Hello everyone! Today’s Bible study is on Job 13 – Job Defends Himself. According to Bible scholars, the events of the book of Job took place approximately before 2100 B.C.
I encourage you to turn to Job 13 in your Bible. Kindly invite the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read and study Job 13 with me. I mention this in all the Bible Studies because it is through the Holy Spirit that we get fresh revelation and knowledge to understand the word of God. I am using the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, just in case you want to know. All the scriptures highlighted in purple in this post are from the NKJV.
In the Bible Study on Job 12, we read about Job answering his critics, who were his friends. Well, in this Bible study on Job 13, we will read about Job defending himself in front of his friends. This chapter is a continuation of Job 12.
Without any further delay, let us begin the Bible Study on Job 13, shall we?
Job Is Not Inferior To His Friends
1“Behold, my eye has seen all this,
My ear has heard and understood it.
2 What you know, I also know;
I am not inferior to you.
3 But I would speak to the Almighty,
And I desire to reason with God.
In Verse 1 of Job 13, Job tells his friends that he has seen with his eyes all that God can do. He has heard and understood everything about God, just as they have understood. In Verse 2, he tells his friends that he also knows what they know and that he is not inferior to them regarding the knowledge and wisdom about God. However, despite his knowledge (how God raises and lowers people and nations as He wills), he (Job) insists that he would speak to The Almighty. He desires to reason with God about his situation and suffering. Also, Job desired to know the cause of his great suffering.
Job’s Friends Are The Worst At Comforting Him
4 But you forgers of lies,
You are all worthless physicians.
5 Oh, that you would be silent,
And it would be your wisdom!
6 Now hear my reasoning,
And heed the pleadings of my lips.
In Verse 4 of Job 13, Job calls his friends liars (they were lying about his character by calling him a sinner and by calling him a man of empty talk). They had defamed him and judged him unjustly. Job likens them to worthless physicians. A physician heals the wounds of the sick and gives them relief, support and treatment for their illness. However, his friends have neither treated nor given a remedy for Job’s wounds ( mental agony and suffering) nor have given him relief with their words. Job’s friends had let him suffer without comforting him. They had neither empathy nor sympathy for Job.
They spoke as if they were more knowledgeable than Job and as if they were blameless and just before God. In Verse 5, Job says it would be wiser for his friends to be silent rather than talk. In Verse 6, he tells his friends to hear his reasoning. He pleads with them to listen to what he has to say.
Observation
Job was in so much agony mentally and physically that he had to beg his friends to listen to him. They were not willing to listen to him. Moreover, they blamed Job for his suffering. According to them, Job had sinned, and his sin was the direct cause of his trial (loss of property, wealth, children, and severe illness).Â
The Righteous Suffer Alone
When righteous people suffer, they suffer alone. There is no one to comfort them. Everyone is eager to share in their good fortune and wealth. However, when it comes to trials, the just and blameless are left alone, and everyone (mainly the close ones like family and friends) turns a blind eye. And the ones who seem to care are the first to place blame and point fingers at the just and blameless, thereby increasing their agony many-fold. It is easy to point fingers when they are not the ones suffering.
Job was physically suffering, there is no doubt about it. However, to have lost everything including his ten children, his wealth, property, all his animals, and servants and be reduced to this situation must have taken a toll on his mental health too and he found no relief from it. His friends surely couldn’t cure his physical illness. However, they could have been understanding of Job and what he was going through.
Job’s Friends Have Dealt Wickedly With Job
7 Will you speak wickedly for God,
And talk deceitfully for Him?
8Â Will you show partiality for Him?
Will you contend for God?
9Â Will it be well when He searches you out?
Or can you mock Him as one mocks a man?
In Verse 7 of Job 13, Job asks his friends how they could speak wickedly and deceitfully to please God. They talked as if they were superior to Job and had higher moral values than Job. Job’s friends put Job down (and looked down upon him) before God and spoke about God’s judgment against him so that they could gain favour with God.
In Verse 8, Job asks if his friends would show partiality and contend on behalf of God. In Verse 9, Job asks his friends, will it be well with them when God searches them out and knows what is in their hearts. By dealing unjustly with Job to gain favour in God’s eyes, they have mocked God and tried to deceive Him. They spoke to Job as if they were pure and blameless before God. Also, they were rebuking and urging Job to repent of a sin that he did not commit in the first place.
God Will Rebuke Those Who Show Partiality
10 He will surely rebuke you
If you secretly show partiality.
11 Will not His excellence make you afraid,
And the dread of Him fall upon you?
12 Your platitudes are proverbs of ashes,
Your defenses are defenses of clay.
