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Imagine you could live a perfect life. You never make a mistake. You always make wise decisions.
People seek you out for advice and guidance in life. Your children are obedient. Your work never fails to produce abundant income.
Imagine everything was as it should be. Can you even imagine it? Does your mind allow you to go there?
For Job, this was not an exercise in imagination, but an exercise of remembrance. He could recall the days when things were just as they should be.
He was obedient to God, devoted to him, righteous and respected. People admired him. He never lacked anything.
And he attributed his success and prosperity to his devotion to God. That was the assumption in those days. If you do right, your god will bless you.
But those days are now but a memory for Job. It has all been taken away from him. Was it because he did something to upset his God? That can’t be the case. It just doesn’t add up.
He did nothing different the day it all was taken away. So what changed? The only explanation is that his god turned his back on him.
The divine source of his blessings decided to deny him the prosperity he once enjoyed.
And while he could live without all the material rewards of his faithfulness, he could not stand the shame associated with being rejected by his god.
In chapters 29-31, we see a lengthy speech from Job, consisting of the formal charge he is making against God that he has been gearing up to make.
He and his friends have explored every option. They have tested every theory. And it has come down to this.
If God does not respond now, then Job is settled in his heart that he is innocent and God is unjust.
He begins by remembering the way things were. I’ll read verses 1-6 and 21-15.
Job 29: The way things were
Within this poem about the way things were, Job describes God’s rich blessing (vv. 1–6); the respect he received (vv. 7–10); his striving for justice among the poor and helpless (vv. 11–19); his hope for a long, blessed life (vv. 19–20); and the priveledge of being the most respected elder in the community (vv. 21–25).1
His poem doesn’t include how he got to his exalted status in society. And he doesn’t refer to whether he deserved to have that status. It was all a blessing from God.
He lived generously and lovingly, not selfishly but honorably and with a desire to see others flourish.
He enjoyed what he had and shared the prosperity with others. In short, he was a model of how God wanted his people to live.
He also used to believe that these good times would never end. Job 29:18 says, “I thought, ‘I will die in my own house, my days as numerous as the grains of sand.’”
While he may not have said in this speech that he deserved everything he had, he also didn’t see why it would ever be taken away.
Somehow his god smiled upon him, so he just kept living the way he did. Why would anything change if he kept his side of the relationship consistent?
God is an unchanging god, after all, isn’t he? If all things remain the same in their relationship then it should be expected that Job’s life should continue to be blessed.
The flaw in this thinking is the idea that God governs only through punishment and reward.
While it is true that God is just, it is not justice but perfect wisdom that has the final say. And this wisdom doesn’t always align with our desires.
One of the lessons of Job is a warning against the belief that our success or failure is a result of God rewarding or punishing us.
If we feel that we deserve God’s blessing because of our faith and obedience, then when that blessing is disturbed by hardship, we are left confused and angry.
Job then shifts his focus to the way things are. No longer blessed, but cursed. A life not of honour, but of shame.
Job 30: the way things are
Throughout this sermon series, we have become quite familiar with the way things are for Job. So, we won’t spend much time in this section.
I’ll read verses 1-2, 9-13, and 20-23.
This section begins with a statement that he was being mocked by younger men whose fathers wouldn’t even be worthy of caring for his dogs.
This has two meanings. The first is unsurprising, as it makes sense to be ashamed that young men were mocking him.
It still expected in many cultures for younger people to show respect to older people.
But the second meaning is a bit strange. To say that someone would be unworthy to look after your dogs would have an insult to the families of those young men who are mocking him.
Among the Israelites, dogs were viewed negatively and people who were in charge of dogs were considered to have a very undesirable job.
So, to say that the fathers of these young men who were mocking him were not worthy of looking after his dogs is to indicate just how ashamed Job is feeling.
If people of such low social position are mocking Job, what does that say about Job’s social position?
He goes on to describe how despicable these mockers are, and then gives an idea of what sort of mockery he is experiencing.
They sing songs about him, they detest him, stay away from him, spit in his face. They come up with more ways to ruin him, setting traps for his feet.
I’m not sure how literal this is, but regardless, it shows us just how terrible Job’s situation is. How desperate he is to be vindicated and rescued.
In verses 20-23, Job continues his lament by directly accusing God of causing his suffering.
He complains that no matter how much he cries out to God for help, God not only continues to ignore him, but seems to be making things worse.
It is from this position, Job makes his final plea. He points to his own character and the condition of his heart as a witness to how things could be if God would act justly toward Job.
Job 31: the way things could be
In this final section of his speech in chapter 31, Job makes an oath in an effort to prove his innocence.
