Until we see ourselves as God sees us we do not evaluate ourselves correctly. What we are is only clear to us when we understand what God is, so he humbles us by having us compare ourselves with his glorious being. While we compare ourselves with other human beings we can convince ourselves that we are something, but when we look at him we know we are nothing. Since he is our Judge and we must all stand before him, no other comparison is worth making, because on the Day of Judgment we will not be measured against the standard of other people but against the standard of God’s holy law which reflects his own character.
A mere intellectual response to the Almighty God is totally insufficient, and our whole being must submit to him as we bow our minds, wills, and affections to his exceeding greatness. Any failure to do so comes from pride, and all who exhibit pride will be compelled to admit their shame before God. Job had for a time taken on a spirit which was inappropriate and now he hurries to correct his error. He doesn’t care who witnesses his repentance. ‘Behold, I am vile’, this is the only honest assessment we can make of ourselves when faced with God’s glory. To be in his presence demands the utmost care in our conduct, speech, and attitude, and this we have all failed to deliver. We all have a past which we are ashamed of, and all of us are dependent on the grace of God to forgive our sins.
Repentance should be prompt and it should be sincere, without any excuse or justification or reference to mitigating circumstances. God knows them all better than we do, and if he does not take them into account then it is better not to refer to them at all. It was true that Job had been under a heavy trial and that his friends had provoked him severely and that Satan had unleashed his hatred on this choice servant of God, but none of this mattered and even what Job knew about was not to be mentioned.
Job shows us the only response of a godly man when their sin is set before them – silence, self-condemnation, and re-evaluation of all they have said. God orders our lives not just to chastise, but also to train us, and to cause us to lean on him. If the response is a proud one and we harden ourselves against him then we will learn nothing. Here Job humbles himself. We can fail to be sensitive to God’s admonition, which sometimes comes through one another. Newton says some even go into the ministry to escape the correction of the Lord, or call themselves into some high avenue of Christian service rather that face up to what they have done.