Job 6:30 – IS THERE INIQUITY IN MY TONGUE
Job 6:30 Is there iniquity in my tongue? cannot my taste discern perverse things?
Job had lost his wealth, his health, and his family. As a result of the suffering of Job, three of his friends came to comfort him. These friends remained silent for seven days and after Job spoke about how he wished God would take his life, Eliphaz spoke.
Eliphaz told Job that the reason why he was going through this trial was because he had sinned against God. Eliphaz looked at the suffering of God and he figured that there was no way that a man as righteous as Job would be suffering so much absent he had sinned and God was punishing him. Eliphaz was of the mistaken belief that a loving God could not cause so much pain.
Eliphaz had not taken the time to question Job and ask him if there was something he had done that would have caused God to punish him. Instead, Eliphaz simply accused Job of sinning against God.
Job is now responding to the words of Eliphaz. Job tells Eliphaz that if he had sinned, he would have known it. Job was a man who feared God and hated evil. Because of his hatred of evil, Job could not have accidently sinned against God. Job would have known that he had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Job’s hatred of evil would have kicked in had he gotten even close to sinning against God.
We have all seen little kids who do not want to eat something that is healthy for them. It does not matter what their parents say, the kids refuse to eat the food. Even if their parents are tricky enough to get them to open their mouths so that the spoon full of food is put inside, the stubborn kid will quickly spit it out.
This picture of a kid refusing to eat something his parents have prepared is similar to how Job responded to evil. Job would not allow evil to get close to him. Job could not accidently sin against God because just the mere presence of evil would cause him to react. If Job had sinned and allowed a lose word to flow from his mouth, Job’s ears would have heard the words and Job’s conscience would have caused him to repent very quickly.
Job is not having any part of the concept that his trial was a result of his sinning against God. Eliphaz had slandered his character and Job vigorously defends his relationship with God. Job was not going to sit by and allow his friends to think that maybe there was some truth in the fact that Job had sinned and this suffering was a result of that sin.
Job did not know why he was suffering, but he did know that his relationship with God was such that it was not because he had sinned. Job gave his friends some leeway to speak their mind, but he was not going to allow them to think that this trial was a result of sin. Job was a sinner, but Job had a practice of keeping a short list with God; when he sinned, he confessed his sins and renewed his relationship with God.
We need to follow the example of Job and know what our relationship with God is like. We should instantly know that when we face a trial whether the trial is a result of sin or is a result of God refining HIS character in us. We should be patient and take the time necessary to have a close enough relationship with God that we know whether or not we have sinned against HIM.