“Adorn yourself with majesty and dignity; clothe yourself with glory and splendor.
God speaks to Job out of the storm. He does not answer Job's questions about suffering. He hands him a challenge instead. Job sits in ashes, scraping his sores, and God tells him to put on the clothing of God Himself. Why say that to a man already broken?
The charge underneath the challenge
The command to put on glory follows a question about Job's righteousness. One writer sees the appeal aimed above all at Job's conscience.
Samuel RidoutGod is not crushing His poor foolish servant, but appealing to his reason as well as his conscience. Job has already learned God's power, wisdom and goodness, and in some measure he has always known them. But this appeal is above all to his conscience. Will he set aside God's righteous judgment and deny it? Will he condemn God so that he can set up a petty human righteousness of his own? This is what lay at the bottom of Job's complaints. He was suffering affliction he did not deserve. He was a righteous man, yet he was treated as though he were unrighteous. So the conclusion could not be avoided — the One afflicting him was unjust!
The absurdity of the picture
One writer renders the four words of the verse as "majesty, grandeur, honour and beauty" — royal robes. Put them on the man they were offered to, and the picture becomes painful.
William KellyPerhaps then, if Job fails here, he can compare in strength. Has he an arm like God's? Does he thunder with a voice like His? Let us see him dress himself with majesty, and grandeur, and honour, and beauty. What! that poor object of pity! Let him pour out the outbursts of his anger. What! that miserable, broken sufferer!
An invitation to the throne
These robes are not just for show. Whoever wears them must then deal with every proud man. So the offer is God's own seat, on the terms Job's own words implied.
Samuel RidoutIf he really is qualified for that, Jehovah is in effect inviting him to take his seat on the throne of divine judgment. Let him put on his robes of splendour and dignity. Let him dress himself in grandeur and majesty. Let his anger pour out on everyone who is proud, and bring him low. What awful, holy irony! And yet how just it is. If Job can sit in judgment on God, then surely he is qualified to run all God's affairs better than He does!
Garments that fit only one wearer
Scripture uses this language of God. Set it beside Job's actual clothing, and the question answers itself.
Samuel RidoutCan such language be used of Job? — "O LORD my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a garment" (Ps. 104:1-2). "Those who walk in pride he is able to humble" (Dan. 4:37). If so, then Jehovah Himself will be the first to praise him, and to confess that he is able to help himself. But had his own right hand even stopped the raiders who drove away his possessions? or turned aside the storm that swept away his children? Sadly, all he had was a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself with. His garment was sackcloth, not glory and majesty. His seat was the ashes of a ruined life, not the throne of glory.
Why this is kindness
The obvious objection is that such irony is harsh. One writer answers it by asking what the alternative would have been.
Samuel RidoutIs it cruel of Jehovah to deal like this with a poor heart-broken creature? Ask instead: would it have been kindness to leave him wrapped in his pride like a garment, hurling complaints at the Almighty? Only one thing brings pride down: coming face to face with its own nothingness before the majesty and boundless goodness of God.
One garment must come off before another goes on. Job is wearing pride, and the challenge strips it away.
The reader's share in it
God spoke this command to one man. The weakness it exposes belongs to everyone.
Leslie M. GrantThe irony of such words is evident; Job needed humbling himself. How could he even hope to humble others? But there are many proud people today. We are helpless to humble any of them, but God will bring down the pride of everyone to the dust.
Summary
- Robes — the verse offers Job a wardrobe of majesty, dignity, glory and splendour. Scripture puts that clothing on God.
- Throne — to wear it is to take the seat of judgment. Job's complaints had already claimed that seat.
- Mirror — the offer works by contrast. Job's real clothing was sackcloth, his tool a piece of broken pottery, his seat the ashes.
- Kindness — the irony is mercy, not cruelty. Pride only comes off when it stands beside the majesty and goodness of God.
- Reach — no one can humble the proud, in the world or in themselves; God alone brings pride down to the dust.