International Sunday School Lesson- October 19, 2014 Subject: Defiant Faithfulness Unifying Topic: Hope Complains Lesson Text: Job 24:1, 9-12, 19-25 After completing this lesson we should be able to learn to trust God at all times, to understand that God allows us to speak freely to Him freely and to pray in and out of season. INTRODUCTION In last week’s lesson, we saw Job wrestling with the issue of the suffering of innocent people. Throughout Job’s life, he had been faithful to God. In turn, God had consistently blessed Job and been gracious to him. Suddenly, though, Job could not fathom why God would not come to His servant’s aid during the darkest days of his life. Job remained loyal to God, but He no longer seemed to care about Job. This week he ponders the issue of the prosperity of the wicked. LESSON BACKGROUND The background of this week’s lesson is the same as last week’s, so that information need not be repeated here. We can add that in the interim between Job 19 (last week) and Job 24 (this week), Job has undergone two more rounds of counseling—one by Zophar (chap. 20) and one by Eliphaz (chap. 22). The friends’ counsel did not comfort Job. They said he was guilty of wrongdoing that deserved to be punished. They accused him of pride in being unwilling to confess his guilt. They called him to heed time-tested wisdom, to repent of evil, and get right with God so that God could prosper him again. Zophar seems to have taken the response in Job 19:28, 29 as a personal insult (20:3). In turn, Job viewed Zophar’s rejoinder as mockery (21:3) and falsehood (21:34). When it was Eliphaz’s turn, he accused Job of great wickedness (22:5-9), the cure being repentance (22:21-30). In reaction, Job expressed his wish to gain access to God’s presence so he (Job) could plead his case and be acquitted (Job 23:3-7). Today’s text offers us another part of Job’s reaction. Verse 1- “Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days?” “Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty” is referring to times of judgment. The word “hidden” means “to cover over, to be stored up.” Job wants to know why the “Almighty” God, or all-powerful God, doesn’t just set a time for judgment and be done with. “Do they that know him not see his days?” With those words Job is asking, “What can’t those who know the Lord know when those days of judgment will come?” It seemed God was taking so long to respond to Job’s request for understanding, so he asks, “Why.” Job believed that God knew the appointed times for everything including judgment, but he struggled with the fact that God did not let man in on His calendar! All of us need to remember that we are still walking by faith. There are times we just don’t have the answers to the questions we have. In fact, sometimes we don’t even have the right question! Verse:9-11 Job’s Consideration of the Wicked Verse 9-“They pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor.” “They” is a reference to the wicked. Job says the wicked “pluck” or “strip away” an un-weaned child from his mother’s breast to possibly sell the child into slavery. Job is accusing the wicked of taking advantage of infants and orphans, separating them from the security of life. The actions of the wicked in this case would certainly jeopardize the child’s life. “And take a pledge of the poor” implies that the wicked accepts a “pledge” or uses the child as collateral for a financial loan. It is hard to believe that men are so wicked that they would take a child from its mother’s breast as collateral on a loan! What is even more shocking is that this was practiced in the days of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was angered when he discovered that Jews were taking the children of their fellow Jews to collect debts (Nehemiah 5:2-6). Human nature is the same today as it was in the days of Job and Nehemiah. Just because we can swipe our finger across a screen and access information or communicate to the world doesn’t mean we a better people. If Eliphaz wants to talk to Job about wickedness and sin, then Job will tell him about the wicked. Verse 10-11-“They cause him to go naked without clothing, and they take away the sheaf from the hungry; Which make oil within their walls, and tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst.” “They” in this verse is a reference to the deplorable condition of the oppressed. The wicked have always treated the poor and oppressed with disdain. A wicked man will “cause” a poor man “to go naked without clothing.” This implication is that if a man owed money the one who loaned him the money would take the clothes off his back as payment or collateral. “And take away the sheaf from the hungry” means the poor indebted man is required to reap and bind “the sheaf” or grain and take it to his oppressor, while he himself is hungry. In other words, the one being oppressed carries