The Limits of Our Perspective

In the last chapter, we saw a glimpse of the transition Job (and we) needs to make as he suffers through this season. He's moving from asking "why" to "what for" in regards to his suffering. Well, in chapter 24 Job starts to flesh out a bunch of the "whys" of life. 

Job 24:1 (ESV) “Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty, and why do those who know him never see his days?

This first question becomes the baseline for Job's argument in this chapter. Job questions the timing of God's judgment. Then he embarks on a laundry list of issues he has with the ways of the world. 

Job 24:2–4 (ESV) Some move landmarks; they seize flocks and pasture them. 3 They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; they take the widow’s ox for a pledge. 4 They thrust the poor off the road; the poor of the earth all hide themselves.

He then emphasizes the plight of the poor:

Job 24:5–8 (ESV) Behold, like wild donkeys in the desert the poor go out to their toil, seeking game; the wasteland yields food for their children. 6 They gather their fodder in the field, and they glean the vineyard of the wicked man. 7 They lie all night naked, without clothing, and have no covering in the cold. 8 They are wet with the rain of the mountains and cling to the rock for lack of shelter.

He considers the evils of the murder and adulterer.

Job 24:14–17 (ESV) The murderer rises before it is light, that he may kill the poor and needy, and in the night he is like a thief. 15 The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight, saying, ‘No eye will see me’; and he veils his face. 16 In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves up; they do not know the light. 17 For deep darkness is morning to all of them; for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness.

On and on he goes for much of the chapter, bemoaning the injustice brought on by the wicked and the seemingly delayed judgment of God. 

But surprisingly, he turns on a dime at the end to admit the wicked do indeed face judgment.

Job 24:22–24 (ESV) Yet God prolongs the life of the mighty by his power; they rise up when they despair of life. 23 He gives them security, and they are supported, and his eyes are upon their ways. 24 They are exalted a little while, and then are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like the heads of grain.

Now remember in the context of the conversation, Job is defending himself against the accusations that his suffering is the judgment from God for his sin. Job continues to make the case that the wicked often do get away with their wickedness for a long time. Therefore, if that is the case, what can they say about his suffering now? 

Job's bottom line argument here: The judgment of God is not something that happens on our timeline! So who are these men to insist they are correct in assessing his suffering and it's cause? 

We are once again brought to the theme of this wisdom text. We are being asked to stop thinking simply about the ups and downs of life. God is beyond our understanding and wisdom's first step is to remember that. We have a slice of the picture, not the whole image in our minds. And what Job does here is trust that God's timing is good in spite of what we see and feel in the moment. There's going to be a balance to the scales of justice and our job is to trust His perspective and not our own.