Job 9:22 | KingComments | STEP | Here Job describes in wonderful poetic language that he has no access to this great and almighty God, Who hides Himself and gives no account of His ways to anyone. There is no one who can fathom Him and therefore understand what He is doing ( ). God is not only unfathomable in His motives, He is also inimitable in His wondrous works. His wonders are incomparable and uncountable. Job here says the same as Eliphaz ( ). Only he applies these words in a completely different, opposite way. Eliphaz wants to show how God by His strength does what is right and proper, that He brings those who grieve to safety and frees the poor from the grip of powers that are stronger than them. But Job sees God’s strength as that of a sovereign majesty who is answerable to no one. God is uncontrollable and imperceptible. Job experiences that God passes by him, but he does not see Him ( ). He feels that God is passing by him, but he does not perceive Him. God is a force that works mysteriously to do whatever He wants, without anyone being able to stop Him. In short, God cannot be reached or approached because of His greatness. He is so sovereign that He can snatch away everything He wants ( ). There is no one who can command Him with any authority to give back what He has taken. There is not even one who can ask Him: “What are You doing?” (cf. ). There is no one above Him. Between the lines we read the background of the personal tragedy of Job himself: everything has been taken away from him by Someone Who cannot be called to account by him. What Job says here, he said before: “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away” ( ). That was in surrender, but it was immediately after everything has been taken away from him. Then the full weight of what had happened to him had not yet penetrated him. Now he is a few months and many thoughts about God further. He has been reflecting on God’s actions in connection with what has happened to him. What he said earlier in surrender now has an undertone of reproach. All that Job knows and has spoken of God are impressive truths about God. They are not mere theological truths, but deeply felt truths. But this knowledge of God offers him no consolation. It gives him an ever-deeper sense of total powerlessness opposite that so great and powerful God. We can sometimes feel this way, for example when He takes health away from us or possessions, our friends, the life of a loved one. Then He wants us to find peace in the awareness that whatever is disappearing from our lives, it is He Who has taken it away. Job goes on to speak of God Who does not turn back His anger ( ). This is true for anyone who persists in his sins. On such a person the wrath of God abides ( ). God does turn back His anger from anyone who believes in His Son Jesus Christ. He can do so because He did not turn His wrath away from His Son when He took upon Himself the sins of everyone who believes in Him. God’s anger strikes “the helpers of Rahab”. They cannot stand, but “crouch” beneath Him. Rahab means “arrogant” and is a sea monster ( ). Rahab is used as the poetic name for Egypt ( ), the people who do not care about God. All their pride and denial of God will be judged by Him. If the greatest powers in the world are to bow down before God, what can Job do against God ( )? What shall he say to God to justify himself ( )? He cannot but “implore the mercy” from Him, Whom he calls here “my judge”. Job does not say this because he is convinced of his sins, for he speaks of himself as righteous. But he sees himself opposite Someone Who always has the right at His side and always knows how to find something that is not right. No matter how carefully he would choose his words, there will always be something that his Judge would consider wrong. So it makes no sense to defend yourself against that great God. Job sees himself as completely insignificant opposite that exalted, sovereign, and unreachable God ( ). If he would call out to God and God would answer, he could not believe that God has heard his voice. We hear again that struggle of Job in his dealings with God. He wants to call out to the God in Whom he believes, but Whom he does not understand in His dealings with him. He expresses this incomprehension in . God bruised him with a tempest and made his wounds numerous. But Job cries out, He has no reason to do so. Job cannot understand why God has done so with him, while he has served Him so faithfully. And there is no end to this misery. He gets no chance from God to get his breath (cf. ). On the contrary, God satiates him with bitterness. While talking, Job’s portrayal of God becomes more and more negative. Once again Job points out that God is strong when it comes to a trial of strength ( ). He no longer even talks about his weakness in comparison. God is strong, that’s all. Only He is strong. But is God also righteous? That’s what Job questions, or even more so, he strongly doubts. The doubt of God’s righteousness stems from the conviction of his own righteousness. He wouldn’t know who could summon him for some transgression. After all, he has done nothing for which he could be accused. Job considers himself righteous ( ). But yes, he realizes, God will find something in the words he speaks to his defense that will make Him declare him guilty. Job realizes that all his outward righteousness is no excuse for the wrong words that come out of his mouth. His words prove that he has no good thoughts about God in his heart. So, despite his sincerity, God will have to declare him guilty. You always lose a lawsuit against God. It seems that Job is bowing to God’s condemnation, although he emphasizes that he is guiltless ( ). If God condemns him, he surrenders. He does not take notice of himself, he despises his life. Surely life has no meaning any more. Let judgment come. It does not matter at all. It doesn’t matter if you are guiltless, like him, or if you are wicked ( ). God kills both one and the other (cf. ). Surely this is clear from the way God acts with him, a sincere one, isn’t it? He does the same with him as with the wicked. Here again it is clear that Job doubts the government of God, not to say that he accuses God of indifference. In any case, he cannot understand God’s way of acting. Let us not be too hard on Job for his failure and let us not forget that these are the words of a desperate one. God lets Job speak, He lets him speak without interrupting him. We should not want to silence him with our well-intentioned advice on how he should see the matter. What we can do is pray in humility whether the Lord will keep our hearts in fellowship with Him to learn the lessons this book contains for us. The scourge of death can suddenly enter a person’s life without any reason, without any prior warning ( ). Job has experienced that scourge. Time after time he has been scourged in rapid succession with messages of death. According to Job, God even “mocks the despair of the innocent”. As if God has a certain pleasure in making those who are innocent and therefore desperate even more desperate. This is how it can be experienced by believers who suffer long and hopeless suffering. Each day added to this suffering increases despair. When God is also experienced as a cruel adversary, the desperate is hopeless. Job has nowhere on earth to turn ( ). The wicked is in charge. Certainly, it is true that satan, the great wicked one, is “the ruler of this world” ( ). But that does not mean that God no longer has control over the world. Job himself says that “the earth is given over into the hand of the wicked” (cf. ; ). ‘Given’ means that God is behind it. God has complete control over everything, including the evil that takes place. We can know this, just like Job, but we can forget it when we are completely consumed by our misery and nothing seems like God is doing anything for our benefit. In fact, according to Job, God does not allow justice to take its course. He prevents the good judges who are still there from fulfilling their task, because He covers their faces, that is, He takes away their understanding of the law. In the last part of this verse we hear again how Job holds on to God as the cause of his misery. He proclaims it as a question: “If [it is] not [He], then who is it?” It sounds like a reproach. At the same time there is also the element of hope. He has nothing to do with satan, nor with earthly judges, but with God. Each time he speaks about or to God. There is no alternative to Job. And that is precisely what makes his struggle so fierce. He doesn’t understand God, Whom he experiences as cruel, but he can’t live without Him either.

