Job 27:2 | KingComments | STEP | Job gagged Bildad ( ) and overruled Bildad’s insight into the majesty of God over the lights in the sky with his praise of the majesty of God over the realm of death ( ). After that the friends remain silent – they have finished. Job now begins a monologue that runs through Job 31. In Job 27 he addresses his three friends in a few sentences one more time. His tone is calmer than in the previous chapters; the language remains fascinating. The words of appear here for the first time (cf. ). It means that the usual order of speech is broken here. It would have been Zophar’s turn, but he is silent. So Job “continues” his discourse. But it is not an answer to a speech of one of the friends that would have preceded it. Job begins his monologue with swearing an oath ( ), but in his words his struggle and incomprehension about what God has done to him resounds. He is firmly convinced of God as the Living One. What has happened to him, has been done to him by God. But he does not agree. God has taken away his right. This is incomprehensible to him, because he sees no reason for it in his life. Although he struggles with that, he knows that God as the Living One keeps him alive and supports him. The Almighty has embittered him, but he does not know for what he has deserved it. Similar words can be found with other believers, for example with Naomi ( ). What Job says is the saying of someone who has a good conscience. But there is a self-righteousness in it that does not match the self-knowledge of someone who is in God’s presence. Job is not there yet. He struggles and at the same time has the certainty that God has given him life. As long as he lives, he knows that God keeps him alive ( ). He owes his life, his breath, to God. As long as he lives, his lips certainly will not speak unjustly, nor will his tongue mutter deceit ( ). He will never give up the conviction of his innocence. His friends have tried everything to convince him that he is wrong. But there is no question of him agreeing with them ( ). The friends have taken as their starting point the misery in which he finds himself. Their reasoning was simple: God punishes sins with suffering; Job suffers, so he must have sinned; he even suffers very much, so he must have sinned very much. Job will reject this accusation until his last breath, until he gives up the spirit. If he did agree with them, he would lie, he would cheat with his tongue, he would give up his righteousness, for he really has not done what they claim. He will hold on to his righteousness and underlines that statement by adding that he will not let it go ( ). Job can look back on every day of his life as a day on which he has served God in sincerity. There is no contempt in his heart for a day that would not have been well spent. His life is an open book, against which there can be no accusation. As long as he lives, he will hold on to his righteousness and thus to the fact that he suffers innocently.

‏ Job 27:2

Introduction

Job gagged Bildad (Job 26:1-4) and overruled Bildad’s insight into the majesty of God over the lights in the sky with his praise of the majesty of God over the realm of death (Job 26:5-14). After that the friends remain silent – they have finished.

Job now begins a monologue that runs through Job 31. In Job 27 he addresses his three friends in a few sentences one more time. His tone is calmer than in the previous chapters; the language remains fascinating.

Job Maintains His Righteousness

The words of Job 27:1 appear here for the first time (cf. Job 29:1). It means that the usual order of speech is broken here. It would have been Zophar’s turn, but he is silent. So Job “continues” his discourse. But it is not an answer to a speech of one of the friends that would have preceded it.

Job begins his monologue with swearing an oath (Job 27:2), but in his words his struggle and incomprehension about what God has done to him resounds. He is firmly convinced of God as the Living One. What has happened to him, has been done to him by God. But he does not agree. God has taken away his right. This is incomprehensible to him, because he sees no reason for it in his life. Although he struggles with that, he knows that God as the Living One keeps him alive and supports him. The Almighty has embittered him, but he does not know for what he has deserved it. Similar words can be found with other believers, for example with Naomi (Rth 1:20).

What Job says is the saying of someone who has a good conscience. But there is a self-righteousness in it that does not match the self-knowledge of someone who is in God’s presence. Job is not there yet. He struggles and at the same time has the certainty that God has given him life. As long as he lives, he knows that God keeps him alive (Job 27:3). He owes his life, his breath, to God.

As long as he lives, his lips certainly will not speak unjustly, nor will his tongue mutter deceit (Job 27:4). He will never give up the conviction of his innocence. His friends have tried everything to convince him that he is wrong. But there is no question of him agreeing with them (Job 27:5). The friends have taken as their starting point the misery in which he finds himself. Their reasoning was simple: God punishes sins with suffering; Job suffers, so he must have sinned; he even suffers very much, so he must have sinned very much.

Job will reject this accusation until his last breath, until he gives up the spirit. If he did agree with them, he would lie, he would cheat with his tongue, he would give up his righteousness, for he really has not done what they claim. He will hold on to his righteousness and underlines that statement by adding that he will not let it go (Job 27:6).

Job can look back on every day of his life as a day on which he has served God in sincerity. There is no contempt in his heart for a day that would not have been well spent. His life is an open book, against which there can be no accusation. As long as he lives, he will hold on to his righteousness and thus to the fact that he suffers innocently.