As Caryl says, ‘It is well to note the vast difference between the spirit and temper of a godly man and that of an ungodly one.’ The ungodly may speak with great confidence of what they will say to God when they stand before him. They rehearse words of great impudence and blasphemy which will never leave their mouths, because when they do see his majesty, they will be speechless. They do this because they have known his great power or the reverence that is due to him.
But there are faults even in Job. We cannot judge God as he does. We must remember that he is a Father, but he also has a sovereign plan, and he may not answer our prayers immediately and in the way we want. We should say, I trust him to answer my prayers as he chooses. We should not have our spirits soaring and falling according to whether our prayers are answered here and now – this is wrong. We don’t let our view of God as a Father wither away.
We notice that Job forgot his past life and spoke as if extreme suffering had always been his lot. He had forgotten to give thanks. Have we taken the gloomiest view of life, and forgotten to be witnesses to God’s goodness? Does this earthly life mean too much? We can be moved in the worship service, and then half an hour later self-pity or unworthy argument takes over. We may not excuse Job for these failings, since Scripture doesn’t, but we understand him.