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Texts -- Job 23:4-17 (NET)

Context
23:4 I would lay out my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments . 23:5 I would know with what words he would answer me, and understand what he would say to me. 23:6 Would he contend with me with great power ? No , he would only pay attention to me. 23:7 There an upright person could present his case before him, and I would be delivered forever from my judge .
The Inaccessibility and Power of God
23:8 “If I go to the east , he is not there, and to the west , yet I do not perceive him. 23:9 In the north when he is at work, I do not see him; when he turns to the south , I see no trace of him. 23:10 But he knows the pathway that I take ; if he tested me, I would come forth like gold . 23:11 My feet have followed his steps closely; I have kept to his way and have not turned aside . 23:12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips ; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my allotted portion . 23:13 But he is unchangeable , and who can change him ? Whatever he has desired , he does . 23:14 For he fulfills his decree against me, and many such things are his plans. 23:15 That is why I am terrified in his presence ; when I consider , I am afraid because of him. 23:16 Indeed, God has made my heart faint ; the Almighty has terrified me. 23:17 Yet I have not been silent because of the darkness , because of the thick darkness that covered my face.

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Complaint

    [nave] COMPLAINT of Israelites against Moses, Ex. 5:21; 15:24; 16:2, 3; Num. 16:2, 3, 13, 14, 41; 20:2-4. Against God Ex. 5:22, 23; Ex. 16:8, 12; Num. 14:26-37 Num. 17:10, 11. Job 15:11-13; Job 33:12, 13; Job 34:37; Psa. 37:1; Ps...

  • Job

    [nave] JOB 1. A man who dwelt in Uz, Job 1:1. Righteousness of, Job 1:1, 5, 8; 2:3; Ezek. 14:14, 20. Riches of, Job 1:3. Trial of, by affliction of Satan, Job 1:13-19; 2:7-10. Fortitude of, Job 1:20-22; 2:10; Jas. 5:11. Visite...

  • God

    [nave] GOD. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Access to; Compassion of; Creator; Creator of Mankind; Eternity of; Faithfulness of; Fatherhood of; Favor of; Foreknowledge of; Glory of; Goodness of...

  • Doubting

    [nave] DOUBTING. Job 4:3-6; Job 9:16-23; Job 30:20, 21 Job 3; 16; 17; 23:15-17. Psa. 22:2; Psa. 31:22; Psa. 42:5, 6; Psa. 49:5; Psa. 73:13-17; Psa. 77:3, 7-9; Prov. 24:10; Isa. 40:27, 28 Isa. 50:2. Isa. 49:14, 15; Jer. 8:18; Jer. ...

  • GOD, 2

    [isbe] GOD, 2 - II. The Idea of God in the Old Testament. 1. Course of Its Development: Any attempt to write the whole history of the idea of God in the Old Testament would require a preliminary study of the literary and historical...

  • SUN

    [smith] In the history of "greater light," of the creation the sun is described as "greater light," in contradistinction to the moon, the "lesser light," in conjunction with which it was to serve "for signs and for seasons, and for d...

  • Afflictions and Adversities

    [nave] AFFLICTIONS AND ADVERSITIES. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Benefits of; Benefits of, Illustrated; Consolation in; Deliverance from; Design of; Despondency in; Dispe...

  • FOREKNOW; FOREKNOWLEDGE

    [isbe] FOREKNOW; FOREKNOWLEDGE - for-no', for-nol'-ej: 1. Meaning of the Term 2. Foreknowledge as Prescience 3. Foreknowledge Based on Foreordination 4. Foreknowledge as Equivalent to Foreordination LITERATURE 1. Meaning of the Ter...

  • EAST

    [smith] The Hebrew term kedem properly means that which is before or in front of a person, and was applied to the east form the custom of turning in that direction when describing the points of the compass, before, behind, the right ...

  • Sin

    [nave] SIN. Index of Sub-Topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to, Defining, and Illustrating; Confession of; Consequences of, Entailed Upon Children; Conviction of; Forgiveness of; Fruits of; Kn...

  • Predestination

    [nave] PREDESTINATION. Gen. 21:12, 13; Ex. 9:16; Ex. 33:19; Deut. 7:7, 8; Deut. 10:15 Deut. 4:37. Deut. 32:8; Josh. 11:20; 1 Sam. 12:22; 1 Kin. 12:15; 1 Kin. 20:42; 2 Kin. 19:25; 2 Chr. 6:6; Job 23:13, 14; Psa. 33:12; Psa. 65:4; P...

  • Decision

    [nave] DECISION. Deut. 30:19; Josh. 23:8. Josh. 24:15; 1 Sam. 12:20; 1 Kin. 18:21; Psa. 37:34; Psa. 69:13; Prov. 4:25-27; Isa. 50:7; Matt. 24:13 Mark 13:13; Matt. 10:22. Matt. 25:23; Luke 7:23 Matt. 11:6. John 8:31; John 15:4, 5, ...

  • Blessing

    [nave] BLESSING For blessing before eating, See: Prayer, Thanksgiving Before Taking Food. See also Benedictions. Responsive Blessings of the Law Deut. 28:1-14 For the responsive Curses of the law, See: Curse. Divine, Contingent...