In Verses 10-12 of Job 13, Job says that God will surely rebuke his friends, and His dread would fall upon them. Their sayings were mere proverbs of ashes that not does produce any fruit (because their words and what was in their heart did not match. They were deceitful). Their defenses were mere crumbling blocks of clay as they had no foundation to base their defenses upon. Them saying that Job’s suffering was a direct cause of his sin was mere speculation. It was not a fact nor the truth. Job 1 and Job 2 explains the real reason behind Job’s trial.
Job Trusts In God
13 “Hold your peace with me, and let me speak,
Then let come on me what may!
14 Why do I take my flesh in my teeth,
And put my life in my hands?
15Â Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.
Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him.
16 He also shall be my salvation,
For a hypocrite could not come before Him.
In Verses 13-16 of Job 13, Job tells his friends to allow him to speak peacefully without interrupting him or rebuking him. He said whatever has to happen to him may happen after he had finished speaking. He didn’t want to die unjustified. Job told his friends that he had no reason to take his flesh in his teeth and trust his life in his hands. He proclaimed that he would trust God, despite his suffering and despite His judgment on him that brought about the suffering.
Job also said that he would defend his ways before God because God shall be his salvation and vindication. Job believed that when he would speak to God and defend himself, God would listen to him and answer him. A hypocrite could not go before God. However, Job could go before God because he was not a hypocrite like his friends. He had been just in his dealings with God. Also, he didn’t hide his discomfort before God and he didn’t speak as if all was well with him and his household. In short, he held his integrity despite his circumstances.
Job Shall Be Vindicated
17 Listen carefully to my speech,
And to my declaration with your ears.
18 See now, I have prepared my case,
I know that I shall be vindicated.
19 Who is he who will contend with me?
If now I hold my tongue, I perish.
In Verses 17-19 of Job 13, Job tells his friends to listen carefully to his speech and declaration for he had prepared his case and he knew that God shall vindicate him. He questions who would contend with him and stop him from speaking because if he didn’t open his mouth and speak, he would perish. Verse 19 shows us that Job perceived that he had only a little time left on earth as his illness became increasingly worse every day . Hence, if he had to speak, now was the moment. He had no more time to waste.
Job Prays To God About Two Things
Petition 1
20 “Only two things do not do to me,
Then I will not hide myself from You:
21 Withdraw Your hand far from me,
And let not the dread of You make me afraid.
22 Then call, and I will answer;
In Verses of 20-22 of Job 13, Job starts petitioning God about two things so that he could face Him. The first thing that Job petitioned God was relief from his illness so that he was not afraid to speak to God. In this way, he would be able to answer God when He called on him. Job’s illness brought on him the fear of God. He feared an increase of illness if he were to speak to God. He didn’t have the courage to do so while he was tormented in his flesh.
Everytime he thought about reasoning with God his illness seemed to increase and this made him afraid to face God. He was breaking out fresh all over his body in new boils with worms creeping in them. He had no rest night and day. In reality, it was satan causing him to suffer everyday in the hopes of making Job curse God to His face. Needless to say, satan caused Job’s fear.
Petition 2
22 Or let me speak, then You respond to me.
23 How many are my iniquities and sins?
Make me know my transgression and my sin.
24 Why do You hide Your face,
And regard me as Your enemy?
Verses 22-23 of Job 13, talks about the second thing that Job petitioned God. He petitioned God to show him his transgression and sin that had reduced him to his current state. In Verse 24, Job questions God about why He is hiding from him and treating him as His enemy. In short, he wanted to know what had he done to become God’s enemy suddenly and what had he done to reap such a bad harvest.
Job Says God Is Against Him
25 Will You frighten a leaf driven to and fro?
And will You pursue dry stubble?
26 For You write bitter things against me,
And make me inherit the iniquities of my youth.
27 You put my feet in the stocks,
And watch closely all my paths.
You set a limit for the soles of my feet.
28 “Man decays like a rotten thing,
Like a garment that is moth-eaten.
In Verse 25 of Job 13, Job compares himself to a leaf driven to and fro in the wind and to dry stubble. He asks God does it seem right to Him to frighten a trembling leaf in the wind and dry stubble that is already dry and has nothing more left in it. In Verses 26-27, he continues to say how God writes bitter things against Job and makes him pay for the sins that he commited in his youth. What he meant was that God was not lenient with him and searched out every little error that he had done in his lifetime. According to Job, He has put Job’s feet in stocks (in chains) and watches him intently thereby, searching his sins. And, He has put a boundary around Job so that he could not move across freely and He watched his every step.
In Verse 28, Job says that he decays like a rotten thing because of his illness and he likens his body to a garment that is eaten by moth, as worms crept in all the boils of his flesh day in and day out.
Conclusion
This brings us to the end of the Bible Study on Job 13. Job maintains his integrity while responding to his friends’ criticsm of him and his suffering/illness. He is sure that God would vindicate him and he petitions God for relief from his suffering and to show him his sin.
As always, if you have any comments or questions kindly leave them in the comments box below.
Until Next Time!