Job 31:24 Commentary and Bible Study

Another error that Job might have embraced – but had not – was to idolise earthly riches. He might have fallen into the snare of hoarding gold and other forms of wealth so that he could gloat over how much he possessed. He might have equated the value of his life with how much he had accumulated and forgotten that he had an eternal soul of far greater value than anything on earth which could not be redeemed from the grave with any amount of earthly riches, not being a currency recognised in heaven. He had been aware of this danger. This would have been a sin that would have poisoned his heart and quickly removed any love for God. It would have been to make an idol of what is passing away and to have attached himself to what is perishing, so that he was dragged down with it and forsook the grace that could have been his. But although Job had gained much, as the early part of the book has already told us, he had kept himself from falling into covetousness as evidenced by the way in which he handled the initial great loss he experienced. He acknowledged the right of the Lord to take away as well as to give and he did not sin with his mouth when his circumstances changed so dramatically, and so suddenly. His grief now came not from the taking away of his riches but from the loss of the favour of God which he thought his trials indicated.