A Lesson in Judging Not

Continuing with a Bible study of Job, Job answers his friends who accuse him of being guilty of sin in order for God to bring such calamity on him.

(Job 12:1) And Job answered and said, (2) "No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you."

Job begins with a little sarcasm, that his friends must be the only wise men in the world!

(3) "But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Indeed, who does not know such things as these?"

Job says that he understands the things they speak of as well as they do; who wouldn't know those things? Job knows in his heart that his situation is not the clear-cut black and white case of "you reap what you sow" that his friends try to make it. Actually, the word translated "understanding" here also means "the heart". In this speech, Job wants his friends to really understand his heart, the way God judges people.

(4) "I am like one mocked by his neighbor, who called upon God, and He answered him; the just upright man is ridiculed."

Job feels mocked by his friends and neighbors, godly men who converse with God. Although he is a just upright man, he is mocked and ridiculed.

(5) "He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease."

This is a rather difficult scripture to understand. The general consensus among the early commentaries is that the idea here is that when a man is in prosperity, as with a blazing torch, he is regarded as a guide, example, or light. But when he slips into adversity, he is regarded as an almost extinguished lamp that is now held in contempt and cast away. I'm not sure that explains the one "that is at ease". Maybe he that rests no longer needs the lamp and tosses it aside, just as someone who used to be in high regard, is tossed aside when he falls into adversity.

(6) "The tents of robbers prosper, and they who provoke God are secure, into whose hand God brings abundantly."

Job uses this fact to refute his friends' assertions that the wicked do not prosper. They often DO seem to prosper in this world, therefore prosperity and adversity can be no measures for man's spiritual state or righteousness.

(7) "But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; and the birds of the air, and they will tell you; (8) Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. (9) Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this, (10) In Whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind?"

Job may be making a dig at Zophar's lofty statement that no one can know God. In so many words, he says you need not go to heaven, you need not go to hell, as Zophar had insinuated, but just look around you in all of nature. Even the animals have as much wisdom as his friends appear to have!

(11) "Does not the ear test words and the mouth taste its food? (12) Wisdom is with the ancient, and with length of days, understanding. (13) With Him are wisdom and strength; He has counsel and understanding."

Job may be saying here that while it is true that wisdom comes from age and experience, these things cannot be taken without question. They should be tested and proven, because after all, God is the only One with true and complete wisdom and understanding.

(14) "Behold, He breaks down, and it cannot be built again; He shuts up a man, and there can be no opening. (15) Behold, He withholds the waters, and they dry up; also He sends them out, and they overwhelm the earth. (16) With Him are strength and wisdom; the deceived and the deceiver are His."

God is almighty, and basically, everything in opposition to Him is powerless.

(17) "He leads counselors away plundered, and makes the judges fools. (18) He loosens the bonds of kings, and binds their waist with a belt."

In other words, He takes away their authority and allows them to be bound as captives.

(19) "He leads princes away plundered, and overthrows the mighty. (20) He removes the speech of the trusty, and takes away the understanding of the aged. (21) He pours contempt on princes, and weakens the strength of the mighty. (22) He uncovers deep things out of darkness, and brings to light the shadow of death."

Not only is everything powerless to Him, but nothing can be hidden from Him.

(23) "He makes nations great, and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and guides them. (24) He takes away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, and causes them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way. (25) They grope in the dark without light, and He makes them stagger like a drunken man."

(Job 13:1) "Behold, my eye has seen all this; my ear has heard and understood it. (2) What you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you."

Job's friends have told him nothing new. He knows as much as they do about the things they have spoken about up to this point.

(3) "But I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God. (4) But you are forgers of lies, you are all worthless physicians. (5) O that ye would altogether hold your peace! And it would be your wisdom."

His friends are no help, and Job wishes they would just be quiet; he desires to speak to God Himself!

(6) "Hear now my reasoning, and hearken to the pleadings of my lips. (7) Will you speak wickedly for God, and talk deceitfully for Him? (8) Will you accept His person? Will you contend for God?"

Job is asking his friends if they speak for God, but he obviously views what they have been saying as "wicked" and untrue.

