Job 9:15

Job 9. This chapter brings out the state of Job's mind. He says, "I know it is so of a truth. But how should man be just with God?" He gets before God as Judge, and his perplexity is very great. He cannot answer God one in a thousand.

Poor Job! He does not know now which way to turn. And is not this the case with every believer the moment he gets before God as Judge? How can he or you be just before God? Would not one sin of a thousand utterly condemn you?

What words could Job use to answer God? He feels unable to choose words that might have any effect. However righteous he may be, he felt hopelessly unable to make any impression on God by his speaking. He feels he could only beg for mercy from Him whom he calls, "my Judge."

There he is beginning to feel his weakness. He was not a proud man. But like all men before they learn this lesson, he had a very good opinion of himself. That must all come down. If a man or a woman is to be blessed, the blessing will not come through a good opinion of oneself. That is wrong. It is the greatest hindrance to the blessing of God and to the enjoyment of His grace. "Though I am in the right, I cannot answer him." There, you see, was true godliness.

He fully believed that God was faithful to him, and faithful to His children in general. But where was the ground for it? Well there was no ground yet at all. It was all hope. It was a hope in the Christ who was coming. But they did not know how Christ would answer to that hope. They only knew it would be all right, but how, they had no idea.

How clear it is that Job knew he was a sinful creature before his holy Creator, and that he had in himself no way of getting right. Since that was so, his only hope was for a third party to step in. But he knew of no such third party, no "daysman." His three friends could not play the part, and neither could any other man. The daysman must be great enough to lay one of his hands on Almighty God, and gracious enough to lay the other on poor, diseased, sinful Job.

Compared with other men, Job knew that he had been righteous, and God Himself had confirmed this when He spoke to Satan. But only the New Testament gives a full answer to Job's question. It says of believers, "you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God — and righteousness and sanctification and redemption." Christ's sacrifice on Calvary has laid a righteous basis for our eternal salvation. So God counts us righteous through faith in Christ. Of course Job could not understand this at the time, for Christ had not yet died for us.