The way this oath works is that he makes the statement using a formula, “May God do such to me, if I do this or don’t do that.”
It is meant to put God in a position of having to act. If God does not act now, it implies that Job is innocent.
An example of this that you might be familiar with is the statement at a wedding, “If anyone has a reason these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace.”
If no one speaks up, then it doesn’t matter if someone has a reason in mind why the couple shouldn’t be married.
They didn’t act when they had the chance, so their silence is final.
This is what Job is doing. If God is silent or does not act after he makes these statements, the implication is that Job is innocent.
There are four statements he makes which specify the curse that he should experience if he is guilty:
Job 31:8 “may others eat what I have sown, and may my crops be uprooted.”
Job 31:10 “may my wife grind another man’s grain, and may other men sleep with her.”
Job 31:22 “let my arm fall from the shoulder, let it be broken off at the joint.”
Job 31:40 “let briers come up instead of wheat and stinkweed instead of barley.”
And he lists fourteen sins which he claims he has never committed. This is not a moral code or list of rules to follow, so be mindful not to hear these in that way.
I will read each statement and just make a brief comment on each one.
1. Lust Job 31:1–4
“I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman. For what is our lot from God above, our heritage from the Almighty on high? Is it not ruin for the wicked, disaster for those who do wrong? Does he not see my ways and count my every step?”
The eyes were considered the gateway to the heart. By looking at something desirable, the eyes may awaken the deepest desires of the heart and cause a person to break God’s laws.
Job claims innocence to not only have never pursued a woman he shouldn’t have, but to not even have looked at woman in a way that might cause his heart to stray.
Only God would know this of him. And so he says to God, you know how I have controlled my eyes and my desires. You know I’m innocent.
2. Falsehood Job 31:5–6
“If I have walked with falsehood or my foot has hurried after deceit— let God weigh me in honest scales and he will know that I am blameless”
Job believes God is an honest God and wants people to be honest. This means not making money through deceit or causing someone else to suffer in order to make a profit.
3. Covetousness Job 31:7–8
“if my steps have turned from the path, if my heart has been led by my eyes, or if my hands have been defiled, then may others eat what I have sown, and may my crops be uprooted.”
Here is the first curse, which is conditional upon whether Job has coveted or not. He believes that God has given him a path to follow, and he has followed that path without desiring something different.
This is essentially the meaning of covetousness and it is related to many of the sins Job lists.
God has established the right ordering things in the world. And to want anything that is outside of that order would be to say that God’s plan is not good enough.
4. Adultery Job 31:9–12
“If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door, then may my wife grind another man’s grain, and may other men sleep with her. For that would have been wicked, a sin to be judged. It is a fire that burns to Destruction; it would have uprooted my harvest.”
The second curse is in response to Job’s oath to have never been enticed by a woman, his neighbour’s wife, or any other woman other than his own wife.
He describes this sin as one to be judged, a fire that causes destruction.
The word destruction here may be capitalized in your Bible because it is a proper Hebrew name for the place of destruction, called Abaddon.
The curse he mentions implies that if he has pursued another woman, then may his wife become a slave of another man in order to be used by him in whatever way he wants. The curse is not only upon him but also his wife.
5. Mistreatment of one’s servants Job 31:13–15
“If I have denied justice to any of my servants, whether male or female, when they had a grievance against me, what will I do when God confronts me? What will I answer when called to account? Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?”
This statement would have been less culturally relevant outside of Israel. For most people, they could treat their slaves however they wanted.
But the Israelites were instructed to treat their slaves well even though the status of the slaves was limited.
Job claims to have upheld the highest standard of treatment among his slaves. He sees them as holding inherent dignity as human beings.
He has the same view of the poor, widows, and orphans…
6. Lack of concern for the poor Job 31:16–18
“If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary, if I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless— but from my youth I reared them as a father would, and from my birth I guided the widow—”
Job never denied help to the helpless, most notably those with low social standing.
7. Failure to clothe the poor Job 31:19–20
“if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing, or the needy without garments, and their hearts did not bless me for warming them with the fleece from my sheep,”
Job was a man of plenty and never lacked extra resources. But he did not hoard these resources for himself. He shared them, giving extra clothing and blankets to those in need.
8. Perversion of justice against the weak Job 31:21–23
“if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, knowing that I had influence in court, then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let it be broken off at the joint. For I dreaded destruction from God, and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things.”
Job did not abuse the justice system, which he probably could have if he wanted to because of his social or political power and wealth.
He mentions here the third curse, which is an odd picture of his arm falling from its socket. It is an image of helplessness.