(9) "Is it good that He should search you out? Or as one man mocks another, do you so mock Him? (10) He will surely rebuke you if you secretly show partiality."

Paraphrased, "So you act for God, but what if He were to really search your hearts? You mock Him with your empty speeches! He will surely rebuke you!" Showing partiality or being a respecter of persons means judging a person either favorably or unfavorably without evidence. Job is undoubtedly referring to himself being judged unjustly by his friends.

(11) "Will not His excellence make you afraid, and the dread of Him fall upon you?"

Paraphrased, "Does not the awe and magnificence of Him and the terror He can wield not make you afraid?"

(12) "Your mementos are like ashes, your bodies like bodies of clay. (13) Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what may. (14) Why do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in my hands?"

Verse 14 is a little difficult to understand, but in light of what Job has been saying, I believe what is meant in the last passage is loosely, "You, my friends, offer nothing, so be quiet and leave me alone. I will speak my part, whatever the consequences, putting my life on the line, come what may."

(15) "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him; but I will defend my own ways before Him. (16) He also shall be my salvation, for a hypocrite shall not come before Him."

No matter what God does to him, Job trusts his Savior completely. It is obvious that Job also feels in his heart that he is completely innocent of hypocrisy, for he knows he could not come before Him if he was a hypocrite.

This is a very good lesson and such an important thing for us to remember; only God knows the heart of a man. It's easy for us to judge. Job's friends, who were obviously good religious men, judged the situation by the "rules" they had been taught, especially, "You reap what you sow"; therefore, Job must be guilty, even if he did not know it. Again I say, what a beautiful lesson! I think "judge not" is taken to an extreme in this day and age and used to excuse anything and everything, including those things immoral and against God. We are told in scripture to judge righteously, and to judge evil. We are to judge the fruits of a man. And we tell the truth in love. However, in this case, there had been no evil fruit of Job's to judge. Had his friends seen Job doing wrong, they could have shown him the error of his ways, telling him the truth in love. But they went too far, and seeing no evil fruit, they proceeded to judge Job's heart. I truly believe this is what is meant by "Judge not". We are to judge the evil actions, but only God can judge the motives of the heart. And we can be sure that if a person's heart is truly seeking after God, then He will lead them to the truth. Think of Saul who persecuted the Christians. He truly believed he was doing the work of God, and God showed him the truth of his ways, and he became a follower of Christ.

(17) "Listen carefully to my speech, and to my declaration with your ears. (18) See now, I have prepared my case, I know that I shall be justified."

Continuing with the thought that only God judges the heart, I believe that is what Job is trying to get his friends to do, "Really listen and really hear what I am saying."

(19) "Who is he who will plead with me? For now, if I hold my tongue, I shall perish."

Who will contend with Job now, for he has set his cause before God. Perhaps Job feels he must defend himself or burst. It's hard to exactly discern the meaning of this scripture. Maybe Job feels if he didn't defend himself, he would be condemned to death because no one else would defend him.

(20) "Only two things do not do to me, then I will not hide myself from You:"

Now Job directs his comments to God:

(21) "Withdraw Your hand far from me, and let not the dread of You make me afraid. (22) Then call, and I will answer; or let me speak, then You answer me. (23) How many are my iniquities and sins? Make me know my transgression and my sin. (24) Why do You hide Your face, and regard me as Your enemy?"

Job asks that God not terrify him with His awesome power, but let him speak with Him. He asks God to show him his transgressions and to tell him why he has lost favor with God.

(25) "Will You break a leaf driven to and fro? And will You pursue the dry stubble?"

In comparison to God's awesome power, Job is like a dried up leaf blowing in the wind.

(26) "For You write bitter things against me, and make me to possess the iniquities of my youth."

To Job, it seems God must have kept a record of his sins from his youth and indiscretion before he had understanding of God's laws.

(27) "You put my feet also in the stocks, and watch closely all my paths. You set a print on the soles of my feet. (28) And he, as a rotten thing, decays, as a garment that is moth eaten."

Continuing with his thought that God must have kept a very close record of every small thing he did in his youth, he feels He has watched and kept a record of every step. Then Job speaks of himself in the third person, describing his demise under such a severe record from the awesome God.