Chapter 42:1-6 - Yahweh Educates Job - Job's Reply
42:1-6 "Now mine eye seeth thee"
The effect of Yahweh's second speech saw Job completely
humbled. The first speech had silenced him but the second had expanded his
vision of God to an unprecedented level. He realised that he was a very small
part of God's world. His efforts to unravel the mysteries of the Almighty had
resulted in unwise criticism of Him who is immeasurably superior to Job. After
God had presented Himself, and Job was confronted by His awesome majesty, Job
comprehended that human folly has to be restrained and that man can really only
advance in spiritual understanding by exercising humility. It could also be
inferred by the silence of the Satan that he may also have been compelled to
reach the same conclusions.
Job's confession highlighted the limitless authority and power
of Yahweh, Job's relative insignificance, and that righteousness is only sourced
in God. In seeing this, Job more accurately saw himself.
Job realised that God can do everything and none of His plans
can be thwarted (42:2 NKJV etc - the AV's "no thought" is not preferred). What
is impossible for man is possible with God (Gen 18:14; Jer 32:17), especially
the salvation of mankind from sin and death (Matt 19:26). An understanding of
this should result in submission to the Father (Mark 14:36). Job knew that
God's purpose could not be hindered by man (23:14; Ecc 3:14; Isa 14:27, 46:10),
but his questioning of it revealed a dissatisfaction with how God had treated
him. Job is now satisfied. It was not for him to demand, "What doest thou?"
(Dan 4:35). God is authoritative in an absolute sense. As Brother Lovelock
writes, "He is the One we must obey, before whom we must yield implicit and
instant obedience, however difficult and unreasonable the command may appear to
us."
Job knew he was the one who had spoken without understanding
(42:3 - note that Job applied 38:2 to himself). While this wasn't an act of
wilful rebellion, he had made the mistake of being opinionated about matters
that were outside of his comprehension. What he had learnt from the LORD were
"things too wonderful for me." This was not merely a statement of humility but
one in which Job liberated himself from himself. Job is free of his own
perception of personal righteousness. Psalm 40:4-5 (see also Psa 131:1-2,
139:6) reflects the true intention of Job's utterance:
"Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and
respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works
which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be
reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are
more than can be numbered"
42:4 opens with an entreaty ("O hear now, and I will speak"
Delitzsch). Job next quotes words that Yahweh had spoken twice (38:3, 40:7) and
he completes his answer in a way that declares he has correctly discovered
Yahweh. Yes, he had heard about God but a hearing does not place God totally in
his vision. God would just be part, shared with other values, of Job's life.
Job previously could not find the Almighty (a fact he readily acknowledged in
23:8-9) but now Job's comprehension had advanced. He could see God (42:5). His
hope of 19:26-27 had gained a partial achievement with its grand fulfilment
still to occur at the resurrection.
How can one see God? Yahweh's speeches have supplied the
answers to that question. God can be seen in His creation and in His control
over His creation. God can defeat what man is powerless before. Everything
under heaven is His. Job could now see God at work in his life. He now
understood that even his sufferings had their place in God's overall purpose.
He now no longer had any need to understand why. God can be seen in His works,
however undesirable to man, the greatest of which was outworked in the only
begotten of the Father (John 1:18, 12:46).
In seeing God, Job truly saw himself. He realised that God
came first and that God should fill his vision. This is the message of Job's
opening statement in 42:6, "Wherefore, I abhor (mahas) myself."
Mahas has two meanings, "to reject, despise" (TWOT) and "to melt,
flow abroad" (Ges), and while "myself" is not found in the Hebrew text it can be
inferred. A number of versions translate the phrase as "I despise myself" (e.g
RSV, RV, NIV, Green) while others attach Job's contrition to his words ("I
retract all I have said" JB - see also Soncino, RVmg). The New English Bible
has the unusual "Therefore I melt away", which complies with the other meaning
for mahas.
All these variations have merit but they fail to capture the
full impact of Job's liberating expression. In 40:4 Job proclaimed, "I am of
small account" (RSV). In other words, "I am of comparative insignificance, a
lightweight, in the presence of God." Now, in 42:6, he has practically
cancelled himself out altogether. He has melted away, disappeared, rejected
himself and retracted all that he has said. Literally we could render the
opening expression of 42:6 as "I reject." Job had rejected everything about
himself because God now filled his vision. Job's self-pity in his sufferings
(7:16 - mahas "loathe"), his shame at being despised
(mahas) by young children (19:18), and his disdain
(mahas) of the fathers of his mockers (30:1) are nothing now that
Job has given himself over to the Almighty. Job no longer rejected
(mahas - AV "refuse") the decisions of the Almighty (see notes
34:33).
Instead he will "repent in dust and ashes" (42:6). Job was
physically sitting in dust and ashes (2:8) and was himself nothing more than
dust and ashes (Gen 3:19, 18:27). Job willingly accepted his true status
whereas before he had perceived it to be more than dust and ashes (30:19). Job
repented. He uttered a deep feeling of sorrow. The language is that of
complete submission to God and it was uttered not only before God but in the
presence of those he had overwhelmed in debate. They were not, in any way,
vindicated by Job's submission. Instead, Job's humility was a greater teacher
to them than all of his expressed wisdom.
Only God can lift "dust and ashes" (i.e. mankind) out of the
"dust and ashes" of their pitiable human condition (1Sam 2:8; Psa
113:7).