‏ Job 9:22

God’s Inaccessibility and Judicial Acts

Here Job describes in wonderful poetic language that he has no access to this great and almighty God, Who hides Himself and gives no account of His ways to anyone. There is no one who can fathom Him and therefore understand what He is doing (Job 9:10). God is not only unfathomable in His motives, He is also inimitable in His wondrous works. His wonders are incomparable and uncountable.

Job here says the same as Eliphaz (Job 5:9). Only he applies these words in a completely different, opposite way. Eliphaz wants to show how God by His strength does what is right and proper, that He brings those who grieve to safety and frees the poor from the grip of powers that are stronger than them. But Job sees God’s strength as that of a sovereign majesty who is answerable to no one.

God is uncontrollable and imperceptible. Job experiences that God passes by him, but he does not see Him (Job 9:11). He feels that God is passing by him, but he does not perceive Him. God is a force that works mysteriously to do whatever He wants, without anyone being able to stop Him. In short, God cannot be reached or approached because of His greatness.

He is so sovereign that He can snatch away everything He wants (Job 9:12). There is no one who can command Him with any authority to give back what He has taken. There is not even one who can ask Him: “What are You doing?” (cf. Dan 4:35). There is no one above Him. Between the lines we read the background of the personal tragedy of Job himself: everything has been taken away from him by Someone Who cannot be called to account by him.

What Job says here, he said before: “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away” (Job 1:21b). That was in surrender, but it was immediately after everything has been taken away from him. Then the full weight of what had happened to him had not yet penetrated him. Now he is a few months and many thoughts about God further. He has been reflecting on God’s actions in connection with what has happened to him. What he said earlier in surrender now has an undertone of reproach.

All that Job knows and has spoken of God are impressive truths about God. They are not mere theological truths, but deeply felt truths. But this knowledge of God offers him no consolation. It gives him an ever-deeper sense of total powerlessness opposite that so great and powerful God. We can sometimes feel this way, for example when He takes health away from us or possessions, our friends, the life of a loved one. Then He wants us to find peace in the awareness that whatever is disappearing from our lives, it is He Who has taken it away.

Job goes on to speak of God Who does not turn back His anger (Job 9:13). This is true for anyone who persists in his sins. On such a person the wrath of God abides (Jn 3:36). God does turn back His anger from anyone who believes in His Son Jesus Christ. He can do so because He did not turn His wrath away from His Son when He took upon Himself the sins of everyone who believes in Him.