food to his oppressor without being allowed to eat. Such is the wicked that Job is considering. “Which make oil within their walls, and tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst.” The oppressors are wealthy. Olive “oil” is a symbol of wealth and financial success. “Winepresses” symbolize prosperity and success. The words “and suffer thirst” seem to indicate that while the oppressed are gathering fruit for the wealthy and actually working in the winepress making juice, they “suffer thirst” because they are not allowed to drink. Such is the wicked that Job is considering. Verse 12- Job’s Accusation about God Verse 12-“Men groan from out of the city, and the soul of the wounded crieth out: yet God layeth not folly to them.” It is not only out in the vineyards and the barns that oppression takes place. Job says, “Men groan from out of the city.” In the country the wicked take advantage of the hungry and the poor. In the city the wicked “wound” the “soul” and men “cry out.” “Wounded” refers to those who have been “pierced and polluted.” Job says those who have been “wounded” cry out for God’s help and it seems no help comes. This is a stinging accusation from Job. He is suggesting that wounded people are crying out to God and He’s not hearing. As far as Job can tell, God is doing nothing! That’s what Job meant when he said, “Yet God layeth not folly to them.” “Them” is the wicked.” “Layeth not folly” means God doesn’t regard or respond to their foolishness. Human courts prosecuted offenders for most of these social crimes Job has listed. So, in essence, Job was saying “If human courts punish the wicked, then why doesn’t God? Verse 19-25 -Job’s Conclusion about the Wicked Verse 19-“Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth the grave those which have sinned.” After painfully considering the characteristics of the wicked and the seeming indifference of God to them, Job know acknowledges the ultimate fate of the wicked. “Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the see of the righteous shall be delivered” (Proverbs 11:21). Job compares the work of “the grave” or death on the wicked to the work of “drought” or “heat” on “snow.” Obviously, “drought” and “heat” consumes “snow.” When “drought” and “heat” are present “snow” disappears. As sure as snow melts under the heat the wicked will disappear in the grave. Verse 20 “The womb shall forget him; the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered; and wickedness shall be broken as a tree.” “Him” and “he” in this verse refers to the wicked that has died. “Wickedness” is also a reference to the wicked in general. Job tells us the grave does not treat the wicked kindly. The “womb” or the mother that gave birth to the wicked will “forget him.” “He shall be no more remembered.” How sobering are these words. It is almost unthinkable that a mother would forget the child she brought into the world. The prophet Isaiah ask, “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee” (Isaiah 49:15). Our world has hall of fames, memory lanes, buildings, monuments, streets, and cities named after wicked people. One day they will all sink into forgottenness! The Proverb writer says, “The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot” (Proverbs 10:7). “The worm shall feed sweetly on him” speaks of the decay that awaits those in the grave. “And wickedness shall be broken as a tree” suggests irreparable ruin. Just like a strong wind suddenly snaps off a tree at its roots, so wickedness, in the person of a wicked individual will perish in a moment. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers”(Isaiah 14:5). Verse 21 “He evil entreateth the barren that beareth not: and doeth not good to the widow.” “He,” the wicked also mistreats women in two areas. First, the wicked mistreats “the barren” and she “that beareth not” refers to a woman who has been divorced by her husband because she was incapable of bearing a child, more specifically a male child. She was considered to be one of the most vulnerable and pitiful of social outcasts. Second, the wicked “doeth not good to the widow.” A “widow” was a woman who because of death was now without a husband. In biblical times that meant she had no inherent rights. Old Testament law required every citizen to protect and help the “widow.” But the “wicked” knew how to exploit women. Jesus said, “Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts; Which devour widows’ houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation” (Luke 20:46-47). Verse 22-25 “He draweth also the mighty with his power: he riseth up, and no man is sure of life. Though it be given him to be in safety, whereon he resteth; yet his eyes are upon their ways. They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all other, and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn. And if