Read Job 24:1-25
Have you ever asked our Heavenly Father the question, “Why?” I think we all have a time or two. Many things happen in our world and close to home that leave us perplexed. We wonder how God could allow such things to happen. I think that’s why we have the book of Job. It reminds us it’s okay to question God, but it also points us toward staying steadfast in our faith no matter what.
Job opens this passage with two very pointed “why” questions. Why doesn’t God punish the wicked and why do the godly have to wait on God? Those are two very valid questions, especially considering Job’s continued stance of innocence. He would see himself in the “godly” category, and his patience in waiting is waning. He wants to hear from God.
The rest of our passage voices Job’s observations of evil in the world with added emphasis on the poor and needy. Is it a world that sounds foreign from what we know today? While there are some similarities, I would say social reform measures, at least in first world countries, have made being poor a little more bearable than what Job describes. (Emphasis on “little.”)
I have seen plenty signs of poverty living here in Mexico. I remember especially the dilapidated living conditions we saw when we drove south, having retired just eight years ago. Our little Prius was packed with 4 dogs and crates, plus the belongings we’d need to get us by for the next six weeks. That’s how long it took for the rest of our household to arrive. Mexico, like many areas of the world, suffers greatly from poverty. Yet Job’s descriptions sound a bit more hopeless still.
Regardless, none of us want to be poor. Some of the most faithful and happy people on the planet are poor. I’ve heard stories from many missionaries which make that statement true. When people meet Jesus for the first time, their lives are fulfilled, and no amount of stuff matters. Job didn’t know Jesus. I wonder what his ramblings would have sounded like then?
Beyond poverty, Job had a lot to say about evil and wickedness. We don’t call those behaviors as evil or wicked so much in our day. We call those people law breakers. Makes me wonder if Job’s time was before or after Moses brought God’s law to the people. It doesn’t matter, it’s just Job doesn’t mention the “Law” which has been so important to the Jews.
Still, the offenses being called out by Job as being evil are also unlawful in our day. In addition to displeasing God, a person stealing or killing would be placed in jail when caught and found guilty. There would probably be no jail time for adulterers these days, and people who have turned away from God are not punished for it by the courts, only by God. Job called all of these out as sinners, just like we would. Bad behavior is always sinful when it displeases or goes against God’s laws and desires. God loves his people but detests some of our behaviors.
Job doesn’t think very highly of sinners. He said in verse 20, “Their own mothers will forget them. Maggots will find them sweet to eat. No one will remember them. Wicked people are broken like a tree in the storm.” These wicked ones are forgotten and broken. That does not sound like a pleasant assessment of affairs. In the end, the wicked will be alone and hurting. For Job, that was wishful thinking. However, the broken life he was living was not that pleasant either.
Job ends with a challenge. After all the things he’s said, Job asks someone to prove him wrong. He’s that confident in his opinions, and yet he is that open to being enlightened by someone else’s wisdom and insight. How would you respond to Job? Would you agree with him, or would you want to word spar a bit?
Let’s pray. Father, thank you for the reminder that it’s okay to ask you questions. As I strive to be godly, I will also wait patiently to hear your voice. Forgive me for times when I have doubted you and not trusted you to answer my prayer the way I wanted. I know better now that you will answer it the way you know is best. Help me to be more Christ-like and forgiving to others and not judgmental if they are different from me. Wash me clean again from the sin that holds me in bondage. May I feel your peace again. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
