Job 13:1-12

Job has shown that he can speak of God's working in the world; the friends, however, offer an apology for God, which He Himself must reject. I am not inferior to you in knowledge, says Job (Job 13:2). But I would speak and reason with God this you do not understand (Job 13:3). The friends had failed to diagnose his case (Job 13:4); his want is a fresh Divine revelation. They are plasterers of lies in their zeal for God. Their best wisdom were silence (Job 13:5) si tacuisses, philosophus mansisses. God, however, will not approve their respect of persons, their partiality in becoming His advocate (Job 13:8). It will not be a pleasant experience for them when God strips bare their paltry souls and shows that which masqueraded as pious reverence to be cowardly sycophancy (Job 13:9). It is noteworthy as showing the conflict of feeling in Job, that while he attacks with the utmost boldness the unrighteousness of God's conduct he should have such deep-rooted confidence in His righteousness as to believe Him incapable of tolerating a lying defence even of Himself (Peake). God's appearance will terrify the friends (Job 13:11): how miserable their proverbs, their defences, are (Job 13:12).