Job 9:1 Then Job answered and said,"

Job 9:2 "I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?"

Job is talking about the flesh man, the man that is mortal, "liable to die".

Job 9:3 "If he will contend with Him, he cannot answer Him one of a thousand."

Job is answering Bildad that God could ask mortal man a thousand questions and man would not be able to answer one of God's questions. So Job says; How am I going to contend with God. Again realize that Job is blaming God for all his troubles and losses. He still doesn't realize that it is Satan that is putting the punishment on him.

Job 9:4 "He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against Him, and hath prospered?"

Job is saying; There is no one that has ever challenged God and lived to tell about it.

Job 9:5 "Which removeth the mountains, and they know not: Which overturneth them in His anger."

This is a Hebrew saying; That what God does he does suddenly and quickly. When God is angry, He can shake the very earth and cause earthquakes.

Job 9:6 "Which shaketh the earth out of her palce and the pillars thereof tremble."

Job 9:7 "Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars."

God can even make the sky to cloud over to seal the vision of the stars, and cause the sun not to rise. God has the weather under His control, so how can any flesh man argue with a God that is so powerful?

Job 9:8 "Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea."

Job 9:9 "Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south."

It is ironic that within the question Job gives us the answer. "Arcturus" is the bear keeper of the sky. "Orion" is the coming prince, which gives Job's children the ability to overcome Satan through Christ. The "Pleiades" stands for the congregation of the judge, in these signs of the heavens. Who is the judge? The Judge is God and His congregation are the elect of God. Job is a type of the elect of God. These star bodies sit right in the neck of Taurus the bull. The stars tell a story, and God himself will verify this before we end this book of Job. It is recorded in Job 38:32.

Job 9:10 "Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number."

Job is saying that God has created so many wonderful things that it is impossible to number them all.

Job 9:11 "Lo, He goeth my me, and I see Him not: He passeth on also, but I perceive Him not."

Even if God passed by, I could not see Him. I can't stop God to ask Him any questions about why He does what He does.

Job 9:12 "Behold, He taketh away, who can hinder Him? who will say unto Him, `What doest Thou?' "

It is silly for anyone to even question God about why He does what He does.

Job 9:13 "If God will not withdraw His anger, the proud helpers do stoop under Him."

The "proud helpers" in the Hebrew text are the "sons of Rehab". It is mythology in a way, for they were the lessor gods. Job is saying that even the lessor gods of the heathen fall prostrate under the Almighty God.

Job 9:14 "How much less shall I answer Him, and choose out my words to reason with Him?"

So how can I discuss any matter with God that concern me. Job knows he is but a mortal man, and God is infinite.

Job 9:15 "Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer, but I would make supplication to my Judge."

If I was before God as a righteous man, I would still throw myself upon the mercy of my Judge.

Job 9:16 "If I had called, and He had answered me; yet would I not believe that He had hearkened unto my voice."

Job 9:17 "For He breaketh me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause."

This would be all well and good except for one thing, God isn't causing this trouble to Job; it is Satan that is bringing Job to his knees, and Job still can't see Satan in all these evil deeds. We should watch out that we don't fall into this same trap that Job is in, for it is easy to blame God for the things that Satan causes to come into our lives. Watch out who you are blaming when the things in your life get a little rough.

Job 9:18 "He will not suffer me to take my breath, but filleth me with bitterness."

Job is saying that God is not allowing him to rest long enough to even catch my breath. Once again, Job is blaming God for what Satan is doing to him.

Job 9:19 "If I speak of strength, lo, He is strong: and if of judgment, who shall set me a time to plead?"

Is there anyone on the face of the earth that can set me up with a hearing with God. Is there any way that I can approach God to plead my case? We know that we do have an advocate before the Father in our Lord Jesus Christ. However, in Job's day, Christ had not come and suffered the cross for our sins. We know that ultimately on the day of Judgment, after the Millennium age, we are all going to have our day of judgment before the Almighty Father. Some to eternal damnation, while to the saved in Christ it will be to eternal rewards.

