Job 24:1-25
Job Complains of Violence on the Earth
1 ”Since times are not hidden from the Almighty,
Why do those who know Him see not His days?
2 ”Some remove landmarks;
They seize flocks violently and feed on them;
3 They drive away the donkey of the fatherless;
They take the widow’s ox as a pledge.
4 They push the needy off the road;
All the poor of the land are forced to hide.
5 Indeed, like wild donkeys in the desert,
They go out to their work, searching for food.
The wilderness yields food for them and for their children.
6 They gather their fodder in the field
And glean in the vineyard of the wicked.
7 They spend the night naked, without clothing,
And have no covering in the cold.
8 They are wet with the showers of the mountains,
And huddle around the rock for want of shelter.
9 ”Some snatch the fatherless from the breast,
And take a pledge from the poor.
10 They cause the poor to go naked, without clothing;
And they take away the sheaves from the hungry.
11 They press out oil within their walls,
And tread winepresses, yet suffer thirst.
12 The dying groan in the city,
And the souls of the wounded cry out;
Yet God does not charge them with wrong.
13 “There are those who rebel against the light;
They do not know its ways
Nor abide in its paths.
14 The murderer rises with the light;
He kills the poor and needy;
And in the night he is like a thief.
15 The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight,
Saying, ‘No eye will see me’;
And he disguises his face.
16 In the dark they break into houses
Which they marked for themselves in the daytime;
They do not know the light.
17 For the morning is the same to them as the shadow of death;
If someone recognizes them,
They are in the terrors of the shadow of death.
18 “They should be swift on the face of the waters,
Their portion should be cursed in the earth,
So that no one would turn into the way of their vineyards.
19 As drought and heat consume the snow waters,
So the grave consumes those who have sinned.
20 The womb should forget him,
The worm should feed sweetly on him;
He should be remembered no more,
And wickedness should be broken like a tree.
21 For he preys on the barren who do not bear,
And does no good for the widow.
22 “But God draws the mighty away with His power;
He rises up, but no man is sure of life.
23 He gives them security, and they rely on it;
Yet His eyes are on their ways.
24 They are exalted for a little while,
Then they are gone.
They are brought low;
They are taken out of the way like all others;
They dry out like the heads of grain.
25 “Now if it is not so, who will prove me a liar,
And make my speech worth nothing?”
Job realized that sin corrupted the whole world (Romans 8:21) with death and destruction as a result. God gives a measure of earthly security until men are held accountable and judged accordingly according to their ways; we who are now in Christ have a similar accountability, but not to eternal destruction, for we are given eternal security in Christ and His righteousness, yet He still tests our hearts (2 Chronicles 16:9, Job 34:21) to refine us through suffering and trials as His eyes are on our ways as we rest in that security. Job reflected on how man seems not to see that nothing is hidden from the Almighty God; they steal, kill, bully, and ravage the land for the fleeting personal gain of sin (Hebrews 11:24-25, Philippians 3:7-8, 9, 1 John 2:17) instead of counting the obedience to God’s word as of primary importance. We see the ills of the present world spelled out in the examples given here observed in the time of Job — the selfishness, immorality, injustice, stealing and murderous actions that reject God and ignore the consequences of sin. Though people are given the common grace of overall security, we often forget that His eyes are on our ways. Only the righteousness of union within Christ offers us any lasting hope and peace with (Romans 5:1) God. Job realized this as he spoke of how the grave consumes the sinner as God draws the mighty in this world away by His infinite power so that none is certain of life for another day unless he considers that the Lord sees his ways and hold us all to account, either for condemnation or for grace that washes the consequences of our sin away on the cross (Galatians 3:13, Colossians 2:14) by the lifeblood given for our lives in His sacrifice as our Passover Lamb. People may seem to have it all (Psalm 73:2-3, 17-19, 27) until it is taken from them to their seeming surprise as they are brought low to humble them and take them out of the way. Job ends this speech by asking anyone to prove him a liar in these truths he spoke to them as if it all was meaningless or false. He knew that God reigns in heaven over the just and the unjust, and also holds all to account (Romans 14:12, 1 Corinthians 3:12-13, 14-15, 1 Peter 4:5, Acts 10:42-43, 2 Timothy 4:1, Revelation 20:12, 15) one way or another in the end. Remember that the Lord gives us certain security, but His eyes are still always on our ways. May we then be pleasing children that face Him without shame when we meet Him face to face at last.
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