Job 31:35-37 (ESV Strong's)
Oh, that I had one to hear me!
(Here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me!)
Oh, that I had the indictment written by my adversary!
Surely I would carry it on my shoulder;
I would bind it on me as a crown;
I would give him an account of all my steps;
like a prince I would approach him.
Tag: Only God Can Accuse and Justify
Job is in a pickle. His physical condition has lead all his friends and family to believe he is an abundant sinner and must deserve the punishment inflicted upon him. They have gathered around him to mock him, charge him, accuse him and do anything but what they set out to do: Comfort him (Job 2:11)!
Instead of comfort, Job is feeling attacked. He believes they have falsely accused him and has, naturally, come to defend himself. In the above passage we see him “demanding” a court date. He is issuing a “subpoena” and wants his day in court. Job is willing to put his signature to his statement and have God take a look at his deposition and make a judgment.
It might look like Job is acting out of pride and demanding from God a fair hearing. But, Job is not believing God is going to come in and be the judge in this case. Job is actually asking God to come in and testify on his behalf. His accusers have already made the judgment. Job is defending himself and that is why he wants the testimony of a credible witness. Remember, this entire story is about Satan making false accusations against Job. The friends are just Satan’s tools to make his accusation practical and real in Job’s life. Job believes God knows the truth and wants God to come to the trail and speak on his behalf. The term “indictment” in the above passage is better translated as “deposition.” He wants God to tell everyone what the Holy Sprit told us right at the beginning of this story: Job is a righteous man who eschews evil (Job 1:1-2).
If God would do that for him, if Job could get this day in court, he knows he would be exonerated and he would then, once again, walk as a “prince” and be vindicated in front of this “jury of his peers.” In essence, Job is saying to those who are accusing him, you have not seen all the evidence. He saying, “Ask God and he will tell you different.”
The lesson here is simple: Satan accuses the believers all day (Revelation 12:10). Men make judgements about us all day and every day: False judgments. Our own minds accuse us and false imprison us and make us think less of ourselves. But, God is the real judge. He is the redeemer. Jesus is my champion and is there to stop Satan’s false accusations. Romans 8:1 says there is NO MORE condemnation to those who are IN CHRIST JESUS. We are free from these accusations. Christ is both our defense attorney and our stand in. He stands in for us when we are guilty and pays the penalty and stands up for us when we are falsely accused as our attorney. That is the message of the Gospel. Like Job we should wear our reprieve like a “prince” - for we have been declared holy and free from sin and punishment.
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