Originally posted: 8/22/2020

“Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven,
And my advocate is on high,” (16:19).

What must it be like? To know you’re innocent and to be wrongly accused. And now it is clear, Job’s three friends have not only accused him, they have slammed the gavel down on his guilt. So convinced in their theology, as though they have discovered the equation for faith. A comfortable life equals the blessings of God, equals righteousness. In other words, the proof of one’s righteousness is found in a life of prosperity, health, and pleasure.

But tell that to Jesus.

For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
³ He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him, (Isaiah 53:2-3).

And Job now found himself in that forsaken place of sorrow and grief. He had become one who was despised and convicted… by men.

And in this place, Job knows his only hope will come from Heaven. There is only One Who is qualified as a faithful Witness to testify to the truth; for only One sees the heart of man and knows the Truth. There is only One Who is able to stand as Our Witness and Advocate.

Consider Him, Our Witness and Our Advocate

“Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven,
And my advocate is on high,” (16:19).

He is Our Witness

From Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance:
Witness:

(Old Testament): “5707. עֵד ʿēḏ: A masculine noun meaning witness, testimony. It refers to someone who will be accepted to bear a true testimony in various situations for various reasons…”

(New Testament): “3144. μάρτυς mártus; gen. márturos, masc.–fem. noun. A witness. One who has information or knowledge of something, and hence, one who can give information, bring to light, or confirm something.”

• He is Our Witness Who is from Heaven.
  •  “He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.³² What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies…” (John 3:31-32).

• He is Our Witness Who testifies to the Truth.
  • Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice,” (John 18:37).

• He is Our Witness Who has given us eternal life in Himself.
  • And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son, (1 John 5:11).

• He is Our Witness Who is faithful to release us from our sins.
  Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— (Revelation 1:5).

He is Our Advocate

From Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance:
Advocate:

(Old Testament): “7717. שָׂהֵד śāhēḏ: A masculine noun indicating an advocate, a witness. It refers to a reliable person who will argue for or support a plaintiff in a court case.”

(NewTestament): “3875. παράκλητος paráklētos; gen. paraklḗtou, masc. noun from parakaléō (3870), to comfort, encourage or exhort. It is properly a verbal adj. referring to an aid of any kind. In the Greek writers, used of a legal advisor, pleader, proxy, or advocate, one who comes forward in behalf of and as the representative of another.”

• He is Our Advocate Who abides in us forever.
  • And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— ¹⁷  the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you,” (John 14:17 Berean Study Bible).

• He is Our Advocate Who guides us into all truth.
  • But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you… ¹⁷ However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come,” (John 16:7, 13 Berean Study Bible).

• He is Our Advocate Who is at the right hand of God interceding for us.
  • who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us, (Romans 8:34).

• He is Our Advocate when we sin.
  • My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; (1 John 2:1).

How do we respond to Him, Our Witness and Our Advocate?

Job knew his future depended on his Witness Who is in heaven, his Advocate Who is on high. That’s faith. Faith knows our need; Faith knows only God is righteous. Faith knows, without Him, we are doomed. And Faith knows He has made the way!

• Let us commit to believe Him, Our Witness:

• • He alone is God and Savior.
    • “You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord,
      “And My servant whom I have chosen,
      So that you may know and believe Me
      And understand that I am He.
      Before Me there was no God formed,
      And there will be none after Me.
      ¹¹ “I, even I, am the Lord,
      And there is no savior besides Me,” (Isaiah 43:10-11).

• • He will come again.
    • “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. ³ If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also,” (John 14:1-3).

• • He is pleased when we have confident faith in Him, Our Witness and Our Advocate.
    • Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen… ⁶ And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him, (Hebrews 11:1, 6).

• Let us commit to believe Him, Our Advocate:

• • He pleads our cause to remove His wrath.
    • Thus says your Lord, the LORD, your God who pleads the cause of his people: “Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more;” (Isaiah 51:22).

• • He has reconciled us to present us as holy and blameless.
    •  For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, ²⁰ and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross… ²² yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—  (Colossians 1:19-20, 22).

• • He has provided the way to confidently approach Him, Our Witness and Our Advocate.
    • Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need, (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Job’s faith was pretty incredible. But think of the advantage we have over Job. We have His Holy Spirit abiding in us to teach and guide us. We have His Word that we would know His Truth.

Let us learn from Job. When life gets tough, as we know it will (or is), let us not buy into the lie of the prosperity, health, and pleasure equation for faith. When we find ourselves in a place of sorrow and grief, feeling forsaken, let us choose to run to Him, Our Witness and Our Advocate.

“Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven,
And my advocate is on high,” (16:19).

No matter what… He is for us; He is Our Witness and Our Advocate! Let’s live like we believe it!

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? ³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? (Romans 8:31-32).

Let’s Grow Together!