“…He would not press charges…” Job 23:6b

In the passage we consider today, Job came to the closest understanding of the actual truth about his calamities. He still asserted his innocence with confidence in God’s character, saying:

“Would He oppose me with great power? No, He would not press charges against me. There an upright man could present his case before Him...” (vv. 6 – 7a)

With that personal knowledge, Job declared he would be permanently delivered from any punishment Heaven’s Judge could hand down to him (v.7b). Job’s frustration, however, was his inability to find God. The times when God is silent in one’s life can often be the time of greatest anxiety. We are creatures in need of
pattern prediction. We grow up knowing a consistent 24-hour day with a sunrise and a sunset; the four seasons with their change of colors and plant-life; low tide and high tide; new moon and full moon; the North Star; clouds and rain; the temperature at which water freezes and boils; life and death. Those consistencies
create in all of us a preference to predict outcomes. Get the picture?

Job couldn’t predict or form a conclusion on God’s purpose behind his suffering. And Job couldn’t seem to find a place where he could know for sure God was listening. He performed a thorough search to the east, west, north and south in his region, with no success of securing an audience before The Lord (vv. 8 – 9).

He was certain, though, of God’s omniscience: knowing Job’s comings and goings, as well as his life patterns (v.10a). That certainty provided Job an insight into his life which, up to that point, would be the closest to discovering the purpose for his suffering:

“…when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (v.10b)

Knowing the end of a tragic story always relieves the reader from any empathetic anxiety while reading it. Job had finally come to understand God’s purpose behind the tragedies: it was a test. Though Job was not privy to what led to this test, he was finally getting to the point of acceptance – a critical point of recovery for those who have experienced trauma.

With Job’s knowledge of God’s insight into his life, he knew God had not missed the piety of his life (v.11), nor had he ever departed from God’s righteous standard of living (v.12a). Yes, it was the sacred texts which God had breathed into His prophets that gave Job wisdom from above. He even treasured God’s Word more than what bread he had available (v.12b).

Like Job, many people regret the actions of their youth (read 13:26; 14:17b). Thanks be to God, for we have a mediator Who stands for us, declaring the price of our sin has been paid. Knowing Jesus, one can be confident that He would not press charges against us for the sins of our past. Only by His grace and
pardon are we given another chance to live intentionally for Him – being the eyes, ears, hands and feet of Jesus to the world.

Have a blessed day…