Job 21:22 Commentary and Bible Study

In spite of the questions that arise in Job’s mind about the providence of God and his sense that the wicked take advantage of the fact that their punishment is delayed, he continues to believe that God knows best and that his justice is perfect. He is therefore prepared to suspend his own judgment and submit to the wisdom of God even though he cannot presently understand God’s ways.To do otherwise would be to set himself up as a judge of God who finds fault with him, and a teacher of God who presumes to be able to show him a better way; this would be a ridiculous and Job shrinks from the thought. How can anyone teach God knowledge, for there is no other source of knowledge apart from him? All our knowledge is derived; all of it originates in him. How can the pot teach the potter, or the building teach the architect? God knows all things, and he knows all things all the time. Knowledge does not come and go, or increase and diminish, but is perfect all the time. It is not something outside of him that he has to study to familiarize himself with it; it is part of his being. If God judges even those who are on high, the angels, whose wisdom is so much greater than man’s, and if even they need to be corrected and veil their faces before him, then how can any mortal, sinful human being presume to set themselves up as God’s teacher. Therefore even though we do not understand what the Lord is doing, we trust that his paths are true and we wait patiently in our weakness to receive more light, confident that in the end we will admire all his works and praise him for them. Job does not doubt for a moment that God governs the world and determines all that happens in it. Since all that takes place is from the Lord, and since it is not the case as the comforters say that the wicked are comprehensively dealt with in this life, then it is dangerous to conclude that any man’s character can be judged by the good or evil events that take place in his life. Job cannot be written off as a hypocrite, no matter how severe his suffering.The assumption in verses 23-26 must be that Job is continuing to discuss the wicked (verse 17), and so both individuals referred to, do not know God. The argument then is that no one can tell the character of a man by the nature of his death. Here are two wicked men who end their lives in completely different ways. ‘One dieth in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet. ²⁴ His breasts are full of milk, and his bones are moistened with marrow.’ This seems to be far preferable to the other who ‘dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure.’ It is not just their deaths, but their entire lives that is in view. Is one righteous and the other wicked? You might think so from the way they die, but you would be completely wrong. In this case, they are in fact both wicked men, but it is impossible to tell that by any consideration of their deaths. An investigation of the actual events of life reveals no pattern that correlates to their characters. Job brings us to the end of their lives, having them lie down side by side in the dust, and then asks us to make the comparison between them. One has known nothing but material blessing; the other has only experienced trouble. One dies in his strength and if the character of a life was to be judged by this, then he would be regarded as the best of men. He has had a good job, been well respected in his circle, accumulated wealth, passed on his riches to his children, never known more than a few passing health problems, and experienced little want in any area of life. The other dies in bitterness because he has been in want all his life. He did not have a good education, could not find proper work, did not own his own property, experienced constant worries about money, and suffered in his health due to the constant pressure he was under. Where is the justice in this? Where is the evidence that God distinguishes between people on the basis of their conduct? Both of these particular individuals represent classes of men. They both lie down next to each other in the ground and who can tell between them? The same worms devour them both. This seems to be the final bar on any attempt to tell the difference between them. So why does God act one way towards one, and another way towards the other? How can anyone argue therefore that the wicked receive a full recompense for their works in this life? Let the comforters not pretend they can answer such questions.