Job 34:5 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters | Metropolitan Tabernacle

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Job 34:5

Comments

Elihu summarises Job. It sounds harsh, but unfortunately it is true. Job had no right to take up self-justification. Job has accused God of injustice for he has said that although he is righteous and there is no just cause why God should move against him, yet he has become the target of God’s onslaught. How could God behave in this way without denying his own justice? Job words are summarised accurately here by Elihu (Job 10:7; 16:17; 29:14). This belief in his own righteousness adds vigour and even indignation to his defence. He has got himself into the position of so many who defend themselves with a great deal of heat but whose zeal is not based on knowledge. Afterwards they come to be ashamed of their strong confidence in their position. He seems to believe that God’s justice is bound to human justice and if man cannot see a reason why something is done, then there can be no just reason at all. That God could still be just and yet not operating according to human perceptions of justice is not considered. Job defends his own assessment of the situation almost with the intensity of a self-righteous person and asks, ‘Should I lie concerning my right?’ Should I surrender my right to fairness? Job effectively made himself more righteous than God and dared to correct God. He was so sure that he was right that he thought that God would be unable to answer him and the only issue was whether God would be fair and let him speak plainly without overwhelming him with the majesty of his presence. Job is just taking up insolence against God, like a thirsty animal. He had recently said, ‘All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils; ⁴ My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit. ⁵ God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me’ (Job 27:3-5). The justification of his own integrity appeared to necessitate the traducing of God’s integrity, and his previous fear of God did not hold him back. God had attacked him and his wound, his illness, and all his affliction had become so serious that it was impossible to see that he could be brought back to health from this extremity.

Application

This was a serious flaw in Job’s attitude and it is an error which human beings only too easily fall into. It comes from failing to see the limitations of human knowledge, failing to hold the Lord in sufficient reverence, and allowing questions about his goodness and justice to be asked which should never be raised. Do we disadvantage ourselves by resolving that we will never allow God’s character to be questioned, and by making his perfection an axiom in our thinking? Does this put us in the position where God can take advantage of us? By no means! We must trust God’s character more than we trust our own reason. This is not a matter of taking a risk, but of faith which sees what is invisible. Job was then in a most dangerous state and Elihu was quite correct to draw attention to this.

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Job 34:5 Commentary and Bible Study