I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame.
Job is looking back at his best days and listing the good he once did. Verse 15 names two of those good things, and the whole book presses one question: why did such a record leave him with no peace?
What the words describe
The picture is of a man who made the weakness of others his own responsibility. One commentator gathers the whole scene in a single sweep:
William KellyWhat distress had ever sought his help in vain? What tale of sorrow had he ever ignored? What sight of misery had he forgotten? Those he helped were moved whenever they saw or heard their benefactor, even if his left hand did not know what his right had done. God does not let the memory of unselfish goodness die. The poor can give as true a witness to loving-kindness as the rich can to a greatness beyond their own. Was not Job the deliverer of the poor, the orphan, the perishing, and the widow? … He was eyes to the man who had none, feet to the lame, and a father to the needy. He spared no effort to look into a case he knew nothing about.
The claim was true
Nobody in the book contradicts Job's account of himself. Commentators are agreed that his record was accurate, and one states it bluntly before going on to show where it failed him:
A. J. PollockHe boasted that he was eyes to the blind, feet to the lame, a father to the poor, that he caused the widow's heart to sing, and put on righteousness as a garment, judgment as a crown. And it was no idle boast.
Grace produced it
Where did a life like that come from? One writer traces it back past Job himself, and then names what Job still lacked:
J. N. DarbyJob had acted well, for grace had acted in him; but he did not know himself before God. … All very right and gracious; but was it all that was in Job's heart? What did the thinking of it produce there? What did it show?
The flaw in the recital
The trouble is not the kindness. It is the pleasure Job takes in remembering it. One commentator names the thing God had against him:
William KellyHe took pleasure in his good character. He was therefore in spirit too much of a Pharisee. "I thank you that I am not like other men." There really was great grace in Job, and he really did keep up an admirable character. But why should he talk about it? Why should he think about it? Why should he not think of the source of all the blessing? Why should he not be boasting in the Lord — instead of an implied boasting in himself? That was the very thing God had a controversy with.
Doing good without a record of it
So the verse carries a warning for anyone who serves the helpless well. One writer draws the lesson straight from Job's example:
Leslie M. GrantThe Lord Jesus said, "do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing" (Matt. 6:3). Job badly needed to learn that lesson. There is never a reason that we should advertise the good things that we do. If we do it "unto the Lord" — and that should always be the case — then He knows it. He weighs its value far more accurately than we could.
Why the helpless matter to God
Serving people who cannot see or walk is more than kindness. It matches God's own heart. One writer shows which people God singles out:
Edward DennettIt is always so in the Scriptures: those who are lonely, sorrowful, or oppressed are the special objects of His tender mercy… We can learn from such a scripture. It teaches us how to have practical fellowship with the heart of God. If we would walk with Him, His interests and His aims must be ours too. So a field of service opens to God's people — a field that has no limit and surrounds us on every side.
Where the story ends
Job's defence runs on for three chapters and settles nothing. What finally quiets him is not a better argument but a meeting:
A. J. PollockThrough long chapters in his book he argues out his own righteousness… At last he comes into God's presence and says, "Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth." In God's presence his mouth is stopped.
(Older translations read "Behold, I am vile.")
Summary
- Real — Job really did serve as sight and strength for people who had neither. No one in the book denies it.
- Given — the kindness came from grace working in him, not from resources of his own.
- Wide — the blind, the lame, the orphan and the widow are God's special care. Serving them is fellowship with His heart.
- Spoiled — telling the story spoiled the good; the left hand was never meant to know.
- Silenced — a flawless record of good deeds gave him no rest; only God's presence ended the argument.