A Harsh Reprimand
- Justin Ray
- Jul 3, 2020
- 4 min read
Job 13
Lo, mine eye hath seen all this,
Mine ear hath heard and understood it.
2 What ye know, the same do I know also:
I am not inferior unto you.
3 Surely I would speak to the Almighty,
And I desire to reason with God.
4 But ye are forgers of lies,
Ye are all physicians of no value.
5 O that ye would altogether hold your peace!
And it should be your wisdom.
6 Hear now my reasoning,
And hearken to the pleadings of my lips.
7 Will ye speak wickedly for God?
And talk deceitfully for him?
8 Will ye accept his person?
Will ye contend for God?
9 Is it good that he should search you out?
Or as one man mocketh another, do ye so mock him?
10 He will surely reprove you,
If ye do secretly accept persons.
11 Shall not his excellency make you afraid?
And his dread fall upon you?
Job 13:1-11
These words sting! If chapter 12 did not reveal that Job was irritated with his friends, chapter 13 should make it abundantly clear. He tried to reason with his friends, but the attacks kept coming. Job is now outraged and it shows.
Lo, mine eye hath seen all this,
Mine ear hath heard and understood it.
2 What ye know, the same do I know also:
I am not inferior unto you.
Job 13:1-2
Job tells his friends that they are not telling him anything he does not already know. Job is expressing that he knows the truth of God's word, just like his friends. He is expressing that he is not ignorant to God's word. He also tells them that he is not beneath them. They have been speaking to him like he is a child. He tells them that he is not beneath them ("I am not inferior unto you").
Surely I would speak to the Almighty,
And I desire to reason with God.
Job 13:3
Job was ready to plead his case before God. He felt wronged and wanted answers. I believe this is a good but also dangerous place to be. The only way Job was going to get answers was to go to God. However, he ran the risk of vilifying God. We should seek God for wisdom, especially about our trials and sufferings. This is how we learn. However, we must remember that God is holy and righteous. He does not wrong us. He allows things for his glory and for our growth. This is easy to remember and believe when circumstances are good, but much more difficult when we are in the heat of the battle.
But ye are forgers of lies,
Ye are all physicians of no value.
5 O that ye would altogether hold your peace!
And it should be your wisdom.
Job 13:4-5
Verses 4 and 5 are perhaps the harshest things Job said. He told them that they build lies. To forge is to create something from metal in fire. That is a fitting statement since Job's friends were so adamant in their accusation. When you forge metal in fire, not only do you shape it, but you make it harder. Job's analogy really digs into their stubbornness. Next, he calls them physicians of no value. Job recognized their intent to help, but there were failing miserably. The reason for this was their false diagnosis. The were trying to treat cancer where no cancer was present. This was spiritual malpractice at its worst. Job then says, "O that ye would altogether hold your peace!" That is a very nice way of saying "SHUT UP!" Job was tired of hearing it. The accusations were unbearable in his already miserable state. While we would not like to be on the receiving end of this command, it is good advice that we should often heed before we have to be told. Finally, Job tells them that if they would be silent they would appear wise. I grew up hearing the saying "Its better to remain silent and let people assume your ignorance, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." The more Job's three friends spoke, the less wise they appeared. The same can be true for us today if we try to speak on every issue.
Hear now my reasoning,
And hearken to the pleadings of my lips.
7 Will ye speak wickedly for God?
And talk deceitfully for him?
8 Will ye accept his person?
Will ye contend for God?
9 Is it good that he should search you out?
Or as one man mocketh another, do ye so mock him?
10 He will surely reprove you,
If ye do secretly accept persons.
11 Shall not his excellency make you afraid?
And his dread fall upon you?
Job 13:6-11
After attempting to put them in their place, Job tries to reason with them. I'm not going to break this down line by line, but he basically asks them if they are God. One would almost get that impression by how dogmatic they were about Job's alleged sin.
Verses 10 and 11 are almost prophetic. Job says that God will reprove them. Also, he tells them that God's excellency will make them afraid and his dread will fall upon them. While these were posed as a question, they were rhetorical to make his friends think. In the end, that is exactly what happened. While God spoke many words to Job to draw him closer to God, his statement was plain to Job's friends, you are facing certain judgment for how you have spoken to my servant Job.
There comes a time when people take all that they can take. Sometimes the cruelest people are those who we would think are our closest friends. While Job's words were hard, they were not hateful. If he had hated these men, he surely would not have prayed for them at the end of the book. Frustration and disagreement are not indicative of hate. Our world would do well to understand this today.
Father, help me to not be so dogmatic about inconsequential things that I drive people to anger. There are absolutely things that I should stand firm on, and others that I should be willing to give ground on. Give me wisdom to know the difference. Give me wisdom to know when to be silent and when to speak.
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