In Chapter 23 & 24 Job responds to Eliphaz accusation against Job in V22:6,7,9 and V22:15-16. 

·       V22:6,7,9 “Thou hast” direct accusation against Job

·       V15 Hast thou marked the “old way” of the wicked? Eliphaz’s question suggested Job patterned his life after the “old way” of the wicked.

·       V22:16 It seems that Eliphaz likened Job to those destroyed by the flood of Gen Chs 6 & 7. (Gen 6:5 every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

·       V 22:8 with Gen 6:4 and Luke 17:26

·       The “old way” Gen 6:5; Ps 36:1-4;, Prov 21:8, Rom 1:32

·       Theses men felt Job was not punished enough by God (Job 11:6). Did they feel God should have destroyed Job off the face of the earth and go the way of those killed by the flood?

·       The end Eliphaz felt Job deserved is seen in Ps 37:38. Job desired that God allow him to die. His friends felt he should destroyed by the hand of God.

V23:2-7 Job showed his desire to speak with God one on one. (Job 13:3, 18; 16:21). Job would rather speak with God than men.

Job 23:6 Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me.

·       That is why he wanted to speak to God. Job knew he had not committed any sin like his friends accused him of. Job also knew God knew him Ps 139:1-6

Job 23:7 The righteous might dispute with him.

·       What would Job dispute with God: V3:22-23

·       7b Job seems to believe he is the righteous that could dispute with his judge as his own lawyer or daysman. Job had put aside the truth he stated earlier in Job 9:32 “For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment.”

·       There – where His seat is.

Eliphaz declared Job was no better than those who died by the flood in the days of Noah. By V23:10-12 Job had started going too far, claiming his self-righteousness. Instead of deserving God’s wrath, Job said he would come through God’s trial and be seen as pure gold because he never went out of the way of God and he loved every word of God. So he must be righteous enough to dispute with God.

V23:8-9 with 9:11 Job seems to feel far from God

·       David felt just the opposite in Ps 139

·       V30:20, 23-24 Job desire was that God would let him die. Job felt that God had ignored his request and had moved to a place where Job could not reach him.

Vs 23:10-12 Even though Job felt God had hidden Himself from him; he felt God would acknowledge his righteousness

V13-14 Job felt God had set his mind against him, forcing him to live every day in agony and He was not going to change his mind. For Job knew God had judged that theses things should come upon him and God had every right to allow this (anything else he chooses)

V15 Therefore: since God is in charge and performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him. He was troubled and afraid of him.

·       ***Spurgeon commented: “Great suffering could not kill his faith, but it damped his joy.  He had also come to think of an absolute God doing as he willed, and it is no wonder that he trembled at the comtemplation.”

·       V15a troubled at his presence (Gen 3:8): Job knew God had turned him over to ungodly men, and placed him in the hand of the wicked (V16:11). Was Job afraid because he felt that the Omnipresent, Omnipotent God was watching and listening to see if Job would come to the place that he would curse God as Satan predicted? But we know God is also omniscient; he knew exactly, before the evil came upon Job, how he would handle the situation.

V16-17 for and because (Job 10:18-19, 20-22)

·       Job was once a stout hearted man, confident in the LORD. Job went from blessing God’s name between (1:21) to wanting to dispute with Almighty over being troubled by Him (23:16).

·       Job felt that God had hedged him in a life of suffering, darkness and the shadow of death would not let him die.

·       Isa 57:1-2 (Examples as kings Hezekiah & Josiah died before trouble came to the nation. (Isa 39:8). I wonder if Job felt he was a righteous, merciful men that God should have let him die before the evil came upon him?  See 40:8 again.