Job 9:20 "If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, 'I am perfect,' it shall also prove me perverse."

We know that no mortal man is perfect, and when we say we are, we lie.

Job 9:21 "Though I were perfect, yet would I not know my soul: I would despise my life."

Job is saying that even if I were perfect, I would still consider my life cheep. Anytime you self-judge yourself, you always observe the things of value in your life lessor than they really are.

Job 9:22 "This is one thing, therefore I said it, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked."

Job is saying that there is one thing that is for sure, when God comes through with an earthquake or some other force, he kills the good right along with the wicked.

Job 9:23 "If the scourge slay suddenly, He will laugh at the trial of the innocent."

Job 9:24 "The earth is given into the hand of the wicked: He covereth the faces of the judges thereof;' if not, where, and who is He?"

Job is now coming around to another question. If these things happen and the innocent are killed by these things of the earth, than if it isn't God that is doing it, who is it that is doing it? Job should have know that it is Satan, but he still can't see Satan's hand in all these things. God chooses whom He will [the elect], and how ever He chooses to use you in these flesh bodies, that is His decision. Always use common sense when thing are not going well for you, it could be that God is placing you in a position that He needs you in so that He can use you for His plan. The purpose to our lives is to serve God and give praise and honor to Him in all matters.

Job 9:25 "Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good."

A "post" is a runner, and that is where we get the name "post office" for delivering our mail. Job is saying that his days are going by faster than a runner can run.

Job 9:26 "They are passed away as the swift ships: as the eagle that hasteth to the prey."

They are going faster than a fast ship, or an eagle when he dives after its prey.

Job 9:27 "If I say, `I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my heaviness, and comfort myself:' "

Job 9:28 "I am afraid of all my sorrows, I know that Thou wilt not hold me innocent."

Job is saying that he knows that he has sinned, and God will not hold me innocent.

Job 9:29 "If I be wicked, why then labour I in vain?"

If I am going to suffer with all these boils, and this great wickedness that has come over me, why should I even try to do what is right?

Job 9:30 "If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean;"

"Snow water" is the purest water that there is.

Job 9:31 "Yet shalt You plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me."

Job is asking, if I make myself clean all over, would God still cast me into a ditch to make my clothes dirty all over? If you are one of God's elect, He might cause you to be thrown into that ditch to reach another dear soul down in that ditch that God intends to reach for Himself.

Job 9:32 "For He is not a man, as I am, that I should answer Him, and we should come together in judgment."

Job realizes that God is not a man in the flesh as he is, that He would bring mortal man into court as another mortal man would do.

Job 9:33 "Neither is there any Daysman betwixt us, that might lay His hand upon us both."

The "Daysman" is an umpire, or lawyer or one that would arbitrate a case for you. Job is saying that I don't know who to turn to, to help me solve this problem.

Job 9:34 "Let Him take His rod away from me, and let not His fear terrify me:"

Job is praying that God will remove His rod from upon him, yet it is not God that is doing this to Job. How do we know that it is Satan that is causing all the problems? By Satan request to God in the first chapter; when Satan said to God, let me have my way with your man Job, and he will curse you to your face before I am done with him. God told Satan that he could do all things to Job, but don't take his life. Job couldn't die, but Satan sure made life hell on earth for him.

Job 9:35 "Then would I speak, and not fear Him: but it is not so with me."

Job is telling Bildad that though all this is said of me, I am not what you make me out to be. Job admits that he is not perfect, but he is not the evil man that you make me out ot be. So we will leave Job here with the question of Why still being unanswered. Job's suffering is great, and depression is taking hold of his mind. Through all this Job still knows that God is fair in all matters, however, he just can't put all the parts of the puzzle together yet.

Today we have Christ in our lives and the promises of God to fall back on, but if we were back in Job's day, and the time of Christ had not come yet, how would you stand up to all these things if they had happened to you. Could you still praise God and say that God is always fair? This is the lesson for this ninth chapter.