1 “Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty,
and why do those who know him never see his days?
Why Doesn’t God Keep Office Hours?
Job has been “encouraged” by his “friends” to repent and give God the credit for punishing him for his sin. We know, from the first and last chapters, that Job is NOT suffering because of his sin, but because of sin in the world, caused by the havoc of Satan. Job has been on the defense because of his friends “help.” In the above passage he begins to speak to them about his desire to meet face-to-face with God. His complaint in chapter twenty-four seems to be that he sees God has absence in the affairs of mankind. His friends have tried to convince them that God is simply responding to Job’s “sin” and that is the reason for suffering. But, in this chapter Job makes the case that the injustice in the world seems to go both ways. He maintains that the wicked often get punished, at times, and, at times, they don’t. He states the same for the righteous in other passages in the book. So, where is God? That is the complaint of the above verse. Job seems to be saying that if God simply had office hours and showed up to listen to Job’s compliant, Job would, indeed, be vindicated. The world, today, might have a similar view. Many in the world today think God is completely absent. The fact that God does not just show up in the flesh like your doctor, investment broker, or best friend, gives the world the false thought that God is absent in out lives. The person who knows the character of God knows this not true. God is constantly intervening in the affairs of mankind. But, that intervening can only be seen through the eyes of faith. When we read Hebrews 11 we get the understanding that the great men and woman of faith looked at life through the eyes of faith and didn’t understand God as the local doctor or lawyer, hanging a shingle that He is open for business. Note:
Hebrews 11:13-16 (ESV Strong's)
13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
We are looking for God’s interaction in our lives through the eyes of faith, not the flesh.
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