Job 9:16

This drew from Job the striking words recorded in Job 9. He began by admitting that God's disciplinary ways are right, but he raised the all-important question: how can a man be right with God? In our day people have used the short saying, "Get right with God," to awaken interest in the Gospel message. It may well prompt the reply, "Yes, but how is that to be done?" That is exactly the question Job asked in verse 2. The rest of the chapter shows how earnest and sincere he was in asking it, for he suggested and examined four possible answers. Each suggestion starts with an "If."

What words does Job have to answer God? He feels unable to choose words that might have any effect. However righteous he may be, he felt completely unable to make any impression on God by speaking. He feels he could only beg for mercy from the One he calls "my Judge." Even then he doubted that God would listen to his voice (vv.15-16). Instead of listening, Job saw God crushing him with a tempest and adding to his wounds for no real cause (v.17).

Though I had cited Him, and He had answered me, / I would not believe that He would listen to me.

Then Job takes up another case. He cannot answer Him in His majesty, and He does not see His love… He is troubled in his soul about it… God is not a man, as we are. Job would have escaped God's presence if he could, but he could not. He was completely wrong about this, but he could not get away from God.

Well, that was great ignorance of God. God does answer, and God does hear. He delights in His children now. Now that they are cleared, now that they know Him, He delights in perfect closeness and love with Himself. "For He crushes me with a tempest" — and that was true — "and multiplies my wounds without cause." Ah! without cause; that is a little too much to say. He had His own wise cause; He had His own blessed end. He meant that Job should be a far happier man and brighter in his state than he had ever been before.

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

God has taken away the fear in Christ, and there is a daysman between us, such as Job felt the need of.