How much less when you say that you do not see him, that the case is before him, and you are waiting for him!
Job has complained that he cannot see God and cannot get his case heard. Elihu answers him here. God is out of sight, but that does not mean He is doing nothing.
Where the Verse Sits in Elihu's Argument
The chapter moves in three steps, and this verse opens the last one. One writer maps it out:
Samuel RidoutThe chapter may be divided into three portions: (1) God's transcendent greatness (verses 1-8). (2) Why the cry of the oppressed is not answered (verses 9-13). (3) A call to trust Him (verses 14-16).
So the verse is not a stray saying. It is where Elihu lands after explaining why so many cries go unanswered.
Two Ways of Reading the Verse
Translations split here. The ESV reads the verse as Elihu repeating Job's complaint back to him. Older versions turn the same words into a call to trust. One writer lays out both readings:
Samuel RidoutCommentators have differed over the meaning of verse 14. Some hold it to be a quotation of Job, as though Elihu would say, "If God does not hear pride, much less will He hear you, when you say you do not see Him, that the cause lies all before Him, and yet you have to wait for Him in vain." This is quite in line with Elihu's earlier words. But our version turns them into an exhortation, and that makes a fitting conclusion: "Although you say you shall not see Him, yet judgment is before Him, therefore trust in Him." Do not think God has forgotten. Be patient. Learn the lesson He would teach you.
Either way the point lands in the same place. The answer to an unseen God is not accusation but waiting.
"You Do Not See Him" Is Not an Excuse
Invisibility is the very thing people lean on to dismiss God:
Leslie M. GrantBecause God is not visible, people excuse themselves from any responsibility toward Him (v.14). But the witness of creation and conscience combine to declare that He is a God of justice, and "you must wait for Him." He does not act when we want it, but in His own time He will bring everything into proper perspective. This therefore demands faith.
Judgment Is Before Him — Even Amid Oppression
The phrase "judgment is before Him" tells Job where his case already stands. One writer traces Elihu's argument down to it:
J. N. DarbyJob had said, "What good would it do me if I were cleansed?" Elihu says, "What good would God get if Job were righteous?" "Judgment is before him, in the middle of all the oppressions of the earth." Job should see His hand and trust Him. God visited him with affliction because he did not, and Job still had not the sense to work it out.
Another writer sets Elihu's word beside what philosophy and poetry offer instead:
J. G. Bellett"A mighty maze," philosophy will say, "but not without a plan." "God is His own interpreter, and He will make it plain," a Christian poet will say. And a true and beautiful thought that is. But inspired wisdom counsels and teaches this — "Although you say you shall not see Him, yet judgment is before Him; therefore trust in Him." We are to know that purposes of wisdom and goodness rule every event, even though another day has to make it clear. "Judgment" is always "before Him," as Elihu says. And God is to be justified in the thoughts of His children now, as He will be before heaven and earth later on.
Both writers quote an older translation here; the ESV wording is printed at the top of this page.
Why Heaven Can Seem Shut
The verses just before explain the silence Job is protesting. How people pray matters:
Samuel RidoutPride, vanity, self-will are what turn the heavens into brass. The Lord is near to those of a broken heart. This is the burden of the "Lord's prayer" — God's glory comes first. If men ignore that, they need not be surprised that their prayer for daily bread seems to be ignored.
Summary
- Unseen. Job's complaint is that he cannot see God. Commentators differ on whether Elihu quotes that complaint or answers it. Both readings push Job toward patience, not protest.
- Undismissed. Being unseen does not release anyone from responsibility. Creation and conscience both testify that He is a God of justice.
- Under review. "Judgment is before Him" means the case is already in His hands. Purposes of wisdom and goodness rule every event, even when another day must make it plain.
- Unanswered. Prayer for daily bread seems ignored when pride and self-will drive it. God's glory comes first.
- Until then. So wait. God does not act when we want, but in His own time He brings everything into proper perspective.