  • Heart

    [nave] HEART, seat of the affections. Renewed Deut. 30:6; Psa. 51:10; Ezek. 11:19; 18:31; 36:26; Rom. 2:29; Eph. 4:23; Col. 3:10. Regenerated, John 3:3, 7. Graciously affected of God, 1 Sam. 10:26; 1 Chr. 29:18; Ezra 6:22; 7:27;...

  • Word of God

    [nave] WORD OF GOD Called Book, Psa. 40:7; Rev. 22:19; Book of the Lord, Isa. 34:16; Book of the Law, Neh. 8:3; Gal. 3:10; Good Word of God, Heb. 6:5; Holy Scriptures, Rom. 1:2; 2 Tim. 3:15; Law of the Lord, Psa. 1:2; Isa. 30:9; Or...

  • Righteous

    [nave] RIGHTEOUS. Index of Sub-Topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Contrasted with the Wicked; Described; Promises to, Expressed or Implied. Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics Compared with: The sun, Judg. 5:31; Matt. 13:43; sta...

  • Repentant Ones

    [nave] REPENTANT ONES Promises to Lev. 26:40-42; Num. 5:6, 7; Deut. 4:29-31; Deut. 5:29; Deut. 30:1-10; 2 Kin. 22:19; 1 Chr. 28:9; Job 22:23-29; Job 23:6; Job 33:26-28; Psa. 6:8, 9; Psa. 9:10; Psa. 22:26; Psa. 24:3-6; Psa. 32:5, 6...

  • Faith

    [nave] FAITH. 2 Sam. 22:31; Psa. 5:11; Psa. 7:1; Psa. 9:9, 10; Psa. 18:30; Psa. 32:10; Psa. 33:18, 19; Psa. 34:8, 22 vs. 1-8;; Psa. 2:12. Psa. 36:7; Psa. 40:4; Psa. 64:10; Psa. 78:7 vs. 5-7.; Psa. 84:5, 12; Psa. 112:5, 7, 8; Psa. ...

  • WAY

    [isbe] WAY - wa ('orach, orcha', 'erets, bo', derekh, halikhah, ma`galah, nathibh; hodos, parodos, poreia, tropos; "highway," mecillah, meclul; diexodoi ton hodon): The list just cited contains only a portion of the words translate...

  • DECLINE

    [isbe] DECLINE - de-klin' [(@cur], or sur, naTah): In the King James Version this word occurs 9 times in its original sense (now obsolete) of "turn aside." the Revised Version (British and American) substitutes "turn aside" in Ex 2...
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Arts

Hymns

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  • [Job 23:10] God Answers Prayer
  • [Job 23:10] He Knows

Sermon Illustrations

Reverend; Guarded on All Sides

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • What this book is all about has been the subject of considerable debate. Many people think God gave it to us to provide His answer to the age-old problem of suffering. In particular, many believe it is in the Bible to help us...
  • I. Prologue chs. 1-2A. Job's character 1:1-5B. Job's calamities 1:6-2:101. The first test 1:6-222. The second test 2:1-10C. Job's comforters 2:11-13II. The dialogue concerning the basis of the divine-human relationship 3:1-42...
  • The writer composed the prologue and epilogue of this book in prose narrative and the main body (3:1-42:6) in poetry. The prologue and epilogue form a frame around the main emphasis of the revelation, the poetic section, and ...
  • The two soliloquies of Job (chs. 3 and 29-31) enclose three cycles of dialogue between Job and his three friends. Each cycle consists of speeches by Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar in that order interspersed with Job's reply to e...
  • Wherever Job looked, he could not find God. Two paraphrases of verse 10 are these. Because (the first word in the verse in Hebrew) He knows my ways, God is evading me. "He knows I am innocent and therefore is refusing to appe...
  • God's irresistible power and inscrutable behavior made Job afraid (23:13-17). Nevertheless he determined to confront God with His apparent injustice.Job could not understand why God did not always judge overt sin quickly (24:...
  • Because the speech in this chapter is more soliloquy than dialogue some scholars have concluded that someone other than Job spoke it: Zophar, Bildad, or God. One writer argued for its being a speech by none of the characters,...
  • As was common in ancient Near Eastern judicial cases, Job concluded his summary defense with an oath of innocence. He did so in the form of a negative confession complete with self-imprecations.127He concluded with a challeng...
  • Elihu began by voicing his respect for Job's three friends (vv. 6-10). They were older than he, and for this reason he said he had refrained from speaking until now. However he had become convinced that advancing age does not...
  • Elihu reminded the three older counselors that Job had claimed to be innocent of transgressions (cf. 13:18, 23; 14:17; 23:11; 27:2, 6). Then he sided with them and agreed that Job was guilty of sin for which God could punish ...
  • 2:1 Habakkuk compared himself to a sentinel on a city wall watching the horizon for the approach of a horseman. He purposed to watch and wait expectantly for the Lord to reply to this second question, as He had the first, so ...
  • Paul's original readers would have had another question because of what he had written in chapters 1-4. Is this method of justification safe? Since it is by faith, it seems quite unsure. Paul next gave evidence that this meth...
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