Job 27

Job 27:1

JOB CONDEMNS THE WICKEDWe are approaching some of the really basic material of this book. The Book of Job reaches right down where we are, into the center of our lives. Beneath the suffering which Job went through there is a great lesson for him to learn. That is the reason I say that the main lesson of the Book of Job is not why believers suffer. Suffering is not the main issue of the book. Behind it all is the great teaching of repentance, repentance in a child of God. When a sinner comes to God, is he to repent? Paul told the jailer at Philippi, “… Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Act_16:31). Paul made no mention of repentance, but repentance is in that word believe, because when a sinner turns to Christ in faith, he also turns away from sin. In the case of the Philippian jailer, it was probably his idolatry from which he turned. That would be his repentance. Turning to Christ is the important part. Many a child of God today and many a lost sinner are self-sufficient. Anyone who is self-sufficient needs to repent, as this book will reveal. This is the great lesson of the Book of Job. I would like to give a translation here which may be helpful in bringing out the meaning. “As God liveth, who hath taken away my right, and the Almighty, who hath embittered my soul (all the while my breath is in me, and the Spirit of God is in my nostrils); my lips shall not speak unrighteousness, nor my tongue utter deceit.” Job makes it very clear that he is undaunted and that he is determined. Zophar hasn’t answered, and so Job keeps on talking, and he says, “I will never admit the charges that you three so-called friends have brought against me.” On the contrary, he says:

Job 27:5

He is stubborn, isn’t he? All his friends have been able to do is to make him more and more defensive. In defending himself there is no brokenness of spirit, no humility of mind. It makes it look as if God is the One who is unrighteous, while Job is perfectly all right. He says, “I will not remove mine integrity from me.”

Job 27:6

Listen to him! These friends have not led him to self-judgment but have only ministered to a spirit of self-defense. Job is vindicating himself. You see, God is not on the scene here. Job is being rather foolhardy in all this, because before it is over, we will see that Job is down in dust and ashes before God. There is a lesson for us to learn in all this. I certainly will grant that many things which his friends said to Job were truths. Also I am of the opinion that these men had the best intentions. Although they said things that were true, I don’t think that they had the truth. They talked about experience and tradition and legality, but they never gave Job the truth. Having failed to do that, they built up the man’s ego. Let me repeat this because it is so important. They thought that Job had committed some secret sin, and they were trying to bring it out into the open. Job had not committed some great, secret sin, and he knew that they were wrong. Since they were wrong, Job assumed he was right. That is where Job made his mistake. The fact that his friends were wrong in no way made Job right. Job should have been in the presence of God where there would have been a brokenness of spirit. One of the purposes of trouble in our lives is to lead us into that brokenness of spirit before God. Someone has said that trouble is like the sun. The sun shining on wax will melt it. The same sun shining on clay will harden it. That is the way trouble affects different people. Some will respond with a broken spirit. They just melt before the presence of God. Job isn’t to that place yet. He is hard now, hard as nails in his own integrity. “My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.” This is the position and condition of a lot of church members today. They feel exactly the same way. The assurance of salvation is wonderful to have, but, my friend, you can be a hardboiled sinner, thinking you have assurance of salvation, when all you have is a great big ego. You feel that you have it made. Well, Job thought he had it made, and he is going to find out otherwise very shortly.

Job 27:7

Job is putting everyone who disagrees with him over on the other side. They are his enemies. They are wicked and they are unrighteous. I tell you, that is a dangerous position for any man! Now Job is going to talk about the wicked and what is going to happen to them. Job will give a little lecture now. In the midst of all his own trouble, this man is going to give a lecture about the wicked.

Job 27:8

Job is saying that the wicked may prosper but God will eventually judge them.

Job 27:19

Riches will make no difference. If a man has been wicked, his life will go out like a flame that is blown out, like a candle blown out by a wind coming through a window. The time will come when

Job 27:23

Can you remember a time when millions saluted Mussolini? There came a day when people actually walked across his dead body and that of his paramour as they lay in the mud after their execution. The wicked shall be judged. There will come an end to their wickedness and to the glory they seem to have. But that doesn’t answer Job’s problem. Job is still full of words.