Job 9.
1893 195 This book is wonderful in more respects than one; not merely as exhibiting the ways of God, but in another aspect which is very remarkable. It is independent of law, and before the gospel, as we have it, founded on accomplished redemption.
The question here is, how a soul can stand before God. Where is righteousness to be found? There is a great deal of bitterness in the chapter: Job says it is of no use to contend. He had the conviction that God hates iniquity, and loves holiness; while his friends had got on the ground of saying that, as things were with Job, he must be a hypocrite, and must-have done something very bad, for God was against him, prosperity being the mark of God's favour. But Job insisted that this is no adequate test. His friends showed that they knew not at all God's nature nor His ways; whereas Job had a sense of what God is in goodness, but did not know how to reconcile it with man. He clung to God: "though He slay me, I will trust in Him."
The great debate raised is this, how a man can be just before God. Who can have to do with God, and be just? That is the question. If one had only the wretched object of making a character to stand fair before man, he might do it; but we cannot do so with God. How should a man be just with God? Yet there must be righteousness with God. Our ways may appear as fair as possible with man, but not with God. What then is to become of us? Even Job would talk of all he had done; but with it all the question still remained, How can a man be just with God? When the sifting came to Job, there was a great deal too much of self in his heart to enable him to be just with God. To stand, man must have a righteousness before God. It is not the question of being righteous before man. One might find a judge hanging a thief, yet really worse than the thief in God's sight. It is a question of what the heart is in the sight of God. Our character before man is altogether a different thing. A person that lives on having a good character before man never has a conscience before God. He that thus thinks of his own character is always wrong, because he is simply acting to please self and the world, and not God. He is only keeping fair with a system where all is going on without God; and where, if God be let in, it will all go to pieces. Only let the truth into this world, and all is shipwrecked in a moment; for it is altogether false and hollow.
Job did not know what was in his heart till he was put to the test. When God lets the light in, it will not do for the character; it is gone. The effect of all these tests was, not only to bring Job into the light, but to bring out what was inside of his heart. Job was a gracious character, high in station, of great wealth and many possessions. Being graciously received amongst men, he ends with graciously receiving himself. God must break all this down. Trials come, and then self breaks out, because it was inside. God sent all sorts of outward calamities; and all blessings are withdrawn. Suppose it were to be so with any of us, all outward blessings withdrawn and Satan hedging up our way, what should we see in our own and a hundred hearts? Things would just come out, because of being within. Men are going on in prosperous outward circumstances, smiling and being smiled upon, and thinking themselves delightful characters. But how would it be with them if all were gone?
The question is, How can a man be just before God? God was good to Job; how could Job be just with Him? How can any man be just before God? If God were to begin to look into the motives of all respectable people in the world, what would He find? God must and does see things as they are, because He is light. If God were to look into all my motives, could I bear it? See men contending with God; what can they do? Even Job contends with God, though knowing it is of no use to do so. But what is in Job is brought out; he does not know himself till then. What is brought out is alas! a sinful and rebellious spirit; it lurked underneath the things he vaunted himself about. There was in him an undetected principle of sin. It is a terrible lesson which one has to learn about one's self; and all must learn it. We have had plenty of opportunities, if honest, of learning ourselves; we may have slurred over a great deal of evil, till God in mercy has squeezed the flesh and brought it out; just as He sent trials till He got into Job's conscience to bring every thing out.
God does this with each individual in different ways. He lets it all come out; and when it is so, He says, Well, what do you think of yourself now? Is this the Job you thought so well of? — the delightful character so esteemed by men and by self? What do you think of it now? In various ways God proves that, whatever sin is in a believer, it must be brought into the conscience to show you what you are before God. Are those people who have kept a mass of unjudged evil in their hearts fit for heaven? No! Before they get there, it must all be brought out in the conscience and judged. Man is always attempting to excuse himself; but if we justify ourselves, our own mouth shall condemn us. You know that you are not perfect; would you lower the standard of holiness to make your conscience easy? Suppose I look into the world to learn about righteousness, where can I find it? There may be certain acts, where I see the judgment of God executed on the sinner; but it is seldom. The wicked prosper, so long as they keep their character with the world; but it is thorough selfishness. For if a man loses his character, he cannot get on; that gone, he is lost; and he is led by no other motive but selfishness in keeping it. Such is man, and the world.
