Job 23 Commentary
God Is Near, But I cannot Find Him
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KEY THOUGHT: When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him;
When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him. [Job 23:9 NKJV]
Kindly read your Bible before going through the commentary!
Job 23 NKJV
Job Proclaims God’s Righteous Judgments
23 Then Job answered and said:
2 “Even today my complaint is bitter;
[a]My hand is listless because of my groaning.
3 Oh, that I knew where I might find Him,
That I might come to His seat!
4 I would present my case before Him,
And fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would know the words which He would answer me,
And understand what He would say to me.
6 Would He contend with me in His great power?
No! But He would take note of me.
7 There the upright could reason with Him,
And I would be delivered forever from my Judge.
8 “Look, I go forward, but He is not there,
And backward, but I cannot perceive Him;
9 When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him;
When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him.
10 But He knows the way that I take;
When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.
11 My foot has held fast to His steps;
I have kept His way and not turned aside.
12 I have not departed from the commandment of His lips;
I have treasured the words of His mouth
More than my [b]necessary food.
13 “But He is unique, and who can make Him change?
And whatever His soul desires, that He does.
14 For He performs what is appointed for me,
And many such things are with Him.
15 Therefore I am terrified at His presence;
When I consider this, I am afraid of Him.
16 For God made my heart weak,
And the Almighty terrifies me;
17 Because I was not cut off [c]from the presence of darkness,
And He did not hide deep darkness from my face.
Footnotes
a. Job 23:2 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX, Syr. His
b. Job 23:12 Lit. appointed portion
c. Job 23:17 Or by or before
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Job 23 Commentary
Verse 8 is important. God cannot be found by Job’s search in the east and in the west. When the LORD shows up through His works in the north, Job still cannot see Him. And when the LORD turns to the South, Job catches no glimpse of Him.
This is not an admission that the LORD is very far away and unconcerned about Job’s righteousness, or the lack of it. Job is simply unable to find the LORD through his searches. And when the LORD shows up through His works or actual presence, Job cannot see the LORD.
Job is responding and countering Eliphaz’s statement that the LORD is distant. Indeed, this should be simple logic. The fact that we cannot see bacteria with our naked eyes doesn’t mean that bacteria don’t exist. It simply means that our search has been unsuccessful. Reasons are many: it could be that our tools are short, or simply that our tools are altogether wrong.
If humanity cannot find searchable elements, what hope is there that we can find unsearchable things!
Regardless of the above, the LORD doesn’t have such problems finding man. Unlike Eliphaz’s God, Job’s God is very much around and will test Job’s life. It is another way of saying the Judge will ensure justice is done. Nothing escapes His attention.
He shows us unsearchable things, things we do not know! Jeremiah 33:3.
The New Testament stands in the way of this lifelong problem: How can man find this God? If man’s search for God hasn’t produced any fruit, which is the essence of religion, the LORD knows humanity. The LORD knows man’s way. So the solution lies in the LORD stooping down to find man. That is the function of the cross. Through the man Christ Jesus, God can be found. God can be seen.
There isn’t any hide-and-seek. What we have is a revelation of divinity through the man Jesus! God comes down, and Job’s fruitless search ends!
Again, regardless of the above, God remains sovereign. Job appreciates this fact with admirable obedience. It is a point of worship when the saint coils in ignorance but obedience. Let God’s will be done.
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