Denial and Mocking of the Wicked

Job 21:1-21

1 Then Job answered and said:

2 "Listen carefully to my speech,
And let this be your consolation.

3 Bear with me that I may speak,
And after I have spoken, keep mocking.

4 "As for me, is my complaint against man?
And if it were, why should I not be impatient?

5 Look at me and be astonished;
Put your hand over your mouth.

6 Even when I remember I am terrified,
And trembling takes hold of my flesh.

7 Why do the wicked live and become old,
Yes, become mighty in power?

8 Their descendants are established with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes.

9 Their houses are safe from fear,
Neither is the rod of God upon them.

10 Their bull breeds without failure;
Their cow calves without miscarriage.

11 They send forth their little ones like a flock,
And their children dance.

12 They sing to the tambourine and harp,
And rejoice to the sound of the flute.

13 They spend their days in wealth,
And in a moment go down to the grave.

14 Yet they say to God, 'Depart from us,
For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways.

15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him?
And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?'

16 Indeed their prosperity is not in their hand;
The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

17 "How often is the lamp of the wicked put out?
How often does their destruction come upon them,
The sorrows God distributes in His anger?

18 They are like straw before the wind,
And like chaff that a storm carries away.

19 They say, 'God lays up one's iniquity for his children';
Let Him recompense him, that he may know it.

20 Let his eyes see his destruction,
And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.

21 For what does he care about his household after him,
When the number of his months is cut in half?

Job begins an answer to the accusers by asking them to hear him out before continuing to mock his words.  He reminds them that his impatience is against God’s work in allowing the unjust and wicked to prosper in power and wealth, while he himself suffers so severely that others have a difficult time just looking at him.  The wicked who deny God seem to escape God’s heavy hand and build dynasties, eating and drinking and being merry (Luke 12:19-21, 1 Corinthians 15:32-33), happily unaware of the eternal consequences.  But death comes quickly to them as they tell God to stay away because they don’t want to hear His word nor follow Him in obedience to it.  They find no gain, no profit of wealth, in serving God, and so serve themselves as their own feeble gods instead.  These forget that whatever possessions or health they seem to possess is by God’s gracious generosity, not their effort or power or wisdom.  Therefore, Job takes no counsel from the ungodly (Psalm 1:1-2) who are blown off the earth as worthless chaff from the threshing of eatable grain (Psalm 1:4, Luke 3:17).  These ungodly will only think God is a punisher as His wrath comes upon them and their lives come to an abrupt end; they forget that they refused to listen and serve their Maker who wanted the best for them if they turned from rebellion to love and willingly obey Him.  This is still the way of the wicked who deny the gospel, making their futile works their reliance for death instead of the work of God in John 6:29 spells out as believing and trusting His deliverance according to hearing His word (John 1:12).  It is not too late for those who oppose Him to turn from denial to trust; may God therefore open the blind eyes of their hearts to find deliverance in Christ Jesus.  Job’s words to his accusers stands today, that denial and  mocking of the wicked in God’s sight leads only to certain judgment and suffering without end, unlike the transitory agonies of this present life.  Turn and live!  That is the call of the gospel. The gospel to hear and follow Christ is God’s ultimate answer to our deserved judgment.