“For He is not a man, as I am, That I may answer Him, And that we should go to court together. Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us both. Job 9:32, 33
There is No Mediator
Job agrees with Bildad’s premises. God doesn’t pervert justice, and He does not reject the blameless. “But how can mortal be righteous before God?” (9:2) God, the vast, the distant, the unknowable (vv. 3-11), is in fact tormenting Job. And Job has no recourse. God can’t be called into court and questioned (vv. 12-20). Job, having abandoned all hope, has nothing to lose. Whether he proclaims his innocence (and thus impugns (to call into question or attack as wrong) God’s justice) or puts on a pious face and pretends, he is doomed (vv. 21-35).
Take God to court? (9:24) Bildad’s argument has implicitly accused Job of sin. Job now envisions the difficulty of calling God into court so that he can establish his innocence. First, God is beyond human reach, too great and wonderful even to be perceived by man. Second, what court could make God answer for His acts? Even an innocent Job would stand no chance facing God in court. Finally, the fact is that Job is blameless, but is being destroyed anyway. What use then to speak of justice?
Job’s words express despair, but also suggest A fascinating insight with he does not seem to recognize. When life seems unfair the issue is seldom one of guilt or innocence. All pain is not punishment. And all the innocent are not blessed with health and wealth.
24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked. He covers the faces of its judges. If it is not He, who else could it be?
“Change my expression” (9:27-28). It’s uncomfortable to be around a person who is depressed and in despair. Most of us hurry away, afraid that darkness will swirl around us too. How many hurting people, dreading just that reaction, have put on a smiling mask? Not Job. He knows his friends will not “hold me innocent.” Job is going to be totally honest in expressing his thoughts and emotions. In the process, he will force his friends to face realities they fear – but which will ultimately lead all four to a truer knowledge of the Lord.
27 If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad face and wear a smile,’ 28 I am afraid of all my sufferings; I know that You will not hold me innocent.
No Mediator. Job complains that God is not a man whom he can take to court. Neither does Job have an impartial mediator between God and himself – a mediator who can present his case before God. The desire for a mediator between God and humanity is a key theme in Job, and it anticipates the NT emphasis on Jesus as the true Mediator between God and all of humanity (1 Tim. 2:5).
32 “For He is not a man, as I am, That I may answer Him, And that we should go to court together. 33 Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us both.
For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time… 1 Timothy 2:5,6
–> Job’s honesty allowed him to do logical thinking and led him to the right conclusion. He needed a lawyer. We all do.
