Job 27 Commentary
Chapter 27 must be read carefully. Job appears to say the same things about the fate of the wicked as the three friends. But the context is different.
Unlike the wicked, Job has this great hope. Yes, the LORD may allow suffering in the saint’s life, but there is hope for the saint. Job is defiant. He will not say anything offensive to the LORD. He reflects on the LORD’s final stance when the LORD stands on the earth. There is hope for the saint. Justice will be done.
For what hope have the godless when they are cut off, when God takes away their life?
Job points to life beyond this life. The saint has hope because of the Redeemer. But what about the wicked man? There is no hope. The Redeemer won’t listen to them. It is all over for them. Whatever they held on to comes to nothing: children, gold and silver, houses, and wealth. At the point of death, it all means nothing.
Indeed, this is the wisdom Job intends to unleash.
It is the wisdom that the saint needs today. A day will come when the LORD stands on the earth. The righteous God will make all things beautiful again. The saint can return to the timeless wisdom of the scripture through the mouth of Job and find hope: “I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God”
What is the point of life? Remember, the man Job asked this question from a position of total loss. His own physical being was under threat. The danger was present and real. Will it all end this way? Is there value and hope beyond material possessions and life as we know it? For the wicked man, it all comes to nothing. But the saint has this glorious hope. Let the saint reflect.
We cannot figure out every Boardroom decision at the palace of the King of kings. But we can debate what we are given together with the known outcomes. Job’s suffering isn’t punishment or discipline.
The LORD Jesus pointed to the persecution of his own disciples. It wasn’t punishment. It wasn’t discipline. All things being equal, the saint may suffer in a similar way. He hasn’t done anything wrong – no sin of commission or omission.
Like Job, you are a participant in a transaction far beyond your knowledge. It may be considered suffering, but it’s never punishment. It could be pain, but never injustice. If anything, it’s love on display; incredible confidence and approval in high definition! Unquestionable belonging! A stamp of ownership and Heavenly pride made manifest in a mortal.
What looks like absence is actually heavy Presence! See how satan’s activities are confined! It appears hell is loose, but there are strict instructions that hell CANNOT violate. Job’s life is still within the care of the LORD God Almighty!
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