Essentially, if he would have denied justice or help to those who were helpless, may he himself become helpless like them.
9. Trust in wealth Job 31:24–25
“If I have put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’ if I have rejoiced over my great wealth, the fortune my hands had gained,”
While Job was incredibly wealthy, he never put his trust in his wealth. This is evident by his constant offering of sacrifices described in the first chapter.
10. Worship of the heavenly bodies Job 31:26–28
“if I have regarded the sun in its radiance or the moon moving in splendor, so that my heart was secretly enticed and my hand offered them a kiss of homage, then these also would be sins to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.”
As might have been common among people around him, he did not appeal to or worship the heavenly bodies such as the sun or moon.
He saw this as unfaithful to God. Seeking anything or anyone other than God for that which only God can provide is idolatry.
11. Satisfaction at a foe’s misfortune Job 31:29–30
“If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune or gloated over the trouble that came to him— I have not allowed my mouth to sin by invoking a curse against their life”
Job did not look at life as being a competition in which others must lose in order for him to win. He never rejoiced when his enemy experienced trouble.
What’s interesting about this statement from Job is its apparent contradiction with his speech in chapter 27, where he says in verse 7, “May my enemy be like the wicked, my adversary like the unjust!”
My initial response is that, in chapter 27, Job is not actually speaking a curse against a human enemy, but against the spirit of opposition he has been experiencing.
12. Failure to extend hospitality to a traveler Job 31:31–32
“if those of my household have never said, ‘Who has not been filled with Job’s meat?’— but no stranger had to spend the night in the street, for my door was always open to the traveler—”
Job was a hospitable person, and claims that all who knew him or came across his home benefitted from having known him.
13. Concealment of a sin without confession Job 31:33–34
“if I have concealed my sin as people do, by hiding my guilt in my heart because I so feared the crowd and so dreaded the contempt of the clans that I kept silent and would not go outside—”
Job was not self-protectionist when he did wrong. He didn’t fear what people would say or do if he admitted wrong-doing.
Imagine if we had leaders who lived this way? Instead, we so often hear stories of pastors, business owners, and politicians who lived a hidden life of sin until they got discovered.
And then when they get discovered, it is a rare case when they take full responsibility for their actions.
I suggest that if we only appointed virtuous leaders of admirable character, our entire society would be transformed. One can only dream.
14. Abuse of the land Job 31:38–40
“if my land cries out against me and all its furrows are wet with tears, if I have devoured its yield without payment or broken the spirit of its tenants, then let briers come up instead of wheat and stinkweed instead of barley.”
Finally, Job claims to have treated his land well. This is an interesting one that is sort of unexpected. He speaks about his land as though it is a living being, which of course it is in a sense.
He treated his land not as something to exploit, but something to love and care for. And here we see the final curse, which is that of the land growing weeds instead of useful crops.
The Sealing of the Oath Job 31:35–37, 40c
(“Oh, that I had someone to hear me! I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me; let my accuser put his indictment in writing. Surely I would wear it on my shoulder, I would put it on like a crown. I would give him an account of my every step; I would present it to him as to a ruler.)” … The words of Job are ended.”
In parentheses between the 13th and 14th statements, Job seals his oath by pleading for his accuser to state clearly what Job is guilty of.
The only evidence that Job is guilty is that he is suffering. But no one from the heavenly counsel has come forward to state was Job has been charged with.
Silence at this point would indicate that Job is innocent. But, as we will see, after one more speech from a yet-unmentioned friend, is that God will not be silent.
Out of the whirlwind, God will speak. And his speech begins with these words, “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.”
So, Job will get what he’s been asking for, a response from God. The response is essentially, “Job, will you trust me?”
When you think about all the ways in which Job was faithful to God, you might think that he deserves to be blessed.
But, the blessing of God is offered not in response to our behaviour, but out of an overflow of God’s love within the scope of his wisdom.
So, what then is the benefit of obedience to God? In one sense, there is not really any personal benefit beyond what God already offers to everyone through the obedience of Christ.
Obedience to God is not about getting something we don’t already have. True obedience and faithfulness to God flows out of a grateful heart. It is a response to the understanding that God has already given you everything.
James 1:23–24 says, “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”
The meaning behind this is, what do you see when you look in the mirror?
Do you see someone forgiven and loved by God? Or do you see someone who isn’t worthy and needs to prove yourself?
Job thought he needed to prove himself worthy. But God’s acceptance and blessing of him is already sealed. The question from God is, “Will you trust me?”
- John E. Hartley, The Book of Job, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1988), 387. ↩︎