Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him declares a trust that holds firm even when suffering is severe, the way is dark, and death itself threatens. To maintain one's own ways before Him is to hold fast to integrity and stand by a righteous course even when circumstances are darkest. That trust rests in His mercy and saving power, confident that He will be salvation despite suffering. It holds when His presence seems concealed and His face hidden, when help is withheld and neither sight nor memory nor experience can show the way. Such trust does not depend on feeling but is intelligent, simple faith that takes God at His word and rests on His sure promises and unchanging character.
Trust Even Unto Death
The verse declares a trust that holds firm even when suffering is severe, the way is dark, and death itself threatens or is permitted. It is the confession to be spoken in trial, danger, sorrow, sickness, pain and death, expressing confidence in God despite suffering and lack of appreciation. The second clause means holding fast to integrity and standing by one's own conduct before Him even when circumstances are darkest. That trust rests in God's mercy and saving power, declaring that He will be salvation despite suffering.
The trust holds when His presence seems concealed and His face is hidden, when His hold feels broken and no comfort is given, when help seems withheld and heaven is as brass overhead. It holds when the way cannot be seen clearly and neither sight nor memory nor experience can show the way, when all that can be done is to trust and wait. It holds through suffering and uncertainty when His dealings cannot be comprehended and His presence dwells concealed.
Such trust does not depend on feeling or joyful ecstasy, for feelings may change and feeling God's favor may fail. It is intelligent, simple faith that takes God at His word, reaches unseen things, and rests on His sure promises and unchanging character. Remembering His past care sustains it through trials, brings the daily comforts of grace, draws response, and gives opportunity to show the sincerity of faith and love.
Faith Proved in Trial
God permits a train of circumstances that call for the passive graces, test virtues, try faith, and allow faith to be tested. Those permitted circumstances include trials, danger, sorrow, sickness, pain and death, and for teachers and other workers unappreciated labor, temptation, discouragement, opposition and bodily infirmity. In that day of trouble the preciousness of Jesus is felt, giving opportunity to trust God, seek Him in earnest prayer, believe in and rely upon Him, and confess faith in Him even in the face of death.
Suffering under such trial leads into more perfect confidence in the heavenly Father. It is permitted to draw the afflicted nearer to Him and to keep them from murmuring, even when Satan brings infirmity and discouragement to blind the eyes to His goodness, mercy, love, and to the exceeding weight of glory awaiting the overcomer. It drives them to flee to the stronghold and to urge faith in earnest prayer to the throne where His presence dwells concealed. From the furnace of trial He brings them forth refined and purified as gold tried in the fire, and perseverance in trust makes the victory more complete and the triumph more sure.
Though His presence may be concealed, His eye is ever upon the tried one, watching every moment, and He is ever ready to deliver all who rely on Him. In His own time and way He overthrows the enemies of His work, and such trust gives hope and courage for service. The verse declares surrender of one's own will to God's will, affirming that He is too wise to err and too good to do wrong. After severe struggle with agonizing prayer, groans, bitter weeping, agony, despair and helplessness, when His face is hidden, His hold feels broken, He gives no comfort and His dealings cannot be comprehended, this trust brings peace to one chosen in the furnace of affliction and leaning on His arm.
Honoring God as heavenly Father by trusting and waiting even unto death meets and conquers every difficulty, sorrow, dark future and impending trouble. This holds especially in emergencies of life when the way cannot be seen clearly and neither sight nor memory nor experience can be followed, when all that can be done is to trust and wait. The conquest comes through confidence that the Redeemer lives and that the Father knows the way and will lead safely, holding the hand placed in His so His child will not stumble or slide. That trust means crucifying self and surrendering self, letting God's love shape words and actions and shine forth in works, letting the gospel exert a strong uninterrupted influence on mind and heart, learning to rejoice in God, walking humbly with Him while He brings His purposes to pass, and standing firm to principle.
Living the Trust Daily
This is the word for the hard-pressed, sorely tried, discouraged one to speak when suffering is severe and death itself threatens. It belongs especially to teachers and workers meeting unappreciated labor, temptation, discouragement, opposition, and bodily infirmity. Such afflictions are brought to blind the eyes to His goodness, mercy and love, and to hide the exceeding weight of glory awaiting the overcomer. Yet the verse declares trust that holds firm even then, staying the soul upon God in adversity, perplexity and thick darkness even unto death.
In trials, danger, sorrow, sickness, pain and death it is to be spoken as a confession of simple trust. That includes long, trying, sleepless nights of nervous pain, where faith holds even though He slay. To speak it means refusing to murmur, repine or complain, refusing to dishonor God by voice, pen, mind or body, and refusing unbelief.
It means waiting on Him day and night with good courage, with thanks and praise for His mercy and lovingkindness. It means clinging to His infinite power and knowing that death is not the worst thing that can happen. The one who so trusts continues to petition for restoration to health in order to bear testimony and serve, and looks for relief as days lengthen and nights shorten. Yet he remains content if He has other plans, because He knows what is for personal good and for the good of His people and does all things well.
It gives the words for following Christ by suffering for His sake at every step. It means following the Lamb below in order to follow Him above, keeping His commandments on earth. It means following His example in daily life as a flock trustfully follows its shepherd, not fitfully or capriciously or only when for personal advantage, but by choosing Him, making His life practice our practice, and bringing the will into conformity to His will and thereby revealing Him. Those who so follow stand girded with the whole armor to save those ready to perish, as part of those who have not bowed the knee to Baal and will stand on Mount Zion.
Job's patient endurance through suffering and uncertainty in this trust vindicates his character. As God's representative, his steadfast faith through trial vindicates God's character also.
Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him declares a trust that holds firm even when suffering is severe, the way is dark, and death itself threatens. To maintain one's own ways before Him is to hold fast to integrity and stand by a righteous course even when circumstances are darkest. That trust rests in His mercy and saving power, confident that He will be salvation despite suffering. It holds when His presence seems concealed and His face hidden, when help is withheld and neither sight nor memory nor experience can show the way. Such trust does not depend on feeling but is intelligent, simple faith that takes God at His word and rests on His sure promises and unchanging character.
Trust Even Unto Death
The verse declares a trust that holds firm even when suffering is severe, the way is dark, and death itself threatens or is permitted. It is the confession to be spoken in trial, danger, sorrow, sickness, pain and death, expressing confidence in God despite suffering and lack of appreciation. The second clause means holding fast to integrity and standing by one's own conduct before Him even when circumstances are darkest. That trust rests in God's mercy and saving power, declaring that He will be salvation despite suffering.
The trust holds when His presence seems concealed and His face is hidden, when His hold feels broken and no comfort is given, when help seems withheld and heaven is as brass overhead. It holds when the way cannot be seen clearly and neither sight nor memory nor experience can show the way, when all that can be done is to trust and wait. It holds through suffering and uncertainty when His dealings cannot be comprehended and His presence dwells concealed.
Such trust does not depend on feeling or joyful ecstasy, for feelings may change and feeling God's favor may fail. It is intelligent, simple faith that takes God at His word, reaches unseen things, and rests on His sure promises and unchanging character. Remembering His past care sustains it through trials, brings the daily comforts of grace, draws response, and gives opportunity to show the sincerity of faith and love.
Faith Proved in Trial
God permits a train of circumstances that call for the passive graces, test virtues, try faith, and allow faith to be tested. Those permitted circumstances include trials, danger, sorrow, sickness, pain and death, and for teachers and other workers unappreciated labor, temptation, discouragement, opposition and bodily infirmity. In that day of trouble the preciousness of Jesus is felt, giving opportunity to trust God, seek Him in earnest prayer, believe in and rely upon Him, and confess faith in Him even in the face of death.
Suffering under such trial leads into more perfect confidence in the heavenly Father. It is permitted to draw the afflicted nearer to Him and to keep them from murmuring, even when Satan brings infirmity and discouragement to blind the eyes to His goodness, mercy, love, and to the exceeding weight of glory awaiting the overcomer. It drives them to flee to the stronghold and to urge faith in earnest prayer to the throne where His presence dwells concealed. From the furnace of trial He brings them forth refined and purified as gold tried in the fire, and perseverance in trust makes the victory more complete and the triumph more sure.
Though His presence may be concealed, His eye is ever upon the tried one, watching every moment, and He is ever ready to deliver all who rely on Him. In His own time and way He overthrows the enemies of His work, and such trust gives hope and courage for service. The verse declares surrender of one's own will to God's will, affirming that He is too wise to err and too good to do wrong. After severe struggle with agonizing prayer, groans, bitter weeping, agony, despair and helplessness, when His face is hidden, His hold feels broken, He gives no comfort and His dealings cannot be comprehended, this trust brings peace to one chosen in the furnace of affliction and leaning on His arm.
Honoring God as heavenly Father by trusting and waiting even unto death meets and conquers every difficulty, sorrow, dark future and impending trouble. This holds especially in emergencies of life when the way cannot be seen clearly and neither sight nor memory nor experience can be followed, when all that can be done is to trust and wait. The conquest comes through confidence that the Redeemer lives and that the Father knows the way and will lead safely, holding the hand placed in His so His child will not stumble or slide. That trust means crucifying self and surrendering self, letting God's love shape words and actions and shine forth in works, letting the gospel exert a strong uninterrupted influence on mind and heart, learning to rejoice in God, walking humbly with Him while He brings His purposes to pass, and standing firm to principle.
Living the Trust Daily
This is the word for the hard-pressed, sorely tried, discouraged one to speak when suffering is severe and death itself threatens. It belongs especially to teachers and workers meeting unappreciated labor, temptation, discouragement, opposition, and bodily infirmity. Such afflictions are brought to blind the eyes to His goodness, mercy and love, and to hide the exceeding weight of glory awaiting the overcomer. Yet the verse declares trust that holds firm even then, staying the soul upon God in adversity, perplexity and thick darkness even unto death.
In trials, danger, sorrow, sickness, pain and death it is to be spoken as a confession of simple trust. That includes long, trying, sleepless nights of nervous pain, where faith holds even though He slay. To speak it means refusing to murmur, repine or complain, refusing to dishonor God by voice, pen, mind or body, and refusing unbelief.
It means waiting on Him day and night with good courage, with thanks and praise for His mercy and lovingkindness. It means clinging to His infinite power and knowing that death is not the worst thing that can happen. The one who so trusts continues to petition for restoration to health in order to bear testimony and serve, and looks for relief as days lengthen and nights shorten. Yet he remains content if He has other plans, because He knows what is for personal good and for the good of His people and does all things well.
It gives the words for following Christ by suffering for His sake at every step. It means following the Lamb below in order to follow Him above, keeping His commandments on earth. It means following His example in daily life as a flock trustfully follows its shepherd, not fitfully or capriciously or only when for personal advantage, but by choosing Him, making His life practice our practice, and bringing the will into conformity to His will and thereby revealing Him. Those who so follow stand girded with the whole armor to save those ready to perish, as part of those who have not bowed the knee to Baal and will stand on Mount Zion.
Job's patient endurance through suffering and uncertainty in this trust vindicates his character. As God's representative, his steadfast faith through trial vindicates God's character also.