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THE ESSENCE OF JOB Self-righteousness is a sin because it would leave YHWH out of the picture, and the 29th chapter of the book of Job shows this. After the first five verses there is no mention of YHWH at all, only of Job’s assertion of his own righteousness--especially verse 14. The first five verses do acknowledge that YHWH had watched over him and that “by His light I walked through darkness.” But then Job shifts away from his focus and dependence on YHWH and, as the footnote in the Amplified Bible states, “In this chapter he uses pronouns referring to himself fifty times.” It is true that Job had overcome lust (31:1) or at least had made a covenant not to lust. But the Scriptures also say that all have sinned and there is none righteous, no, not one (Ps. 14:3, 53:3; Rom. 3:10, 12, 23). Thus Job was morally upright but in no way sinless. Notice that he “put on righteousness” (Job 29:14), which could mean he did not have it while yet unclothed beforehand. “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (Isa. 64:6, NASB). Because we sin, only by our attachment to Messiah—the Elohim of the Tanakh (1 Cor. 10:4)—can we be saved (Acts 4:12). Our own righteousness cannot save us. The word for “blameless” (as in Job 1:1) is 8535, tam, in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and means complete or having integrity, being morally innocent. Strong’s 8549 is tamiym, the same “tam” root, and means virtually the same, and that word is used in Psalm 18:23 when David said he was blameless before Elohim and kept himself from iniquity. In Psalm 19:12 we see this same “tam” root being used in 8552, tamam, and it means virtually the same as the two words we’ve just noted: Again it was David who spoke these words: “Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then shall I be blameless, and I shall be innocent and clear of great transgression” (Ampified). It wasn’t that David was completely sinless (blameless). Rather, he was complete or whole in his devotion to YHWH, “a man after YHWH’s own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14, Acts 13:22), and he was generally moral and had integrity and honesty—free from “presumptuous sins.” Now notice Job’s own admission of his guilt, in Job 40:4: “”Behold, I am of small account and vile!” (Amplified Bible). Why did he say this? Because he had actually committed a form of idolatry--placing himself ahead of God in stature and prominence (see chapters 38 & 39): Moreover the Lord said to Job, “Shall he who would find fault with the Almighty contend with Him? He who disputes with YHWH, let him answer it.” Job 40:1-2, Amplified. If one finds fault with YHWH and, indeed, disputes with Him, would he not be guilty of sin—in effect, making himself better than YHWH? These are God’s own words. Notice it, too, in Job 32:2. The writer of the book of Job made a rather serious comment here: “Elihu…became indignant. His indignation was kindled against Job because he justified himself rather than {Elohim} [even made himself out to be better than Elohim]” (Amplified Bible). This is confirmed by God in chapters 38 and 39 and in 40:1-4, so we know it was not just the thinking of Elihu, but the actual inspired notation of the writer of Job. Making oneself better than Elohim bypasses Him and is thus, indeed, idolatry (a false god—or even placing oneself before or in place of Him) or blasphemy (impious and reproachful speech injurious to divine majesty—Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon). And Job was guilty of it, because he had actually found fault and disputed with God! He had made a virtual god of himself--what might be called “a god unto himself.” Read Ezekiel 14:1-7, especially the last verse: “For anyone of the house of Israel or of the immigrants who stay in Israel who separates himself from Me, sets up his idols in his heart” (NASB). If you “dispute with” and “find fault with” and separate yourself from YHWH--or make yourself out to be better than He and think you don’t need Him but can make it on your own strength (a god unto yourself)—you commit idolatry. These elders of Israel were guilty of setting up “idols in their hearts” (verse 3)—as was Job when he made himself out to be better than YHWH. An idol is anything that takes YHWH’s rightful place. And Job had lost sight of the fact that YHWH has to be first in our lives, above everything and everyone else—including oneself. Job was guilty of idolatry--for which he had to repent--and he did so in dust and ashes (42:6), saying: “I know that You can do all things and that no thought or purpose of Yours can be restrained or thwarted” (verse 2). Now he had it right. Job was righteous (upright), but Psalm 1:5 says the righteous are “[those who are upright and in right standing with Elohim” . No one is perfect and no one can be while in this flesh. But with the substitution of Yahshua and our taking on His righteousness and dying with Him (to sin), we can be deemed in right standing with Him, figuratively sitting already in heavenly places in Messiah Yahshua(Eph. 2:4-6). If some have wondered of what sin Job repented, we now have some pretty good clues. But he did have to repent of actual sin. To repent usually means to change the way we think. At times YHWH may have “repented” (changed his mind and turned the other way, while dealing with humans). In that case there was no sin, as He is perfect in all His ways. Anything or anyone that is placed before YHWH becomes an idol, and Job’s sin of self-righteousness was actually idolatry—because he had literally viewed himself as more important than YHWH Himself. But YHWH spoke out and cut him down to size. This is the real story of Job. Self-righteousness eliminates the need for YHWH and, as such, becomes a replacement for Him. That is idolatry. Job was no Superman. He was flesh and blood, like everyone else, and was therefore not perfect--or completely free from sin. And he had to repent because of this sin. “For all have sinned, and come short of the esteem of Elohim” (Rom. 3.23). This should be great inspiration for us. If an imperfect “idolater” could be mentioned in high places (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7--see the article Heavenly Councils), perhaps our names can be brought up there, too, if “we keep His commandments, and do those things which are pleasing in His sight” (1 John 3:22). There is no partiality with Elohim (Rom. 2:11). Indeed, this should be great encouragement for us to live and do “our utmost for His Highest.” The real beauty of Job is that he found repentance in his heart when his sin was pointed out to him. This allowed God to forgive him, and He again blessed him mightily. And now Job’s future was secure. We, too, must continually repent of our sins as we become aware of them, so that we might obtain Elohim’s forgiveness (Jer. 36:3). See the article entitled The Essentials of Forgiveness for more on information on this process. As righteous as Job was—and then his slip into the horrible sin of idolatry—the story in Job is that he found repentance and his future once more became bright. Our future will be bright, too, as we learn of the essence of Job. |
