Most scholars translate the text in verse-13 to say: “he (God) is one…” vis-à-vis of one mind or purpose (Job23:13), then going on to say that the Lord is unchangeable. However, I think the better rendering is, according to the minority reading, “he is alone…” (so the Vulgate) and even, “it is he, himself, alone” (so Coverdale). The idea seems to be that no one is with God! That is to say, he has no partner, who would be powerful enough to disagree with him and thereby influence his will or purpose for mankind. Certainly, man is unable to change the Lord’s mind or will, but more to the point, neither is there anyone with God who would be able to do so. Thus, the Lord is unchangeable! Whatsoever he proposes to do is what he does, and no one is able to prevent that from occurring (Job 23:13-14; cp. Isaiah 55:8-11).
Job seems to conclude that death without vindication is inevitable, for he understands that his fate is not designed for him, alone. Rather there are many other instances that he could point to, whereby the innocent suffer and die without a favorable judgment on the part of the Lord – “…and many such things are with him” (Job 23:14). Job’s conclusion is given with a kind of moaning, wishing it weren’t true, but yielding to what he knows is true!
Therefore, Job says he is troubled at God’s presence, because the inevitable truth of the matter isn’t encouraging. Job feels helpless, in that the Lord is silent when he prays. God is immovable, unchangeable, and there is absolutely nothing Job is able to do to cause him to reconsider what he has done. So, he’s afraid of God. Job’s inner strength has been melted, and he finds himself troubled in the presence of this Almighty and relentless Authority (Job 23:15-16).
Job isn’t afraid of death, but he laments the fact that the Lord had not taken him in the midst of his prosperity. There, he had been known to be the friend of God, the one whom the Lord had blessed abundantly. Before his trials, Job was honored by men. He was a figure sought after in the gates of the city, and his name was unblemished. Now, however, the friends had labeled him as the chief of sinners (Job 4:7-8; 15:5-6; 22:5; cp. 1Timothy 1:15). Even he didn’t know why the Lord had treated him so terribly. Although he protested that he was righteous, appearances denied his words, according to the popular traditional beliefs, and he would go to his death with everyone believing he was a great sinner.
Hope had faded, as Job sought to remain above the dark waters of the Lord’s purpose for him. It was disheartening for him to be unable to see the order that must be in the chaos that is ever present before him (Job 23:17). He, therefore, concludes that his obedience to moral responsibility, and his sense of justice and truth were no more than worn out tools that don’t avail much in attaining the answers he seeks. With nothing left but a sigh of despair for life and vindication, Job must, finally, admit that the Lord is that Unknown God (cp. Acts 17:23), who was yet to be fully revealed in Christ. While it is true that God could be known to exist through the things he had created (Romans 1:20), the deep things about him, the unknowable things, the things not revealed in his creation, can only be taught us by the Spirit of God, which was yet to be given man (1Corinthians 2:10), because Christ had not yet come and was not yet glorified (John 7:39; 1Corinthians 3:17).
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38 responses to “It Is He, Himself, Alone!”
We went over this before. Your Talmud offers you a “Theological construct which attempts to dictate how (**you**) MUST believe in God.” In other words, it is the foundation of your worldview. While I sometimes quote the Talmud, it is not the foundation of my worldview. So, what it refers to as “fiction” does not necessarily meet with my agreement. I already explained my understanding that Psalm 82 offers us an interpretation of the 2nd commandment, as far as who the other gods are is concerned. You reject that. That’s fine, but if you are going to continue to post your rejection, you need to at least offer a logical argument as to why my worldview is wrong. Just saying yours is correct doesn’t prove mine wrong! 😊
I have no idea what you mean in that statement.
I’ve already quoted the Tanakh and its English translation of “Brit” is the same as any of the Christian translations. As for t/shuva (I assume you are referring to the Hebrew word “shub” (H7725) which is found in 1Kings 8:47 in the Tanakh – “and then they take it to heart in the land to which they have been carried off, and they repent (‘shub’ – H7725) and make supplication to You in the land of their captors, saying: ‘We have sinned, we have acted perversely, we have acted wickedly,’ (parenthesis in the citation are mine). Once again the Tanakh proves your statement wrong.
Mosckerr, you need to stay on track if we are going to continue in this discussion. Your first paragraph is completely new. It neither replies to anything I claimed in my study, nor does it answer or support anything we’ve discussed so far. You’re bringing new subjects up with nearly every reply.
Concerning your atheism, I have always been intrigued by the fact that atheist Jews are so well accepted by religious or practicing Jews. In fact, you are embraced in your community, while a Jew who accepts Jesus as his Messiah is anathema. Interesting, you have the same ancestors, historically the oath/covenant was made to **God** or your ancestors were just kidding themselves, yet atheists are embraced while Messianic Jews are excommunicated from Jewish society! Intriguing.
Concerning what Torah commands or doesn’t command, how do you handle the Sh’ma?
You introduced prayer & I responded with the some fundamental utterly basic 101 differences between prayer and tefillah.
Messianic Jews not Jewish they have embraced the culture of Goyim and the religion of an absolute abomination. The mitzva of Moshiach learns from Moshe anointing the House of Aaron as Moshiach.
If so why did the prophet Shmuel anoint first Shaul and then David as Moshiach? Answer the whole nation of Israel can live and obey the mitzva of Moshiach.
The Shema, a tohor time oriented commandment concerning the baali t’shuva who accepts the 3 oaths sworn by the Avot upon himself and his children as ONE.
The gospel forgeries do not teach the mitzva of Moshiach. Hence you do not know what I am talking about. All Xtian translations just flat out wrong. Starting with the first word of the Torah בראשית. This word includes ברית אש, ראש בית & ב’ ראשית. In the Beginning as off as a rotten egg of a translation. Moshe at the burning bush vis a vis the command to go to Egypt did so as a Baali T’shuvah.
You confuse a rabbinic confession with doing t’shuva. T’shuva regrets doing a tumah action. Such that years later when that person stands in the identical situation wherein he walked down a tumah path, that person refuses to behave like a dog and eat once again his own vomit.