Job continues to speak. Here he takes a good look at those who practice wickedness.
Chapter twenty-four could be outlined:
Job 24 -
The wicked often go unpunished. (verses 1-12)
The wicked love darkness. (verses 13-17)
The judgment of the wicked. (verses 18-25)
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. Job 24:1-12 (NKJV)
THE WICKED OFTEN GO UNPUNISHED
God knows all things – yet He does not tell everything He knows to everyone. Since God knows about the times of men – Job asks, “Why doesn’t He let those who are closest to Him see into the future?” Would you want to know what day your life would end on this earth? Would you do anything different? Would you wait till the last day to repent – or get right with God? Time has been appointed by God. When the last day will come – is in His hands. We should live each day as if it were the final day of our existence here on earth. The judgment will come – the final test will be given – we must be ready.
In verses two thru four we find the actions of the wicked:
1. They remove landmarks – being dishonest of where land boundaries are.
2. They steal sheep and goats and eat them.
3. They treat the orphan and widow with dishonestly – taking advantage of them.
4. They treat the poor with contempt.
All of these things that Job has mentioned deal with our relationship to others. There is no wonder that James says:
“Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” James 1:27 (HCSB)
How we treat other people, who are in need, matters. Remember Matthew chapter twenty-five:
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you took care of Me; I was in prison and you visited Me.’ … Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’ Matthew 25:31-37, 40 (HCSB)
Barnes talks about the significance of landmarks when he says: “Landmarks are pillars or stones set up to mark the boundaries of a farm. To remove them, by carrying them on to the land of another, was an act of dishonesty and robbery - since it was only by marks that the extent of a man’s property could be known. Fences were uncommon; the art of surveying was not well understood, and deeds describing land were probably unknown also, and their whole dependence, therefore, was on the stones that were erected to mark the boundaries of a lot or farm. As it was not difficult to remove them, it became a matter of special importance to guard against it, and to make it a crime of magnitude. Accordingly, it was forbidden in the strictest manner in the law of Moses. “Cursed be he that removeth his neighbor’s land-mark;” Deu_27:17; compare Deu_19:14; Pro_22:28; Pro_23:10.
In verses five thru twelve Job continues to list his observance of the wicked:
1. They are like wild donkeys in the desert who search for food and it is provided.
2. They gather from the fields and glean from the vineyard of the wicked.
3. They have no shelter – huddling around a rock.
4. They are naked and have no covering from the cold.
5. They are wet from the rain falling on them.
6. They take the feeding child from the breast of its mother.
7. They take advantage of the poor.
8. They make so the poor do not even have clothes to wear.
9. They take food from the hungry.
10. They press out oil and wine yet they are thirsty.
11. People are dying around them.
12. People are begging for help all around them!
YET GOD DOES NOT CHARGE THEM WITH WRONG!
Gill give a picture of the harshness of the wicked when he comments on the wicked taking child from the breast of it’s mother: “Either on purpose to starve it, which must be extremely barbarous; or to sell it to be brought up a slave; or by obliging the mother to wean it before the due time, that she might be the better able to do work for them they obliged her to.”
Remember this is the observation of Job. He sees that there is wickedness – everywhere – yet God has not stepped in to stop it. The wicked go unpunished – at least at this point.
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. Job 24:13-17 (NKJV)
THE WICKED LOVE DARKNESS
Here is a list of the offenses that Job sees are carried out in the Dark:
1. Murder
2. Theft
3. Adultery
4. Vandalism
Darkness becomes the abode of the wicked. Darkness becomes the safe haven of the wicked – in fact – they do not like the light:
1. They rebel against the light.
2. They do not know the ways of the light.
3. They do not follow the path of the light.
4. They use the light for evil – marking their next victim.
5. They do not know the light.
Thieves in the East steal while men sleep at night; robbers murder at early dawn. The same man who steals at night, when light dawns not only robs, but murders to escape detection.
A note on verse sixteen – the King James renders the verse: “In the dark they dig through houses.” Job 24:16 (KJV) This is the literal translation of this phrase. The phrase “dig through” probably has reference to the fact that houses were made of clay, or of bricks dried in the sun - a species of mud cottages, and whose walls, therefore, could be easily penetrated. In the East, nearly all the houses are made of unburned brick, and there is little difficulty in making a hole in the wall large enough to admit the human body.
The Bible over and over gives a contrast between light and darkness. I would encourage you to conduct a complete study of this concept. But here I would like to give a few examples.
“But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness—how deep is that darkness!” Matthew 6:23 (HCSB)
“34 The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light." Luke 11:34-36 (NKJV)
"This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God.” John 3:19 (MSG)
“The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” Romans 13:12 (NKJV)
“Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead, expose them.” Ephesians 5:11 (HCSB)
“But whoever hates is still in the dark, stumbles around in the dark, doesn’t know which end is up, blinded by the darkness.” 1 John 2:11 (MSG)
“The one who says he is in the light but hates his brother is in the darkness until now.”
1 John 2:9 (HCSB)
“This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there’s not a trace of darkness in him.” 1 John 1:5 (MSG)
Job knew that those who follow wickedness love the darkness. This fact has never changed.
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 24:18-25 (NKJV)
THE JUDGEMENT OF THE WICKED
In this section we have the opinion of Job as to what should happen to the wicked:
1. They should pass away quickly.
2. What they receive should be cursed.
3. They should be consumed – just like snow melts.
4. Their mother should forget them.
5. The maggot of death should devour them.
6. They should be remembered no more.
7. They should be broken like a tree.
Verse 21 gives us the reason – because they prey on those who are less fortunate. They prey on the childless and the widow. Again, how we treat others matters.
Verse 22 begins with the most important word in the English language – “but”. When this word is used – it changes everything. A contrast between what has been said and what is about to be said takes place. Here we find that God is about to step into the picture.
When God steps in several things happen:
1. He destroys those who seem to be mighty.
2. He rises up so no man is sure of his life.
3. When God protects – He protects.
4. Yet, He sees all that is happening.
God is God and we are not. If He chooses to allow the wicked to survive – that is His choice. If He chooses to protect those who we think are not deserving – that is His choice also. God knows all that is going on. We see the actions – God is able to see both the actions and the motives. God is God and we are not.
In verse 24 Job gives another observation:
“The wicked are raised up for a while – then they are gone. They are brought low. They are taken away – just like all people are. They die like all other people do. They disappear just like grain at harvest time.”
In verse 25 Job offers a challenge:
“If what I am saying is not true – prove me a liar. If you can prove me a liar – then my words are worth nothing.”
