CHAPTER 23 Dec. 19 
Job’s Response to Eliphaz
Then Job answered, 2Even today my complaint is grievous. His hand is heavy in spite of my groaning. 3Oh that I knew where I might find Him! That I might come even to His seat! 4I would set my cause in order before Him, and fill my mouth with arguments. 5I would know the words which He would answer me, and understand what He would tell me. 6Would He contend with me in the greatness of His power? No, but He would listen to me. 7There the upright might reason with Him, so I should be delivered forever from my judge. 8If I go east, He is not there; if west, I can’t find Him; 9He works to the north, but I can’t see Him. He turns south, but I can’t catch a glimpse of Him. 10But He knows the way that I take. When He has tried me, I shall come forth like gold. 11My foot has held fast to His steps. I have kept His way, and not turned aside. 12I haven’t gone back from the commandment of His lips. I have treasured up the words of His mouth more than my necessary food. 13But He stands alone, and who can oppose Him? What His soul desires, even that He does. 14For He performs that which is appointed for me. Many such things are with Him. 15Therefore I am terrified at His presence. When I consider, I am afraid of Him. 16For God has made my heart faint. The Almighty has terrified me. 17Because I was not cut off before the darkness, neither did He cover my face with the thick darkness. 

Commentary

23:10 When He has tried me, I shall come forth like gold- The allusion may be to a refiner of gold who heats the gold until the dross is purged and becomes so pure that he sees his own face reflected in the molten gold. This is what the heat of trial is intended to achieve in our lives. Job perceived God and not any evil ‘satan’ being as responsible for his trials, and he realized even in his depression that they had a purpose- to bring forth God’s likeness in him.
23:12 The words of His mouth more than my necessary food- As eating is a regular necessity which we automatically find time for, so our feeding upon God’s word each day should likewise be regular and natural. In our generation, it ought to be that we can’t easily lay our head down each night unless we have read or heard His word some time during the day.
23:15 I am terrified at His presence- Job’s speeches are full of contradictions. He feels he is in God’s presence, right before His judgment seat; but at other times he feels he’s desperately searching for God and trying to get an audience, but God is being elusive (:8,9). These oscillations in perception of God are part of depression and the bi-polar problems Job was obviously experiencing; hence he one moment eagerly looks ahead to the resurrection, at others he denies a resurrection can happen, or says he doesn’t want to participate in it. Through it all, God loved and accepted him, so that at the end of the book He commends Job (42:7). In spiritual terms, we’re all bi-polar. If we rejoice in God’s gracious acceptance of us and His focus upon our better side, we urgently need to have this attitude to our brethren, whose weaker side is often right in our face.