Dr. Kim Riddlebarger on the first half of Job 9
Despite his lowly state, Job cannot let these heartless words go without a response. In chapter 9, Job addresses Bildad directly, while in chapter 10, Job pours out his heart before God. As the dialogue with his friends now takes on the shape of a courtroom drama, Job endorses his friend’s main theme–that God is just–before responding to the application of Bildad’s argument. For Job, even God seems like a prosecutor. Thus in 9:2, Job agrees with the essence of Bildad’s speech before lamenting the futility of trying to argue his case before God. “Indeed, I know that this is true. But how can a mortal be righteous before God?” There is no way for a sinful creature to win an argument with God. Job puts it this way beginning in 9:3: “Though one wished to dispute with him, he could not answer him one time out of a thousand. His wisdom is profound, his power is vast. Who has resisted him and come out unscathed? He moves mountains without their knowing it and overturns them in his anger. He shakes the earth from its place and makes its pillars tremble. He speaks to the sun and it does not shine; he seals off the light of the stars. He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. When he passes me, I cannot see him; when he goes by, I cannot perceive him. If he snatches away, who can stop him? Who can say to him, `What are you doing?’” Job knows that God does whatsoever pleases him. Job can do nothing to stay his hand.
Knowing God through His Word ... Day by Day 