Although he should kill me, I will trust in him: but yet I will reprove my ways in his sight.
הֵ֣ן יִ֭קְטְלֵנִי לא ל֣וֹ אֲיַחֵ֑ל אַךְ־דְּ֝רָכַ֗י אֶל־פָּנָ֥יו אוֹכִֽיחַ׃
4 Church Fathers comment on this verse
However, he states, I will convey and challenge you in his presence, and this will lead to my salvation, for no deceit can prevail before him. In other words, it will be a source of solace for me. For no deceit can prevail before him. Take note that my words are not spoken with ulterior motives like yours. I am aware that in his sight, there is no room for dishonesty.
O wondrous being! Facing certain death, He extols the one who seeks to end His life and gazes upward in reverence. Job understood that if his life were taken, the One who is the God of Abraham would restore it. He trusted in the power of God to raise the dead.
Look, He is bringing my end near, yet I will place my trust in Him. In favorable moments, there is little opportunity to develop the virtue of patience. True patience is found in one who, despite facing hardships, continues to hold onto hope. Regarding the attitude of the forsaken individual, it is said, "He shall glorify Thee when Thou doest well with him." Thus, we observe a clear distinction between the mindset of the righteous and the unrighteous: the righteous praise the Almighty even in times of distress, their faith remains unshaken by worldly circumstances, and they do not falter with the loss of external honor. This affirms that he who once possessed earthly treasures but remains steadfast in adversity is genuinely strong. Yet, I will examine my actions before Him.
He is my salvation. The Apostle Paul teaches, "For if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged." We discover the Lord as our ‘Salvation’ when we confront our sins through the reverence of God. Consequently, the chosen ones do not overlook their sins in hopes of finding mercy with the Judge; they seek Him fervently now, that they may truly encounter Him as ‘Salvation,’ the one whom they respect as their Judge. Those who avoid acknowledging their sins now will only experience punishment, thus it is stated, But I will examine my actions before Him. To illustrate the profound impact of such a declaration, we add, He is my salvation. It is written, For the hypocrite shall not stand before Him.
Understanding that when the Judge arrives, He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left, we might wonder why it is stated here, ‘For the hypocrite shall not go before Him,’ if the goats still remain on His left. We must recognize that we stand before God in two distinct manners. One way is through a sincere reckoning of our sins while we live, where we confront and evaluate ourselves before Him with a spirit of contrition. Each time we reflect on the might of our Creator, we find ourselves in His presence. Elijah, the prophet, expressed this well: "The Lord God of Israel lives before whom I stand." The second manner is when we present ourselves at His judgment during the Last Judgment. Thus, the hypocrite does approach the Judge at that final hour of accounting; however, by closing his eyes to the acknowledgment and sorrow of his sins, he chooses not to stand in the presence of the Lord. The righteous, on the other hand, focus on the seriousness of the impending judgment, remember their transgressions, lament over their actions, and judge themselves harshly; therefore, they will escape judgment. Hypocrites, reveling in the superficialities of the worldly life, neglect self-examination, basking in the praise of others, and mistakenly believe themselves to be virtuous as reflected by those around them. As long as they scatter their self-worth through the applause of their peers, they fail to recognize the weight of sin, overlook their offenses against the soul's judgment, and remain indifferent to its seriousness, considering themselves pleasing in God’s sight, matching the opinions held by others. Yet, if they were to genuinely acknowledge His severity, the mere realization of their misplaced efforts to seek human approval would invoke fear in their hearts. Therefore, it is rightly stated: ‘For the hypocrite shall not go before Him,’ as he will not stand before God's discerning gaze while trying to appease the judgments of men. Conversely, one who seeks his conscience earnestly in the presence of God will surely cease to be a hypocrite. It follows:
Job is fully aware of the situation, just like his companions, and is prepared to present his case before God if necessary. He is perplexed by their unfounded confidence in defending their erroneous beliefs and urges them to pay close attention, as it is not without reason that he risks facing the most stringent judgment, appealing to the Lord Himself to evaluate his claims based on their testimony. He then turns to God in prayer, seeking clarity on the reasons behind his immense suffering and questioning whether a mere mortal, with such fleeting existence, should endure such harsh trials.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS