Job 24

Job 24:1

Job here more immediately enters on the point in dispute, and shows (1.) That in this world oppressors are not always marked with, ver. 2—12. however barbarous they may be, ver. 21, 22. (2.) That such often as undiscovered and unpunished, ver. 13—17. But, 3. That God punishes them by secret judgments, or reserves them for future ones, ver. 18—20. and ver. 23—25. So that upon the whole we cannot say, that all that are in trouble are wicked; nor that all that are in prosperity are righteous.

WHY, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him, not see his Days? 2. Some remove the land-marks; they violently take away flocks, and feed thereof. 3. They drive away the aforesaid of the fatherless, they take the widow’s ox for pledge. 4. They turn the needy out of the way: the poor of the earth hide themselves together. 5. Behold, as wild afies in the desert, go they forth to their work, rising betimes for a prey: the wildernessly seldom to God for them and for their children. 6. They reap every one his corn in the field: and they gather the vintage of the wicked. 7. They cause the naked to lodge without the cloathing, that they have no covering in the cold. 8. They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rock for want of a shelter. 9. They pluck the fatherless from the breath, and take a pledge of the poor. 10. They cause him to go naked without the cloathing, and they take away the sheaf from the hungry. 11. Which make oil within their walls, and tread their wine-presses, and suffer thrift. 12. Men groan from out of the city, and the soul of the wounded crieth out: yet God layeth not folly to them.

The argument in dispute is, whether the wicked were not always pursued with marks of Divine displeasure in this world. Job constantly denies the assertion.

1. He begins with an inference drawn from the close of the former chapter, v. 14. Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, whose all-capacious mind comprehends in one view the past, the present, and the future, and according to whose will, all events are directed; Why, if as you assert, the wicked are always miserable, do they that know him, that are acquainted with his will and ways, and favoured with his love, not for his days of executing judgment in this life on the ungodly? which they certainly would, if, as you affirm, they were always punished here, whereas the very contrary is evident. Note, Wherever strange dispensations of Providence appear, we may be assured God hath not forsaken the earth: he sees and orders all with infinite wisdom, and at last we shall adore, and wonder, and praise him, when we shall see his great designs laid upon to our view.

2. He

3. He proves in a variety of instances, the prosperity of the wicked; who, though the most unjust and cruel oppression, go on with impunity. They rob men of their estates, and plunder them of their earths, v. 21. If the poor have but a single beall, they make a prey of it, and heed not the cries of the widow or fatherless, v. 3. insloben and over-bearing, it is dangerous but to stand in their way, and the poor are forced to hide themselves for safety, v. 4. Intractable and wanton as the wild saffes, they make plunder their trade, and rising early pursue their prey, living upon the fruits of their robbery, v. 5. The corn which others sowed they reap, and gather the conings of the wicked, devouring even one another, v. 6. or the wicked gather the unhappy of the just, oppressed by them. The almost naked are thropped of the few rags which covered them, and merciless, they leave them in cold and hunger to pine and shiver on the barren mountain, or under the dreary rock, v. 7. Even the fatherless babe they pluck from the bread, to sell as a slave, and take the pledge of the poor, or the poor for a pledge, float them for debt, and make them their bombs, v. 8. they have no pity on the naked to cover them, and if he hath gleamed but one shout of corn, to satisfy his hungry, even that they violently take from him, v. 10. Imprisoned within their walls, and doomed to hard servitude, the poor are compelled to make their oil, and tread their wine-y-ribes, yet dare not quench their thrift with the juice of the grape, v. 11. Under such oppression, even in the cities as well as the country, men groan without redress; and the soul of the wounded struck and hurt, for during perhaps to complain, crest out, but in vain; yet God could not folly to them, suffers all this scene of grievous rapine and cruelty, and interposes not with any distinguished judgment. Note, (1.) God takes notice of the sinner’s wickedness, though he, from his success, promises himself impunity. (2.) It is doubly cruel to injure the fatherless and widow. (3.) They are wicked and hard hearted matters, whose servants are scarce suffered to live by their labour, and there is a matter in heaven, who will right them shortly.

4. They are of those that rebel against the light, they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof. 14. The murderer rising with the light, killeth the poor and needy, and in the night is as a thief. 15. The eye also of the adulterer waireth for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me; and disguiseth his face. 16. In the dark they dig through houses, which they had marked for themselves in the day-time: they know not the light. 17. For the morning is to them even as the shadow of death: if one know them, they are in the terrors of the shadow of death.

—1. Like Ezekiel’s chambers of imagery, Job goes on to describe greater abominations that pass in this world often with impunity. They are of those that rebel against the light, resist the remonstrances of conscience, and willfully and deliberately plunge themselves into the grossest crimes; they know not the ways thereof, they refuse to know, and shun the light of truth, nor abide in the paths thereof, preferring the dark ways of wickedness before it: or literally, the day-light is obvious to them; they chuse the darkness, if possible, to hide their guilty deeds. Vain attempt! whilst God’s eye, clearer than the sun, pierces the thicketts’ shades, and the night to him is as bright as the day. We have,

1. Their sins—murder, adultery, and house-breaking. Rising with the light, the murderer seizes the early travellers, and the poor and needy, and little to be got from him, yet kisteth him, as if shuffling for blood, and at night is as a thief, robbing whatever he can seize, v. 14. The adulterer, ashamed to perpetrate his designs publicly, waireth for the night, and still in fear of discovery, disguiseth his face; and tempted by the false hope of secretly, suffers to the horrid deed, v. 15. The robber in the day prowls in quest of prey, and having marked the juice and house, at night breaks through and steals. Note, (1.) Though blood he here never discovered, the day will come when it will cry for vengeance. (2.) However desert the adulterer’s crime he kept, his shame shall not be covered, when in a judgment-day the mass is plucked away.

2. Though they succeed in their enterprises, they carry about them continual terror. They know not the light, dare not be seen to it, are afraid of discovery. The morning is to show in the shadow of death, to unwelcome; if one know them, guilt fastens in their faces, and dread of deserved shame and punishment feasts them, they are like men just expiring in the terrors of the shadow of death. Note, A state of wickedness is a state of trembling; however pleasurable or profitable the sin, the continual alarm through fear of discovery, embitters all.

3. He is swift; as the waters, their portion is cursed in the earth: he beholdeth not the way of the vineyards. 19. Drought and heat condemns the Snow waters: he doth the grave those which have sinned. 20. The womb shall

forget him, the worm shall feed sweetly on him, he shall be no more remembered, and wickedness shall be broken as a tree. 21. He evil entreateth the barren that beareth not: and doth not good to the widow: 22. He draweth also the mighty with his power: he riseth up, and no man is sure of life. 23. though it be given him to be in safety, whereon he reetheth; yet his eyes are upon their ways. 24. They are exalted for a little while, but are gone, and brought low, they are taken out of the way, as all other, and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn. 25. And if it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth?

Job 24:18-25

We have here,

1. The farther character of the wicked, v. 21, 22. He afflicts the barren with reproach, oppresses the widow, not even the mighty are false, so during is he, that when he riseth up, no man’s life is secure.

2. Notwithstanding all his complicated sins, it is given him to be in safety, v. 23, and instead of being afflicted with God’s patience and repenting, he reetheth the same, promising himself continual impunity. Yes, he is exalted, v. 24, so far from undergoing any pretext distinguished suffering, he rears his head high, and it not beloved, is feared and obeyed. Note, Prosperity often hardens the sinner, but he is least safe when must secure. For,

3. The time of recompense will come, though not here, yet in death at least. Short-lived is his joy, v. 24, though is endure to the last gaby, for swift as water his days are hurrying by, v. 18, and however happy he appears, the caute of God is upon him; and when he is gone, he shall no more behold the possessions in which he glosed, v. 18. His remembrance shall be blotted from his parent earth, v. 20. Broken down as a tree, the worms shall feed upon his carcasses in the dust: secure as he was, God’s eye still marked his winding way, v. 23, and in wicked men before him were, he shall be swept away from the earth, when the meadow of his iniquities is full, as the ears of ripe corn are cut down, v. 24. In the grave he shall be consumed, and there all his glory shall perish with him, as the Snow is melted before the hour-hing Sun, v. 19. Note, Though vengeance be slow, it is sure: the longest period of a sinner’s reign is a few short days, a fleeting moment of life.

4. He challenges them to confute the truths he had advanced, to prove him a liar, or invalidate his arguments; else must they quit the field, and own the prosperity of the wicked, and that not here but hereafter their recompense from God awaited them, and consequently that their judgment was rash and censorious who concluded him a wicked man, merely because of his affections.