learned his lesson.

Here let us notice an important distinction. In Zechariah 3:4 iniquities are called "filthy garments." In Isaiah 61:10 righteousnesses are described as "filthy rags." Garments cover us. Rags are things men try to cover themselves with, but in vain. Our iniquities do cover us... But when we foolishly try to cover our nakedness with works of our own, we put on nothing but tatters. In reality they do not cover us at all. But God puts on the returning son "the best robe," and that is Christ. As He is, so are we in God's sight from now on and for ever.