Who [is] he [that] will plead with me
Enter the lists with him; dispute the point, and try the strength
of his arguments he had to plead for his own justification: thus
Christ, the head of the church, and the surety of his people, is
represented as speaking when he had by his obedience and
sufferings made satisfaction for them, by bringing in an
everlasting righteousness, and was, as their public and federal
head, justified and acquitted, ( Isaiah
1:4-9 ) ; and much the same words are put into the mouth of a
believer in him, and are expressed by him, ( Romans 8:33 Romans 8:34 ) ; who
stands acquitted from all charges that men or devils, friends or
foes, the law or justice of God, the devil and his own
unbelieving heart, at any time, can bring against him. Job, well
knowing the uprightness of his heart and life, the justness of
his cause depending between him and his friends, boldly
challenges them to come forth, and try it with him; or rather he
seems desirous that God himself would take the case in hand, and
plead with him; he was ready to engage with him, and in the
presence of his friends, and in their hearing; and doubted not of
being acquitted before God, and at his bar; so satisfied was he
of his own innocence as to the things charged upon him:
for now, if I hold my peace, I shall give up the
ghost;
his sense seems to be, that if he was not allowed to speak for
himself, and plead his cause, and have a hearing of it out, he
could not live, he could not contain himself, he must burst and
die; nor could he live under such charges and calumnies, he must
die under the weight and pressure of them; though some think that
this not only expresses his eagerness and impatience to have his
cause tried fairly before God, but contains in it an argument to
hasten it, taken from the near approach of his death: "for now",
in a little time, "I shall be silent" F23; be in
the silent grave: "I shall expire"; or die; and then it will be
too late; therefore if any will plead with me, let them do it
immediately, or I shall be soon gone, and then it will be all
over: or rather the sense is, I challenge anyone to reason the
matter, and dispute the point with me; and I promise that, if the
cause goes against me, "now will I be silent"; I will not say one
word more in my vindication: "I will die"; or submit to any
death, or any sort of punishment, that shall be pronounced upon
me; I shall patiently endure it, and not complain of it, or
object to the execution of it; so Sephorno.