Job 13:16

Job 13:16

Job is speaking, and Job says in Job 13:16, “He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him.” Job knew that he was saved. It is sad when a believer does not have an assurance of their salvation. There are at least two things that you need to know and you need to think about to be sure that you are saved. First, you need to know for certain that there was a time when you called on the name of Jesus, and asked Him to forgive you and come into your life to save you. Second, you must know that the Bible teaches that you become justified and saved by faith in Christ and not by good works. If you know these two things, then you should know definitely that you are saved and that you will go to heaven.

Job says in Job 13:17-19, “Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration with your ears.[18] Behold now, I have ordered my cause; I know that I shall be justified.[19] Who is he that will plead with me? for now, if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost.” In verses 18 and 19 Job is saying that he is going to speak up for himself, because if he does not, who will speak for him? You must know who you are, and you must know what you stand for. That is one of the values of being a Christian and having the Word of God and the teachings of the New Testament as the basis for your life. That is what Job was talking about when he said in verses 19, “Who is he that will plead with me? for now, if I hold my tongue…” What were other people saying about Job? They were condemning him. That is typical, especially if you are trying to serve the Lord. But if God has justified you, you can reject all of the condemnations and judgments of human beings. It is important to know that God accepts you, God receives you, and God justifies you. At the end of verse 19 Job said that he had to speak. It was a part of life for Job to speak what he knew to be true. “…if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost.” A preacher who is called of God knows what this means. And so does any Christian who is called of God to witness for Christ.

Job says in Job 13:20-21, “Only do not two things unto me: then will I not hide myself from thee.[21] Withdraw thine hand far from me: and let not thy dread make me afraid.” Job is saying to his friends that if they want to have a good relationship with him, then they must stop being so negative towards him and stop attacking him. They were accusing him of doing wrong when he had not done wrong. We are all sinners, and so it is easy to see the faults and failures of others. Do not become an attack dog whenever you think you see a fault in someone else. The spirit of negativism and being critical will ruin relationships, and that includes marriage relationships. When Job said to his friends, “Withdraw thine hand far from me,” Job meant for them to stop criticizing him and judging him.

Job says in Job 13:22-28, “Then call thou, and I will answer: or let me speak, and answer thou me.[23] How many are mine iniquities and sins? make me to know my transgression and my sin.[24] Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and holdest me for thine enemy?[25] Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?[26] For thou writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth.[27] Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks, and lookest narrowly unto all my paths; thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet.[28] And he, as a rotten thing, consumeth, as a garment that is moth eaten.” Job’s friends had been constantly condemning him, telling Job that all of his sufferings had to be punishments from God for sins that Job must have done. And so Job is saying that his friends should tell Job what are the sins. Job said to them, “make me to know my transgression and my sin.”

In verse 25 Job poses two important questions: “Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?” Job is the one who has been driven to and fro. Job is the one whose life has dried up due to all the sorrows and trials and loss. And so Job is asking his friends, “Are you going to kick me when I am down?” People might do that, but God will not. Matthew 12:20 is speaking about Jesus and quotes from the book of Isaiah and says, “A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.” You have never fallen so far that Jesus will give up on you.

Job had to suffer the fact that his “friends” were constantly condemning him. In verse 24 Job said that they were treating him as an “enemy.” In verse 26 Job said that his friends write “bitter” things against him. And also in verse 26 Job said that his friends were making Job “to possess the iniquities of my youth.” Perhaps this means that these people knew a lot about Job, even things from his youth. You know someone is your enemy when they bring up things from years ago only to condemn you. The devil, who is the accuser of the brethren, will try to condemn you for you past failures, God does not condemn: He forgives all the things of your past once you know Jesus as Savior

Job says in Job 14:1-2, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.[2] He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.” The truth of these statements should be obvious to everyone, even the unbelievers. Not only is life short, but it can also end at any moment: life “fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.” One of the advantages of believing in Jesus is that these limitations are overcome by the grace of God. With Jesus believers will live forever. With Jesus all of the sorrows of life will be replaced by the eternal wonders and joys and happiness of heaven.

Job says in Job 14:3-10, “And dost thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee?[4] Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.[5] Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;[6] Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day.[7] For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.[8] Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground;[9] Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.[10] But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?” Job was talking to Zophar, but now Job has switched his focus and continues talking, but Job is actually talking to God. If you are going to talk, then talk to God as often as you can. Stop talking to man so much, and talk to the Lord. The Lord is interested in everything that you have to say to Him. And so Job turns to God, with Job continuing to try to understand why all these terrible things have happened to him.

Job asks a question in verse 4, “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.” Job’s friends can do nothing for Job, even if they happened to be right. Job’s friends, nor any human being, can cleanse from sin. That is why Jesus said, “Ye must be born again.” You must have the spiritual birth that comes from God alone through faith in Jesus. No human being can do for you what you need the most.

In verse 5 Job is talking about the fact that God controls our life. God determines how many days we are on this earth, and those days are very few especially compared to eternity. Our “days are determined.” And we are very limited as human beings while we are on the earth, especially compared to the all-powerful God. As Job also said in verse 5, for each person God has “appointed his bounds that he cannot pass.” Know your limitations, and use your limitations as a reason to trust God more. What we cannot do, God can do. That is why Jesus said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God. With God all things are possible.”

One sorrow after another had been heaped upon Job. It must have been like being in a fight and constantly being beat upon. Job knew that he was helpless unless God ended this and turned things around. And so Job said in verse 6, “Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day.” Job wanted to accomplish things for God, but Job needed the Lord to give Job “rest” from the afflictions. Job wanted to be a “hireling,” that is, a servant, but Job knew that he could not accomplish anything even as a servant unless God made it happen.

In verses 7 through 10 Job compares his situation and the reality of death to trees. A tree can be cut down, and a new shoot spring up. But from a human standpoint, when a man is cut down and killed, that is the end. Job uses another illustration from nature to describe death in verses 11 and 12: “As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: [12} So man lieth down and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.” There is no getting up from death, not from a human standpoint. That is one of the reasons that murder is so terrible. Murder takes away life and opportunity and all that the victim would have accomplished, and there is no giving life back to the dead one. Death is final. Of course, this truth is one of the reasons that Christians have turned to Jesus: to take away the curse of death and to receive the benefit of eternal life. It says in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Job talks about death, and says in Job 14:13-17, “O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me![14] If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.[15] Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.[16] For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin?[17] My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity.” Job does a lot of thinking about life and death because as much as he suffered, the only thing left for him to suffer was death. But he has not died yet. God has not put Job into the grave yet. And so Job asks the question in verse 14, “If a man die, shall he live again?” Job has not died yet, and so there must be a reason that God is keeping him alive. And so Job says in verse 14, “all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.” What is Job waiting for? He is waiting on God. Job is waiting until God makes a “change.” God is going to have to change Job’s life. Job cannot fix it.

In verse 15 Job continues with the theme that he knows he must wait upon God. Job says, “Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.” When God is ready to call, Job will be there ready to answer. Job knows God, and Job knows that God has “a desire” to the work of his hands. God made Job for a reason. God has a desire and an intention and a plan that will be fulfilled. Believe it. It will come. When God calls you, are you ready to say, “Here am I, Lord, send me.”

I think in verses 16 and 17 that Job is saying that he knows that his sins are in God’s hands. In addition to lack of faith, the biggest issue that any person has between themselves and God is their sins. But if you have given your sins over to Christ, He will take care of them. If you have Jesus as your Savior, you know that He has taken your sins away. He not only put them all in a bag, but He buried them in a deep hole so that they will never be found again. So the sin problem is easily solved as long as Jesus is your Savior.

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