This is Spoken Gospel.

We’re dedicated to seeing
Jesus in all of scripture.

In each episode, we see what’s
happening in a Biblical text,

and how it sheds light
on Jesus and his gospel.

Let’s jump in.

Job’s friend Eliphaz begins his second speech.

In the first, Eliphaz encouraged
Job to trust in his integrity.

Now, he accuses Job of undermining
his integrity by the things that he says.

He believes Job’s words are twisted
rationalizations for his sin.

Now in Job’s last speech, he demanded proof from his friends
that he had done something immoral to deserve his suffering.

Eliphaz now responds by saying Job doesn’t need to look
further than his own mouth for evidence against him.

Eliphaz then launches into a long poetic
description about the destiny of the wicked.

Since Job has lost everything he owns and
refuses to recant his innocence, Eliphaz is

happy to lump Job in with anyone
else who rebels against God.

Job, though, has heard all of this before
and rejects Elpihaz’s comments.

Job admits his suffering is evidence,
but it’s not evidence that proves his guilt.

Job knows he’s innocent.

His suffering only proves
that God is attacking him.

He even compares God to
a predator stalking his prey.

Job then intensifies his cries for an advocate.
He prays that some heavenly being will bear witness
to his innocence and argue his case with God,

just as he might argue with a friend.

Job is confident that this kind of
intercession is impossible after he dies.

So, Job wants to be declared innocent now.

He wants his day in court and
his integrity returned to him.

The biggest difference between Job and his
friends centers around the idea of rewards.

Job’s friends are at their most eloquent when they describe
either the loss of or the gaining back of God’s rewards.

But Job isn’t interested in that conversation.

He’s only interested in his innocence, his
integrity, and the return of his good name.

Like Job, we are constantly accused.

Whether it’s by our friends, our own thoughts,
or Satan’s condemning comments, we all live

with voices that tell us we’re
guilty and not good enough.

Like Job, we assume those voices are God’s,
but they’re not. God doesn’t talk like the Accuser.

Instead, God sends Jesus not to
condemn or accuse the world, but to save it.

Job imagined that his innocence
would be proven in some divine courtroom.

And that’s exactly how Paul talked
about what Jesus did on the cross.

Jesus undermines every legal accusation and nullifies
every condemnation. Jesus disarms the Accuser’s power
and triumphs over his false judgments on the cross.

Job couldn’t imagine God as his advocate
because he was so convinced God was his enemy.

But in Jesus we’re shown that God always advocates for
those who trust him, even when that means dying to do so.

So, may the Holy Spirit open your eyes
to see the God who advocates for us.

And may you see Jesus as the one who silences
our enemy’s accusations and declares us innocent.