Job 15:14: “What is man, that he could be pure? / And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous?”

December 10th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Job’s comforters had been taking turns hurling insults at him; and in chapter 15, Eliphaz became the chief spokesman again. He had been polite the first time he spoke to Job in chapter 4, but in this chapter he seems angry and to consider Job’s words deceitful and irreverent. In the first 13 verses, Eliphaz attacked Job with questions probably meant to hurt and overwhelm him into silence. However, he did ask 2 interesting questions.

“What is man, that he could be pure?” Man’s sinfulness before God is the ultimate problem facing the entire human race. The New Testament also confirms this: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). The second question further echoes man’s lack of righteousness: “And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous?” But this question also points to God’s solution. There needed to be one man, born of woman, who was righteous so that through Him, a way could be made for sinful humanity to have a relationship with the holy God. All of creation was waiting for such a Man. God the Son became the first and only righteous man, born of a woman. And the death of this perfect God/man built the bridge needed for our salvation. We cannot add anything to the cross. To try to do so is to say that God did not do enough, that the cross was not sufficient.

I love the story of a man in England who put his Rolls Royce on a boat and went across to the continent for a holiday. While driving around Europe, something happened to the motor of his car. He cabled the Rolls-Royce people back in England: “I’m having trouble with my car; what do you suggest I do?” They immediately flew a new motor and 2 mechanics over to him! The mechanics repaired the car, replacing the entire engine; and then flew back to England, leaving the man to continue his holiday. After the man returned home, he wondered, “How much is this going to cost me?” He wrote Rolls Royce a letter asking how much he owed them. He received a reply from the office that read: “Dear Sir: There is no record anywhere in our files that anything ever went wrong with a Rolls-Royce.” Jesus Christ’s purity, righteousness, and finished work, completely covers us. When God looks at us through Him, He says to us: “There is no record against you.” If Jesus has finished the work, what need is there for our puny additions? It is a difficult thing to bring proud hearts to rest upon Jesus for righteousness. God humbles our pride by calling us, completely apart from any righteousness of our own, to Jesus for justification.

“Thank You, LORD, that You give the gift of righteousness to us when we humble ourselves and repent.”