Indeed, I know that this is true. But how can mere mortals prove their innocence before God? – Job 9:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (April 25, 2015): Job 9

In Christian circles we sometimes rail against what we call relative truth. It is found in the famous question of Pontius Pilate as he was questioning Jesus -  “What is truth?” The implied question is simply a relative one – Is my truth the same as yours? We sometimes seem to carry the idea that relative truth is something new. But it isn’t. Relative truth has been around for a long time – in fact, it has been there from the very beginning. For example, for those of us who have been brought up with the doctrine of Original Sin and the idea that we are sinful from birth, the suggestion that anyone can be thought to be righteous is impossible. (Note: Original Sin is a Christian Model of belief. I had a short discussion with a good friend recently who was dismayed that Orthodox Judaism does not believe in the doctrine Original Sin. But this is not a Jewish Doctrine; no one thought about the concept of Original Sin until Irenaeus was embroiled in a battle with Christian Gnostics during the Second Century, a hundred years after the ministry of Jesus.) Yet Noah is considered to be righteous in the early pages of the Bible (Genesis 6:9). And even in the Book of Job, Job is said to be righteous (Job 1:1).

And yet, as Job answers his accusers, Job does not seem to believe his own hype (even though it is God who is hyping him.) Job hears the accusations of his accusers and answers them by telling his friends that they are right – and then asking the question about whether or not is possible for anyone to be considered innocent (or righteous) before God. Some of this might be attributable to good, old-fashioned humility, but we are also left wondering if that all that is in play here.

The answer to the question is actually found in the idea of relative truth. Job (and Noah) when they are compared with their compatriots were righteous. The Bible truthfully informs us that there was no one else on the face of the earth that was more righteous than Noah, and Job’s righteousness dwarfs the righteousness of the men with whom he was sitting. That was actually part of the problem. Job’s friends knew the depth of their own spiritual failure. It might have been that they had watched the life lived by the righteous Job and mourned that they could not live up to his example. But on the day that the trouble made its visit to the house of Job, all of that changed. Finally they felt vindicated. It was not that Job was living a better life than they were, just that he was hiding his sin better than they could. In their eyes, Job’s trouble proved his sin.

But the truth of the comparison did not lie in their eyes, but rather it could only be found in the eyes of God. God looked down on Job and his friends and the truth of Job’s righteousness was apparent. But it was a relative truth, because when Job compared his righteousness with the righteousness of the God that he served, and he knew that he fell short. The truth was relative. Job’s righteousness depended on with whom he was being compared.

Our truth is that it really doesn’t matter how well we might compare with men. All that should matter is how we compare with God. And the truth that Job was well aware of was that when that comparison is made (when that relative truth is considered), we are all dependant on the Grace of God to make up the difference that exists between our righteousness and his.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Job 10