I put on righteousness, and it clothed me
Not the righteousness of his living Redeemer, the robe of
righteousness and garment of salvation he had from him; though he
had put on that by faith, and it was his clothing in the sight of
God, which covered his person, and covered all his sins from the
avenging eye of divine justice; and in which he was presented
before God unblamable and irreprovable in his sight, and with
which he was adorned and beautified, being made perfectly comely
through it, and completely justified by it; but legal
righteousness in the administration of his office as a
magistrate; he put it on, that is, he exercised it, and he
exercised it constantly from morning tonight, and day after day;
as a man puts on his clothes in a morning, and keeps them on all
the day, and which he is always repeating; and it was as visible
in him, and to be seen and observed by all, as the clothes on his
back; and it covered him all over as a garment does; no blemish
was to be seen in him, or blame to be cast upon him, throughout
the whole course of his administration; and this was a fence unto
him against all calumny and reproach, as garments are against the
inclemency of the weather; see ( 1
Samuel 12:3-5 ) ; so a godly conversation in the exercise of
graces and virtues, and in the performance of duties both to God
and man, is sometimes expressed by a putting them on, as garments
are put on; see ( Ephesians
4:24 ) ( Colossians
3:10 Colossians
3:12 Colossians
3:14 ) ; and these are an outward clothing to appear in
before men, and should be shown forth with meekness and wisdom,
so as to be beheld by men; and should be continually exercised
and constantly performed; and then they are a covering with
respect to men, and they appear harmless, blameless, and without
rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; and
thus, by well doing, put to silence the ignorance of foolish men,
and such to the blush, those who falsely accuse their good
conversation: and this in every sense was Job's case:
my judgment [was] as a robe and diadem;
such as the high priest among the Jews wore in the execution of
his office, which made him look grand and majestic; and it was
usual in Job's time, as it is in ours, and has been the custom in
all ages and countries, for judges and civil magistrates to be
clothed in a different manner from others, as it is proper they
should, to command an awe and reverence of them among the common
people, and make them respectable to them: but Job did not so
much regard his purple robe he was clad in, or the distinguishing
turban he wore on his head, or whatever it was, and which might
bear some resemblance to a mitre or a diadem; as it was his great
concern to administer justice, which he reckoned his greatest
honour, and was more ornamental to him than all the showy ensigns
of his office; and it was this which gave him honour and esteem
among all sorts of men, high and low: and his regard to the poor,
before observed, did not arise from a foolish commiseration of
them as poor men, and in order to get himself a name for his pity
to them, but proceeded upon a principle of justice and equity,
which he made the rule of his administration; he did not
countenance the poor in his cause right or wrong; not the quality
of the person, but the righteousness of his cause, was what he
attended to; and he took his part not merely because he was a
poor man, but seeing his cause was just.