It is a happy thing to see that when the arrow of God has got deep into the heart, no efforts can draw it out. A man may be keeping up the forms of happiness before men; but the wound is ever rankling in his heart. Here he may strive to be religious with an earthly mind; there it may be trying only to be more miserable; or again he maybe running a course of pleasure, because he is unhappy. If I am wicked, I may ask to be let alone. Such are the strugglings of a soul under conviction, and a hard struggle it is; next it is "wash me with snow water." But this will not do: God's eye sees too far, He sees motives. Snow water is of no use; I am so filthy that my own clothes abhor me. When the light of God comes in, we see what a dreadful thing the heart is; when thus we look at all passing within, what a mass of evil! The effect of a man being born of God is that he sees he has no innocence. In many a person there may be a healthful sense and judging of sin; but one has not got righteousness, if looking for it in his own heart; he has learnt that none is there, and this is the only effect of looking within. What is Job looking at Job to find out? Why, that a man cannot be just with God. It is a terrible lesson: all his snow water is vain; his hands are washed for no purpose. Is that the ground you are going on?
How many say, Do you mean to tell me a man ought not to be righteous? — ought not to have a right rule of life? To be sure he ought; but let me apply the right rule to you and your good works. Oh! no, you exclaim; this is too personal a way. It just shows that there is no such thing as a just man. If you wait till the day of judgment, what will it be? You will stand before the just God an unjust man; you will have a righteous God dealing in judgment with an unrighteous man.
Do you ask, what then can I do? how can I be just? What then of Christ? I answer. Ah! this is what man really leaves out altogether. Yet there is Christ before the day of judgment. You gain the place of the just by another man and another work altogether. A daysman is between you and judgment. But this is the very thing you as a man have not yet got, and you can only get it by the faith of Christ. What Job said he had not got is exactly what we Christians have; a daysman is between us and God. Did Christ ever terrify any poor sinner weeping at His feet? There is no terror to the very chiefest of sinners in the Gospels. God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself; He was in grace not imputing their offences. Christ walked up and down this world to show poor sinners He did not despise the most revolted. He is a daysman between you, the unjust, and a just God. What does He say to you, poor sinners? "Ye must be born again." This nature of yours will not do for God's kingdom. He cannot accept the flesh. The tree must be made good; a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. You are utterly had, and must be born again.
Christ lays His hand upon the sinner, having been made sin for him. How could a man as he is be made righteous? Impossible; but Christ could be made sin with God for man, that the believer might be made righteous with God, yea, God's righteousness, in Him. See Him at the well of Samaria, and a guilty soul coming out at such an hour of day, because ashamed to go with other women. He brings divine grace and love as a key to open the heart that wants Him. Now we find in the gospel, not the righteousness of man with God, but God's righteousness for man. For Christ has glorified God about sin, He has suffered once for sins, Just for unjust; and He has done it perfectly. If God receives a sinner as such, it is because Christ has paid the penalty due to my sins, and borne them all away. If I find I cannot stand before God, He says "There is a daysman between us."
True love goes out to a person where he wants it; and this is what God did in Christ. He brought it down where it was wanted. John the Baptist came in the way of righteousness; when God in Christ came, He came (where the sin is) to put it away. This is what grace does; it rises above the sin. The moment I come to God in this way of faith in Christ, I am not in my sins: Christ was in them as blotting them out; and as a believer by grace I am without them. I have had a work done for my sins, which has qualified Christ to sit down at the right hand of God. Truth is brought into the inward parts; and Christ is made unto me righteousness. If I have found out that 1 I am an utterly lost sinner, I am for this very reason an object for Christ to save. Do you believe God, that Christ has answered for you? If not, what did He do when He suffered on the cross? If He did, the question of sin is settled for ever between you and God; and you can now say "I know how a man can be just before God."
It is a settled, not a wavering, righteousness that I have in heaven. Grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Are you looking to be able to answer for yourself? or are you looking to the answer made for you on the cross? If you are expecting to answer for yourself, it will be utter destruction. The first time Christ came, He bore my sins. The second time He will appear without sin unto salvation (Heb. 9:28). May He give us to have our hearts and consciences ever in the light of His grace! J. N. Darby.