As Paul personified parts of the body in 1Corinthians 2:9, so does the text in Job 29:11. “The ear heard me… the eye saw me…” are put of the folks who heard and saw Job, and all who did so gave witness to and praised him for all that he did. At this point in his address, Job seems to be replying to Eliphaz’s accusations in Job 22:5-10. There, his friend accused Job of great wickedness, one who took pledges from those who had very little, who were obviously destitute (22:5-6). He accused Job of failing to refresh and feed these poor folk, who lacked what it took to clothe themselves properly and acquire the nourishment enough to live (verse-7). According to Eliphaz, as a magistrate, Job even accepted the face of the rich and powerful, sending the widow away empty, and, as for those without a patron, Job broke what little strength they had (Job 22:8-9). Therefore, Eliphaz claimed, Job lost all he had and was presently near, death due to his poor health (Job 22:10).
Nevertheless, Job claimed, he heard the cries of the poor and the fatherless and delivered them out of their trouble (Job 29:12). Moreover, when the utterly destitute man or the widow appeared before him, they rejoiced in their deliverance, as though they had a new grip upon life itself (Job 29:13).
What is interesting at this point is Job claims to have clothed himself in righteousness, and implies that his judgment became the robe or clothing for those who came to him, seeking justice (Job 29:14). To be honest, some scholars have Job putting on righteousness for his clothing and add that justice was his robe and turban. However, what follows seems to support the interpretation of other scholars that, indeed, Job did put on righteousness, but he, or rather his verdicts, were the robe and turban of those who came to him seeking justice. In other words, Job claims to have been eyes to the blind, in that he was their guide in the dark. He was feet to the lame, in that he was the one who empowered them to reach the place they were too feeble to reach (Job 29:15). Moreover, Job was a father to the needy and even took up the cause of the stranger, the one he didn’t even know, breaking the hold of the wicked and removing the innocent from the teeth of evil men (Job 29:16-17).
One could say, without fear of contradiction, that Job was, indeed, a righteous man. He, no doubt, helped many who were unable to help themselves, either because they were too poor, or because they lacked the strength to face their enemies. Job appears to claim that he clothed himself with righteousness (Job 29:14), vis-à-vis he dispensed justice for the people, and his verdicts were the righteousness with which he presently clothed himself! In other words, he submitted to the Lord and helped others in need and was proud of what he did in his service to the Lord.
According to the New Covenant text we are to clothe ourselves with Christ (Romans 13:14), and we flee to the Lord, our God, for a covering (Psalm 143:9). In a very real sense, it seems Job was a man like Christ. He did for the needy of his day, what Christ does for the needy throughout history, vis-à-vis those who are bankrupt in righteousness before God.
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