God’s anger strikes “the helpers of Rahab”. They cannot stand, but “crouch” beneath Him. Rahab means “arrogant” and is a sea monster (Job 26:12). Rahab is used as the poetic name for Egypt (Isa 30:7 ; Isa 51:9), the people who do not care about God. All their pride and denial of God will be judged by Him.

If the greatest powers in the world are to bow down before God, what can Job do against God (Job 9:14)? What shall he say to God to justify himself (Job 9:15)? He cannot but “implore the mercy” from Him, Whom he calls here “my judge”. Job does not say this because he is convinced of his sins, for he speaks of himself as righteous. But he sees himself opposite Someone Who always has the right at His side and always knows how to find something that is not right. No matter how carefully he would choose his words, there will always be something that his Judge would consider wrong. So it makes no sense to defend yourself against that great God.

Job sees himself as completely insignificant opposite that exalted, sovereign, and unreachable God (Job 9:16). If he would call out to God and God would answer, he could not believe that God has heard his voice. We hear again that struggle of Job in his dealings with God. He wants to call out to the God in Whom he believes, but Whom he does not understand in His dealings with him.

He expresses this incomprehension in Job 9:17-18. God bruised him with a tempest and made his wounds numerous. But Job cries out, He has no reason to do so. Job cannot understand why God has done so with him, while he has served Him so faithfully. And there is no end to this misery. He gets no chance from God to get his breath (cf. Job 7:19). On the contrary, God satiates him with bitterness. While talking, Job’s portrayal of God becomes more and more negative.

Once again Job points out that God is strong when it comes to a trial of strength (Job 9:19). He no longer even talks about his weakness in comparison. God is strong, that’s all. Only He is strong. But is God also righteous? That’s what Job questions, or even more so, he strongly doubts. The doubt of God’s righteousness stems from the conviction of his own righteousness. He wouldn’t know who could summon him for some transgression. After all, he has done nothing for which he could be accused.

Job considers himself righteous (Job 9:20). But yes, he realizes, God will find something in the words he speaks to his defense that will make Him declare him guilty. Job realizes that all his outward righteousness is no excuse for the wrong words that come out of his mouth. His words prove that he has no good thoughts about God in his heart. So, despite his sincerity, God will have to declare him guilty. You always lose a lawsuit against God.

It seems that Job is bowing to God’s condemnation, although he emphasizes that he is guiltless (Job 9:21). If God condemns him, he surrenders. He does not take notice of himself, he despises his life. Surely life has no meaning any more. Let judgment come.

It does not matter at all. It doesn’t matter if you are guiltless, like him, or if you are wicked (Job 9:22). God kills both one and the other (cf. Ecc 9:2). Surely this is clear from the way God acts with him, a sincere one, isn’t it? He does the same with him as with the wicked. Here again it is clear that Job doubts the government of God, not to say that he accuses God of indifference. In any case, he cannot understand God’s way of acting.

Let us not be too hard on Job for his failure and let us not forget that these are the words of a desperate one. God lets Job speak, He lets him speak without interrupting him. We should not want to silence him with our well-intentioned advice on how he should see the matter. What we can do is pray in humility whether the Lord will keep our hearts in fellowship with Him to learn the lessons this book contains for us.

The scourge of death can suddenly enter a person’s life without any reason, without any prior warning (Job 9:23). Job has experienced that scourge. Time after time he has been scourged in rapid succession with messages of death. According to Job, God even “mocks the despair of the innocent”. As if God has a certain pleasure in making those who are innocent and therefore desperate even more desperate. This is how it can be experienced by believers who suffer long and hopeless suffering. Each day added to this suffering increases despair. When God is also experienced as a cruel adversary, the desperate is hopeless.

Job has nowhere on earth to turn (Job 9:24). The wicked is in charge. Certainly, it is true that satan, the great wicked one, is “the ruler of this world” (Jn 12:31). But that does not mean that God no longer has control over the world. Job himself says that “the earth is given over into the hand of the wicked” (cf. Lk 4:6; Jn 19:11). ‘Given’ means that God is behind it. God has complete control over everything, including the evil that takes place.

We can know this, just like Job, but we can forget it when we are completely consumed by our misery and nothing seems like God is doing anything for our benefit. In fact, according to Job, God does not allow justice to take its course. He prevents the good judges who are still there from fulfilling their task, because He covers their faces, that is, He takes away their understanding of the law.

In the last part of this verse we hear again how Job holds on to God as the cause of his misery. He proclaims it as a question: “If [it is] not [He], then who is it?” It sounds like a reproach. At the same time there is also the element of hope. He has nothing to do with satan, nor with earthly judges, but with God. Each time he speaks about or to God. There is no alternative to Job. And that is precisely what makes his struggle so fierce. He doesn’t understand God, Whom he experiences as cruel, but he can’t live without Him either.