Job 16:15-22, 17.
As we continue in chapter 16 we read of Job's outpouring of grief as he speaks of his mourning and humiliation. He continues to assert his innocence, speaking of a witness in heaven. Despite the scorn of his friends he demonstrates his trust in God as he repeats his longing to be able to plead with God as a man pleads for his friend.
In chapter 17 it sounds as if Job thinks he will soon die. On speaking again of the scorn and lack of support from his friends he predicts that upright men and the innocent will be astonished and stirred up at this. He asserts that the righteous will 'hold on his way' but as for his friends...he asks that they return or reconsider because he cannot find one wise man among them.
The chapter concludes with Job mournfully speaking of death and his hopelessness.
In the middle of his distress, humiliation, suffering and loneliness Job speaks this gem in verse 9 of chapter 17:
'The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger'.
Who are the righteous?
We read in Romans 3:10,11 '...There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God'.
No one, naturally speaking is righteous - or 'good'.
But, those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour have his righteousness. When God looks at his children he sees the righteousness of Jesus instead of our sins.
As Paul continues in Romans 3: 22, '...the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe...'.
Perhaps today you feel anything but righteous.
Maybe you look back over past days and think how you have slipped from the way.
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Like Christian in John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress you feel like you have got over the fence into what seemed like an easier path in By-path meadow and now feel the Giant Despair shaking your hope of salvation. Perhaps you feel locked up in his dungeon far from God and cannot see your way back to free communion with your Lord; you try to pray but do not feel his love.
Or maybe you are looking to the future and worrying about events and circumstances which 'could' happen and wonder how you will get through them.
Or like Job you are surrounded by unsupportive people who are misjudging you, accusing you, telling you you have got it all wrong.
Or like David, the shepherd boy of Bethlehem who was anointed as future king of Israel, you think that the 'Sauls' of your life will be the end of you.
Well, what does this verse say?
'The righteous also SHALL hold on his way'.
SHALL. No doubt about it.
'But I feel anything but righteous', you say, ...'so how can this apply to me? I don't think I'm like Job who even God said was upright and blameless in his sight. I am guilty of deserting my Lord and getting too entwined with things in this world'.
Dear reader, your righteousness as one of God's children does not depend on how righteous you are feeling right now. But if we are feeling that our sins have come between us and God again we need to confess them and ask for faith to believe that we are still forgiven, still loved, still his daughter or son.
We get tempted to think that God gets tired of forgiving us. We creep back to him so ashamed - 'will he forgive me again? How can I even approach him after all his love and my resolves to never displease him again?' We feel like we have abused his love and thrown it back in his face as it were. We wonder how we can really be called a Christian and whether we are still 'in the way'.
Or, perhaps you haven't professed you believe you are righteous through Christ because you are tempted that you will 'make shipwreck of faith' - tempted that you might disgrace the name of Jesus, tempted that you might slip out of 'the way' - you might not 'stay the course'.
Well, what is this 'way'?
Firstly, it describes our pathway through life.
My Study Bible links this verse to Proverbs 4:18, 'But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day'. It is a journey we are on. A journey, which for God's children leads to heaven, where they will live for ever and ever.
Secondly, we could consider this 'way' as a belief.
In Acts we start seeing references to believers being of 'this way', or 'the way' or 'that way'. (Acts 9:2, 24:14, 24:22). My Study Bible suggests an alternative translation as 'The Way', with a capital W. Somewhere I have read that it was how Christians were referred to in these times. It meant that they were followers of Jesus.
How can we be encouraged by this today?
It seems to speak to me that however we may feel today, those of us who are trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour and righteousness will endure until the end. It speaks of certainty.
However disheartened we may feel during our life as we realise our failings, worry about our circumstances and think what poor christians we are, we shall hold on our way, our journey to heaven.
Why? Because even though we at times become faithless, 'yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself' (2 Timothy 2: 13).
The Lord Jesus died for believers - those people who have his righteousness.
HE won't give them up.
Even though they may feel to fail, he will not fail.
Even though you and I may feel to have fallen from the way - from following Jesus - he will not leave us there but will bring us back to him. He will hold us on our way, our journey to heaven.
Job was maligned by his friends, broken down with illness and suffering, expecting death any day, yet God gave him faith to believe, that, 'the righteous also shall hold on his way'.
Hold on, dear friend.
Cling to those words Jesus has given you to encourage you, hold on to the promises we have in the Bible, cling to him in prayer.
Trust him.
Right now you may not feel righteous through Jesus, perhaps you don't feel the softenings of heart and love towards him that you long for, but listen to the Psalmist,
May the Lord bless you with a renewed sense of his presence, that you might say with joy, 'the righteous also shall hold on his way'.
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