Own Vileness

Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof.
— Job 4:12

Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:
— Job 23:8-9

Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me.
— Job 9:31

And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.
— Job 2:8

He Sees Not Only God’s Greatness, But His Own Vileness, by John Flavel.

I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.
— Job 42:5-6

What a staggering confession Job makes at the end of his long trial. This man, once described by God himself as blameless and upright. Now lies in the dust. Broken not merely by suffering, but by a clearer vision of the holy God. He had spoken much about the Almighty before, and he had held fast to his integrity. But now, having encountered the grandeur, power, and sovereignty of the Lord, Job is utterly undone.

My ears had heard of you. Like many, Job had known about God. He had right theology. He had heard of God’s justice and righteousness. He had offered sacrifices and lived in reverent fear of God. But this knowledge, though sincere, was still inadequate. Now through the furnace of affliction and the Lord’s searching questions, Job sees with the eyes of his soul. Now my eyes have seen you not physically, but spiritually. His understanding has been illuminated. He sees not only God’s greatness, but his own vileness, not only God’s glory, but his own guilt.

True sight of God always humbles a man. It silences his arguments, shatters his pride, and brings him to his knees. This is what happened to Isaiah. Woe to me, I am ruined, for I am a man of unclean lips. It happened to Peter. Go away from me, Lord. I am a sinful man. And here it happens to Job. I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes. Those who truly know God will be humble. And those who know themselves cannot be proud. When a soul truly sees God, it sees itself rightly. Self-righteousness dies. Complaints vanish. boasting is silenced. What remains is worship and repentance. A heart bowed low in the dust., not just because of sorrow, but because it now sees the holiness, wisdom, and majesty of God as never before. May we too move from hearing to seeing, from a mere notional knowledge of God, to firsthand experience of God’s greatness. And may that vision lead us to the same place as Job—humbled, repentant, and silent before the Lord of glory.

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