it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth?” It is difficult to know who is the subject of these verses. “He” most likely is a reference to God although other opinions are certainly possible. This seems to be the case because “He” is compared to “their ways” which refers to the wicked. Also, “He” is most likely a reference to God because just as Job began this chapter talking about God, he concludes that the “Almighty” (verse 1) has everything under control. “He draweth also the mighty with his power” means God prolongs the life of the wicked. They are the “mighty.” He lets them live as long as He sees fit. “He riseth up…” is speaking about the wicked man being at the point of death or destruction and then to everyone’s surprise he is delivered from danger and recovers. “And no man is sure of life” means God raises up the wicked who has no assurance of life or despairs of the very life he is living. “Though it be given him to be in safety” or though the wicked might feel safe, “His eyes are upon their ways.” God is watching the wicked. That God’s eyes are on someone emphasizes that God has his attention on the situation. The wicked are “exalted for a little while,” but then they are “gone and brought low.” The wicked may be successful for a while, but it won’t last forever. They will be “cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.” “Cut off” is often used to described the effect of judgment (Genesis 9:11; Leviticus 19:8; Psalm 37:9). Job said, “They will be cut down like grain in the field.” As Job concludes his response to Eliphaz, he asks this rhetorical question, “And if it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth?” Job is asking, “If what I’ve said is not true, who can prove me to be a liar?” The answer is no one. “Job has proved by examples that the righteous are often oppressed; that the wicked often triumph over the just, that the impious are always wretched even in the midst of their greatest prosperity; and he defies his friends to show one flaw in his argument, or an error in his illustration of it; and that existing facts are farther proofs of what he has advanced Conclusion All of us wonder at times if God will ever deal with the wicked. The truth is the Almighty has and will deal with the wicked. God is neither absent from human affairs, nor does He fail to intervene. There are often hours in which it seems as though God is doing nothing. If you are thinking that way ask the Lord to help you trust and Him. Ask Him to renew your confidence in His character. Although Job was innocent, his friends all accused him of sin. In the end, God proved it was they who were guilty. God know you today better than anyone. And in the end, forever and always, God will do what is right! Trust Him! Our passage has affirmed God’s power, affirmed God’s justice, and affirmed the reality of suffering. Humans may not understand how to affirm all three of these at the same time, but Scripture does not hesitate to do so. God cannot be contained by the logical boxes that we create, and we are too small to build boxes that can even come close (compare Isaiah 55:9). All of this is for the good. As children, we could not understand why our parents wouldn’t let us eat ice cream before bed, why they were allowed to stay up late, and why one sibling was allowed to do something that another was not. It all seemed unfair from our perspective, no matter how hard we tried to wrap our minds around it. We truly comprehend only after we grow up. In 1 Corinthians 13:12, the apostle reminds us that now we “know in part.” When Christ returns and His kingdom comes in its fullness, then we will have answers to questions that are currently beyond us. In the meantime, we are to trust that the one in control has our best interests at heart. We do not have all the answers now, but we can rest assured that God does. Job was not privileged at the time to know what was really going on (see Job 1:1-2:7), but he had the wherewithal to invoke God’s justice. Even when the fulfillment of thatjustice is notwithin sight, we can call on it in response to our pain (see Psalm 119:126). God is able and willing to handle the hurts and frustrations of His children. POINTS TO PONDER 1. There is nothing hidden from God, God sees all. (Job 24:1) 2.Be concerned of the injustices in the world. (Job 24:9-11) 3.God hears the cries of the world. (Job 24:12) 4. God will eventually punish the evildoers. (Job 24:19 -24) 5.Trust God completely! (Job 24:25; Psalm 55:16) PRAYER O Lord, and heavenly Father, we thank You for the witness of Job. As we sense his pain, we realize that others suffer worse than we do. As You gave Job the strength to endure, so also give us strength until Your Son returns in glory to set all things right. In Jesus’ name; amen
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 00:28:42 +0000
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