JOB 19:23-27
²³ “Oh, that my words were recorded,
that they were written on a scroll,
²⁴ that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead,
or engraved in rock forever!
²⁵ I know that my redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
²⁶ And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
²⁷ I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!

Have you ever felt that God is against you? Most of us have felt that way at some time or other, or even all the time. It can especially feel like God is attacking you when times are hard and life is full of pain. If you ever feel that way, how do you respond? Despair? Anger? Escapism?

Job felt that God had come against him in a big way when so many terrible things happened to him. He wasn’t able to see what the reader of Job can see – that God saw him as upright because he feared and worshipped God.

The legal imagery continues throughout Job, and Job cries out because he feels like he’s been sentenced to pain, grief and ultimately death without ever standing before his judge and being tried fairly in court. Convinced of his innocence, here Job’s wishing his testimony could be written down and preserved for the future. Even in the pit of grief, Job then looks forward to a redeemer or vindicator to stand up and speak for his defense. It’s really a picture of something like a defense attorney putting forward his case before God. He holds out hope that one day he’ll stand before God and be found innocent.

On their own Job’s words are simply him protesting his innocence to God. But since Jesus has come they’ve been transformed. Jesus reveals that we’re all actually guilty before God… but he also is revealed as Job’s redeemer who has stood on earth and spoken in his and our defense. In Romans 3:23-24 Paul says: ‘for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.’

Jesus is our redeemer if we trust in him, and it is God our Father who sent him to redeem us – it’s his grace and mercy! At the cross the Judge passed judgement. But he put our guilt onto Jesus instead of us. If you trust in Jesus you’ve had your day in court, and you’ve been found innocent.

Head: What have you learnt about Jesus from this passage? What have you learnt about yourself?

Heart: When you think about standing before God, how do you feel? Does feeling that way affect your behaviour at all? How might the cross affect how you feel?

Hands: Share with someone you trust how you’ve felt about standing before God. Discuss how Jesus’ redemption can make a difference in the way we live.

Prayer: Heavenly Father thank you so much that you sent Jesus to take my guilt and speak for my defense! Thank you that by trusting in him I don’t need to fear your judgement! Please forgive me for the times I have blamed you for being unfair towards me. Please enable me to live with joy and confidence in the forgiveness I have in Jesus, seeking to love others as you have loved me.

A song to listen to: It is Well

Ryan Dehnert