January 9
Suffering, Justice, and the Nature of God
The dialogue between Job and his friends continues.
In Job 21, Job responds to Zophar’s earlier speech, challenging the idea that the wicked always face immediate judgment or suffering. Job asks his friends to truly listen to him before offering their opinions; then, he added sarcastically, they can “mock on” (v. 2-3). Job expresses deep frustration and grief over their inability to understand his situation.
Contesting their assumptions of the fate of the wicked, Job points out that the wicked often prosper and live long lives of comfort, leaving behind a legacy of wealth, success, and power. They see their children established, their homes are safe, their bulls never fail to breed ... their calves do not miscarry. They sing to the music and make merry to the sound of the pipe. They spend their years in prosperity and go down to the grave in peace (v. 7-13). “Yet they say to God, ‘Leave us alone! We have no desire to know your ways” (v. 14). Job knew, however, that their prosperity did not come from their own hands; it was provided by God, whom they scorned! Therefore, Job was not about to walk in the way of the wicked (v.16).
Job rejects his friends’ simplistic view of retribution, arguing that God’s judgment is not always immediate or visible. He notes that some wicked people die in peace, while others suffer, and both ultimately share the same fate in death: “One person dies in full vigor, completely secure and at ease... Another dies in bitterness of soul, never having enjoyed anything good. Side by side they lie in the dust, and worms cover them both” (v. 23–26). This, however, highlights the mystery of God’s providence and the reality that justice may not always be immediate. We are to trust in God’s ultimate justice, even when it seems delayed.
Job said he was aware of how they might try to answer him. They would ask Job to point out where ... wicked wealthy people were living (v. 27-28). Job answered this anticipated question with another question: “Have you never questioned those who travel?” (v. 29). Many people who travel have money, and yet many of them, though evil, do not face calamity or wrath. No one dares denounce or confront wicked, influential people or repay them for what they have done (v. 30-31). Such a popular person lives on. “Everyone follows after them, and a countless throng goes before them” (v. 33). The friends’ consoling, Job evaluated, was only nonsense (v. 34). Job could not buy their explanation of suffering.
In Job 22, Eliphaz delivers his third speech, escalating his accusations against Job. Eliphaz begins by asserting that human righteousness does not benefit God, implying that Job’s claims of innocence are irrelevant (v. 2–3). He then accuses Job of specific sins: “You demanded security from your relatives for no reason; you stripped people of their clothing, leaving them naked” (v. 6). You gave no water to the weary, withheld food from the hungry, sent widows away empty-handed, and broke the strength of the fatherless (v. 7-9). Although these accusations are baseless, they reflect Eliphaz’s belief that Job’s suffering must result from guilt (v. 10-11). Eliphaz ultimately urges Job to repent and submit to God, assuring him that doing so will bring restoration (v. 21 - 30).
In Job 23, Job responds to Eliphaz by again expressing his longing to present his case before God (v. 3-5). Job searched in all directions for God, but in vain. God continued to be silent, to elude him (v. 8-9). Though God seems distant and hidden, Job remains confident in his integrity and faithfulness to God’s commands. He acknowledges God’s sovereignty and the mysterious nature of His plans, even as he wrestles with fear and confusion over his suffering (v. 13-16). Still, even in the darkness of not being able to understand his path or God’s purposes fully, Job is compelled to continue his lament: “Yet I am not silenced by the darkness, by the thick darkness that covers my face” (v. 17).
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