Job 24:1-12 (NKJV)

“Since times are not hidden from the Almighty, Why do those who know Him see not His days?

“Some remove landmarks; They seize flocks violently and feed on them; They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; They take the widow’s ox as a pledge. They push the needy off the road; All the poor of the land are forced to hide. Indeed, like wild donkeys in the desert, They go out to their work, searching for food. The wilderness yields food for them and for their children. They gather their fodder in the field And glean in the vineyard of the wicked. They spend the night naked, without clothing, And have no covering in the cold. They are wet with the showers of the mountains, And huddle around the rock for want of shelter.

“Some snatch the fatherless from the breast, And take a pledge from the poor. They cause the poor to go naked, without clothing; And they take away the sheaves from the hungry. They press out oil within their walls, And tread winepresses, yet suffer thirst. The dying groan in the city, And the souls of the wounded cry out; Yet God does not charge them with wrong.”

The first paragraph is essential to understanding the last one. The line, “Yet God does not charge them with wrong.” seems to say that God doesn’t judge them. But Job’s complaint is, “Why do those who know Him see not His days?”

In other words, “Why don’t we get to see the wicked get their comeuppance?”

But who says we’re supposed to get to see that? God’s judgement is his business. Our desire to be part of it (even if only as an audience) is a desire to play a heavenly role that God does not promise us. While this desire may not seem all that bad – it even sounds a bit righteous – it is, in fact, sinful at an elementary level.

Remember, the fall is rooted in man’s desire to be like God. This desire has the same roots.

Job doesn’t realize how wrong his complaint is.

When most people think about what sin is, they think about lust or greed or something simple like that. Yes, those are sinful, but they’re really just symptoms. The essence of sin is deeper.

Reread how our sin began and think about what’s really going on there. Ask God to open your eyes to the great truths in this passage. Can you see yourself in this?

But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. – Genesis 3:4-7 (ESV)

The weekly study guides, which include discussion questions, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies