Thursday, March 18, 2021

God Controls the Mighty - Job 23-24

God Controls the Mighty

Job 24:21-22 (ESV)
and do no good to the widow.
22 Yet God prolongs the life of the mighty by his power;
they rise up when they despair of life.
21 “They wrong the barren, childless woman,

Job 24:21-22 (NASB)
21 “He wrongs the barren woman
And does no good for the widow.
22 “But He drags off the valiant by His power;
He rises, but no one has assurance of life.

Job 24:21-22 (NIV 1984)
21 They prey on the barren and childless woman,
and to the widow show no kindness.
22 But God drags away the mighty by his power;
though they become established, they have no assurance of life.

Job, as we know, is in a tight spot.  He, like we would, is looking for answers.   His three friends are there to “comfort” him and give him some advice.  He has heard from his friends and has slipped into a defensive posture.   In these two chapters he is pointing out, to his friends, all the injustice in the world around him.    But, in the above passage, we see that, despite that injustice, God is in total control.   He ends the list of the injustice with the above reflection: Evil men oppress the barren and the widow.   This is just the “end” of his list.   What he is reflecting, however, is that despite the evilness and power these wicked people do, God still allows them only so much.   God “prolongs” their life by His grace, by His power.   Yet, in the end, they still try to rise up and establish their power.  Yet, they have no assurance of their life.   Despite the power of these wicked people, they have no power in the end.  They have no hope in the end.   

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