Job 19:15Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The devil's temptation is formidable: those who remained with him made his suffering even harder than those who departed. The latter did not take further action; instead, they reviled him, disobeyed his words, spoke against him, and engaged in other actions, as further noted in Job 19:19.

The grace of the Gospel affirms that these statements genuinely reflect the words of the Lord. In fact, John observes, For neither did His brothers believe in Him (John 7:5), as they urged Him to leave this place and go to Judea so that His followers could witness the miracles He performed. For no one acts in obscurity when they desire to be acknowledged. If You perform such miracles, make Yourself known to the world (John 7:3-4). Their remarks stemmed from a lack of understanding of His divine power, as they were more familiar with outsiders than with Him. This is particularly evident among the Jews, who prioritized their own agendas and, at the time of His deserved praise, chose to turn away from Him.

Those who reside in my home, along with my maidservants, regard me as an outsider, as stated in Job 19:15. The dwellers in God's house are the priests, whose lineage has been long established in divine service and continues in this vocation. The ‘servants’ rightfully refer to the souls of the Levites who tended to the sacred aspects of the Tabernacle. Thus, it can be affirmed of both the priests who labor diligently and the Levites who attend to the innermost areas of God's dwelling that those who inhabit my house, along with my servants, perceive me as a stranger. This is because the Incarnate Lord, foretold in the Scriptures, was neither recognized nor honored by them.