“If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand?”
(Job 35:7)
The question set before us in this verse strips away every ounce of pride, for it rhetorically affirms that God is not enriched by man’s righteousness nor diminished by his sin. Neither is His glory increased by our obedience nor His blessedness dimmed by our rebellion. This corrects the natural tendency of the human heart to imagine that God depends on our goodness, service, or devotion in some way, as though obedience placed Him in our debt.
Those who truly come to know Christ as Savior rely on nothing else for justification or salvation, so their thanksgiving rises from an honest understanding of the low and loathsome condition from which God calls us and draws us to Himself. In fact, He likened us to those found “under hedges, and in the highways” (Luke 14:23), poor and despised.
Before God drew us to Himself, we were “in the kingdom of darkness,” held captive by the devil (Col. 1:13; Titus 3:3; 2 Tim. 2:26). God broke our chains, opened the prison doors, and by an outstretched arm delivered us. Deliverance from everlasting wrath is indeed mercy beyond compare, and another source of our thanksgiving.
Indeed, nothing good, seen or foreseen, in the sinner could move God to save us. Salvation did not arise from human worth or foresight but from divine mercy alone. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:4-5).
Even the righteousness that follows conversion adds nothing to God. “If thou be righteous, what givest thou him?” (Job 35:7). Unlike earthly masters who redeem servants in hope of gain, God redeems freely, without expectation of profit. He is the fountain of His own blessedness. From eternity He was perfectly happy without creatures, honor, or service. A million worlds could not increase His joy, nor could their absence diminish it.
Because God’s love flows from His fullness. The infinitely blessed God redeemed sinners, not because He lacked but because He abounded in mercy. Such love demands thanksgiving not as payment, but as praise.[1]
Contemplations:
- My nothingness before God. I so often live as though my obedience adds something to God, or my failures diminish Him. But this verse in Job reminds me that if I am righteous, I give Him nothing. And if I sin, I damage myself but not Him. So true worship begins when I accept my smallness and God’s sufficiency. For I am not a benefit to Him, just a recipient of His mercy.
- Grace that did not need me. God loved me when there was nothing in me to love. He did not foresee goodness that persuaded Him; He purposed goodness that transformed me. Before Christ drew me, I was miserable and blind, yet His mercy was given full and free. I thank God that my hope does not depend on what He finds in me but on what He gives to me.
- Obedience as gratitude, not payment. I see how easily I slip into serving God as though I were settling accounts, offering righteousness in exchange for favor. Job 35:7 exposes that error. My obedience is not currency; it is thanksgiving. God does not benefit from my holiness, but I receive blessing through it. This truth frees me from anxious striving and turns duty into delight. I want to obey simply to honor the grace that saved me.
- A God who loves from fullness. I marvel that God’s love flows not from need but from abundance. When I consider that God would still be infinitely blessed without me, yet chose to save me, my heart is overwhelmed. I am loved not because God lacked, but because He delights to give.
Prayer (Thanksgiving)
Most blessed and all-sufficient God, fountain of life, joy, and glory, I bow before You in humble thanksgiving, acknowledging that You are God alone and that none can add to Your greatness. You dwell in unapproachable fullness, needing nothing from the works of Your hands. From eternity You were perfectly blessed, rich in glory, wisdom, and delight within Yourself. I praise You that You are not as man, dependent upon another, but the eternal source of all good.
I thank You that my righteousness gives You nothing, and that my salvation rests not upon what I have brought to You, but upon what You have freely given to me. You did not save me because You needed me or because You foresaw any worthiness in me, but because You willed to show mercy. I was poor, miserable, and blind when You drew me to Christ, and had You not done so, I would have remained in darkness forever.
Thank You for delivering me from the kingdom of darkness and translating me into the kingdom of Your dear Son. You broke chains I could never loosen, opened doors I could never open, and rescued me from a misery deeper than I understood. Your mercy exceeded even the greatest earthly deliverance, and Your grace triumphed where my strength utterly failed.
I praise You that even now, my obedience does not enrich You, yet You graciously receive it as the fruit of Your own work in me. You crown Your own gifts with reward, and You delight in the thanksgiving of Your people. Teach me to obey You not as one seeking to earn favor, but as one rejoicing in grace already given.
O Lord, let this truth deepen my humility and enlarge my gratitude. Fill my life with thankful obedience, joyful worship, and reverent awe before You. May my heart rest in the freedom of knowing that Your love flows from fullness, not need, and that Your mercy is gloriously free.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for Job 35:7:
Job 22:2; Rom. 11:35; Prov. 9:12; Luke 17:10
[1] William Bates, The Whole Works of the Rev. William Bates, ed. W. Farmer, vol. 1 (Harrisonburg, VA: Sprinkle Publications, 1990), 286–287.
