Job 15:15

 Job 15:15

Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.

a. NLT: Look, God does not even trust the angels. Even the heavens are not absolutely pure in his sight. [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

b. ASV: Behold, he putteth no trust in his holy ones; Yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight:  [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. YLT: Lo, in His holy ones He putteth no credence, And the heavens have not been pure in His eyes.  [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

d. Classic Amplified:  Behold, [God] puts no trust in His holy ones [the angels]; indeed, the heavens are not clean in His sight— [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

e. Jewish Publication Society of America Text: Behold, He putteth no trust in His holy ones; Yea, the heavens are not clean in His sight. [Soncino Books of the Bible, Job, 1946; Jewish Publication Society of America Text; Commentary, Rabbi Dr. Victor E. Reichert]

f. Peshitta Eastern Text: Behold, he puts no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.  [HOLY BIBLE FROM THE ANCIENT EASTERN TEXT.Copyright  Ⓒ 1933 by A.J. Holmon Co.; copyright  Ⓒ renewed 1961 by A.J. Holmon Co.; Copyright  Ⓒ 1939 by A.J. Holmon Co.; copyright  Ⓒ renewed 1967  by A.J. Holmon Co.;  Copyright  Ⓒ 1940 by A.J. Holmon Co.; copyright  Ⓒ renewed 1968 by A.J. Holmon Co.; Copyright  Ⓒ 1957 by A.J. Holmon Co. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.]

g. NIV: If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes, [THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.]

1. “Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints…”

a. Behold [Strong: 2005 hen hane a primitive particle; lo!; also (as expressing surprise) if:--behold, if, lo, though.]

b. [he putteth] no [Strong: 3808 lo' lo or lowi {lo}; or loh (Deut. 3:11) {lo}; a primitive particle; not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles (as follows):--X before, + or else, ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (X as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, + of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.]

c. trust [Strong: 539 'aman aw-man' a primitive root; properly, to build up or support; to foster as a parent or nurse; figuratively to render (or be) firm or faithful, to trust or believe, to be permanent or quiet; morally to be true or certain; once (Isa. 30:21; interchangeable 541) to go to the right hand:--hence, assurance, believe, bring up, establish, + fail, be faithful (of long continuance, stedfast, sure, surely, trusty, verified), nurse, (-ing father), (put), trust, turn to the right.]

d. [in his] saints [Strong: 6918 qadowsh kaw-doshe' or qadosh {kaw-doshe'}; from 6942; sacred (ceremonially or morally); (as noun) God (by eminence), an angel, a saint, a sanctuary:--holy (One), saint.]

1). Because it is used with “the heavens are not clean in his sight”, I believe the context of “saints” is angels.

2). The wisdom of God concerning the redemption of man through the sacrifice of Christ was planned out before the creation of the universe..

a). 1 Peter 1:18-20 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

3). But it was hidden from them. He did not trust them.

a). 1 Corinthians 2:6-8  Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

4). When the earth was created, God foreknew that Lucifer would rebel and take one third of the angels with him, which when the earth was created Lucifer’s rebellion hadn’t happened yet.

a). Job 38:4-7  Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

4:5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

4:6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;

4:7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

2. “...yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.”

a. [yea the] heavens [Strong: 8064 shamayim shaw-mah'-yim dual of an unused singular shameh {shaw-meh'}; from an unused root meaning to be lofty; the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve):--air, X astrologer, heaven(-s).]

b. [are] not [Strong: 3808 lo' lo or lowi {lo}; or loh (Deut. 3:11) {lo}; a primitive particle; not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles (as follows):--X before, + or else, ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (X as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, + of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.]

c. clean [Strong: 2141 zakak zaw-kak' a primitive root (Compare 2135); to be transparent or clean (phys. or morally):--be (make) clean, be pure(-r).]

d. [in his] sight [Strong: 5869 `ayin ah'-yin probably a primitive word; an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape):--affliction, outward appearance, + before, + think best, colour, conceit, + be content, countenance, + displease, eye((-brow), (-d), -sight), face, + favour, fountain, furrow (from the margin), X him, + humble, knowledge, look, (+ well), X me, open(-ly), + (not) please, presence, + regard, resemblance, sight, X thee, X them, + think, X us, well, X you(-rselves).]

1). Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary: Repeated from Job 4:18; "servants" there are "saints" here; namely, holy angels.

a). Job 4:18 Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly:

b). The fall of Lucifer and his rebellion was known in Job’s day.

2). The heavens were not clean in his sight because of the rebellion of Lucifer. 

Hebrews 9:23 “It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.” In this verse, when referring to the purification work of Christ’s sacrifice, it says the pattern of things [the earthly tabernacle] in the heavens were purified with the blood of bulls and goats, but the heavenly things themselves, the sanctuary in heaven had to be purified with better things, that is the Blood of Christ. Why would the sanctuary in heaven need to be purified? The reason has to be because of the fall of Lucifer, that in his fall and the subsequent corruption and leading astray of one third of the angels, heavens sanctuaries were defiled and made impure and needing purification. In the following passage the LORD is speaking to the spirit behind the king of Tyrus, who is none other than Lucifer.

a). Ezekiel 28:12-18  Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

28:13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

28:15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

28:16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

28:17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

29:18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

b). These verses in Ezekiel need to be revisited in deeper study, but what we can see is that Lucifer, during his fall and during his leading one third of the angels astray, defiled his sanctuaries by the multitude of his iniquities and the traffic of his iniquity. Lucifer spread his iniquity among the other angels. The usage of “thy sanctuaries” probably means the regular appointed places of his ministry that were in his holy responsibility. And it looks like the heavenly things, perhaps the “sanctuaries” “defiled” by Lucifer were purified by the blood of Christ.