Job 5:8

If it were me,

   I would appeal to God,

And to my Lord,

   I would make my case.

 

I read this and I had an expression of the world run through my brain wondering what Eliphaz is doing. This is exactly what Job is trying to do. Here Eliphaz states that this is exactly what Eliphaz would do. It is as if Eliphaz is siding with Job, even though he is doing his best to tear down Job. Something is missing in the sequence.

Options to the first part include “as for me” (which I always associate with “As for my house, we will serve the Lord.”), “But if it were I”, “But as for me”, nothing at all, “But”, “No”, and “yet”. Nothing at all just seems wrong. But, yet, and no seem over simplistic. That left two options that begin with but, and I felt that was a poor beginning.

Options to the second part include “seek”, “resort”, “look”, and “search”. Resort seems like a last-ditch effort. The others make it seem God is removed and cannot be found. “Appeal” follows the court aspect and allows for knowing God is there and not just as a last resort.

Alternatives for “And to my Lord” were “And to God”, “Before God”, and “To the care of God”. To the care of the Lord seems like giving up. Before just seems unnecessary. My Lord makes it more personal than God.

Variations for “make my case” included “commit my cause”, “lay my case”, and “entrust my cause/affairs”. I do not like the commit or entrust my cause to God as the goal would be to do that with our lives continually and the issue is at hand is s specific point within the life so dedicated. I did not like the passive lay as opposed to the action make.

The final result of this verse is something I could see myself or Job saying. I do not want my fate in the hands of men or angels or gods. I want it in the hands of God and God is my Lord not just an impersonal deity that I do not relate with. I would want to state what I believed and stand behind it. I believe in Christ as my Savior and Lord, and I believe that delivers righteousness for me. Yes, I love the idea of Jesus being my defender, but I want to stand for what I believe.