At this point, it feels like Job is making a closing argument in his own defense ...
I made a covenant with my eyes
not to look lustfully at a girl.
For what is man's lot from God above,
his heritage from the Almighty on high?
Is it not ruin for the wicked,
disaster for those who do wrong?
Does he not see my ways
and count my every step?
The opening remark in his closing statement is the basic premise of all that has gone on before:
Doesn't God see my righteous ways?
Shouldn't ruin befall those who sin?
At the moment, Job wonders has God seen the good he has tried to do in his life?
Job wonders, why has ruin befallen me who has tried and mostly successfully to live rightly?
Next follows NINETEEN "if" statements ... go ahead and read it and get into the rhythm and cadence of Job's argument. I'll try to summarize at the end.
Image source: http://www.playbackstl.com/content/view/2228/156/
If I have walked in falsehood
or my foot has hurried after deceit-
let God weigh me in honest scales
and he will know that I am blameless-
if my steps have turned from the path,
if my heart has been led by my eyes,
or if my hands have been defiled,
then may others eat what I have sown,
and may my crops be uprooted.
If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
or if I have lurked at my neighbor's door,
then may my wife grind another man's grain,
and may other men sleep with her.
For that would have been shameful,
a sin to be judged.
It is a fire that burns to Destruction;
it would have uprooted my harvest.
If I have denied justice to my menservants and maidservants
when they had a grievance against me,
what will I do when God confronts me?
What will I answer when called to account?
Did not he who made me in the womb make them?
Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?
If I have denied the desires of the poor
or let the eyes of the widow grow weary,
if I have kept my bread to myself,
not sharing it with the fatherless-
but from my youth I reared him as would a father,
and from my birth I guided the widow-
if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,
or a needy man without a garment,
and his heart did not bless me
for warming him with the fleece from my sheep,
if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,
knowing that I had influence in court,
then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
let it be broken off at the joint.
For I dreaded destruction from God,
and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things.
If I have put my trust in gold
or said to pure gold, 'You are my security,'
if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,
the fortune my hands had gained,
if I have regarded the sun in its radiance
or the moon moving in splendor,
so that my heart was secretly enticed
and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,
then these also would be sins to be judged,
for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.
If I have rejoiced at my enemy's misfortune
or gloated over the trouble that came to him-
I have not allowed my mouth to sin
by invoking a curse against his life-
if the men of my household have never said,
'Who has not had his fill of Job's meat?'-
but no stranger had to spend the night in the street,
for my door was always open to the traveler-
if I have concealed my sin as men do,
by hiding my guilt in my heart
because I so feared the crowd
and so dreaded the contempt of the clans
that I kept silent and would not go outside
17 if statements here!
Then there is a parenthesis which explicitly casts Job in the role of a defense attorney
("Oh, that I had someone to hear me!
I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me;
let my accuser put his indictment in writing.
Surely I would wear it on my shoulder,
I would put it on like a crown.
I would give him an account of my every step;
like a prince I would approach him.)-
Then two final if statements...
if my land cries out against me
and all its furrows are wet with tears,
if I have devoured its yield without payment
or broken the spirit of its tenants,
then let briers come up instead of wheat
and weeds instead of barley."
The statements fall into groupings as follows:
One set focuses on the general image of Job trying to live rightly with statement like these where Job is arguing I haven't ...
walked in falsehood
turned from the path
been led by my eyes
allowed my hands to be defiled.
The next group stresses that Job didn't take advantage of others by saying I haven't ...
been enticed by a woman
lurked at my neighbor's door.
The third cluster concerns Job's doing justly toward others where he said I haven't ...
denied justice
denied the desires of the poor
kept my bread to myself
others to perish for lack of clothing
worked against the fatherless.
Job though a wealthy man didn't regard wealth over God and so he didn't ..
put his trust in gold
rejoice over his great wealth
regarded the sun in its radiance or moon in its splendor.
I thought it was interesting that he juxtaposed wealthy with worship of the sun or the moon. Perhaps, in that time many people worshipped the sun and moon in a form of idolatry?
The next set of statements shows Job's graciousness to others for he
doesn't rejoice at my enemy's misfortune
made sure those under his care got their fill of Job's meat nor any stranger had to spend the night in the street.
He knew he was a sinner and he thus didn't ...
conceal his sin.
A word about that. I don't think we have to take out a billboard and show our sin to the world. I think what he means here is that if he sinned he brought it to God and if it involved another person, he brought it to the person he wronged.
Finally, Job defends his life by describing his fairness to the land he utilized by personifying the land ...
would the land cries out against me
would the land feel he devoured its yield without payment.
Part of Adam and Eve's charter besides be fruitful and multiply was to care for the land and here Job took that seriously.
The words of Job are ended.
Lord, how I would love, at the end of my life, to be able to go to you in peace knowing I've tried to do justice, love mercy and walked humbly with you. Help me to live today like the way Job did way back when. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment