Job 34:26 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Job 34:26

Comments

God shows them to be what they are by treating them as they deserve and so revealing their character. He punishes them openly for all to see because his justice is a warning to others not to do down the same path. This is the case even though many judgments await the final day and have not yet been carried out. His judgment is his verdict and the conclusion of the process of justice, since his examination of them was unseen for the most part and only the implementation of the punishment is visible. The sin was often committed only in secret and God alone saw it and this is a major reason why we cannot understand the process of justice for we only have a very small part of the picture. They turned back from following him and their hearts rebelled though they may have tried to maintain a semblance of religion. God even judges his true people when they behave like this (1 Kings 22:43; 2 Chronicles 16:7-12); how much more those who never really knew him.They turned back from following him. We read in John 6:66 that ‘from that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more’. This happened because they were offended at his teaching and could not accept that he could be a true teacher because he said things that made no sense to them. Doubt crept into their minds and it grew to such an extent that they now thought it right to conclude that they had been mistaken in thinking that he was a great teacher and worthy of their trust. When they met with this obstacle they felt foolish continuing to believe in a man who the majority disregarded, for they trusted more in men than in the Son of God. Others turn back from following Christ because they begin for the first time to see the cost of following him which they had only superficially consider before. Now they catch a sight of what it will mean in terms of lost friends, of bearing shame and scoffing for Christ, of being thought fools by those who consider themselves wise. All this is more than they can bear.

Application

To turn back from following Christ is such a terrible step to take, for it is almost impossible to return to him again. The one who turns away will be convinced that he has evaluated Christianity and found it wanting. Those who turned away from him, says John, ‘walked with him no more’. To receive a precious opportunity of light and salvation from the Lord and to treat it casually is an insult to the Lord. Why should he go on inviting us to come to for forgiveness and hold out the offer of mercy only to have us despise this as nothing? The ones Elihu has in mind went on to oppress those who were most in need of help, and who were most dependent on others for generosity. As a result they cried to the only one who could help them and the Lord heard their cry and saw the evil that had been done to them. He was angered at how they were treated and came to their defence. He naturally hears the cry of those who have no one else to turn to in their desperation.

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Job 34:26 Commentary and Bible Study