ESV Chronological Plan, Day 23 | Job 22-24

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Job 22:1-24:25

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

To do something a little bit different today, I'd like to highlight some good Study Bible resources. I'm a big believer in study Bibles; it is incredibly helpful to have some explanatory notes to help out when a passage seems a little bit hard to understand, or when background information would help to explain something better. There are lots of good options out there, so I will pick three for today and highlight at least one on most other days of this chronological journey.

(A) The NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible. "[In Job 23:1-24:25] Job still wishes he knew where to find God, and he believes that if he could confront him, God would listen to him and acquit him (23:6–7). Nevertheless, God 'knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold' (23:10). Job expresses his intuitive insight so far into what is going on between him and God: God is trying him in order to show the purity of his character. And indeed that is precisely the case! (1:8). This explanation for Job’s suffering may be called the probationary explanation: God is trying Job to reveal his genuine religious faith. The metaphor 'I will come forth as gold' builds off Eliphaz’s assurance that if Job submits to God, God will become his gold (22:25). Slowly Job is moving away from his friends and their speeches and counter-speeches and moving closer to losing himself in his own thoughts about God and his personal dilemma; his position becomes virtually two monologues (chs. 28; 29–31) that form a capstone to the dialogue. In 22:23 Eliphaz instructed Job to 'return to the Almighty;' Job replies, in 23:3, 'If only I knew where to find him.' Job’s confidence in a benevolent God has been growing since he declared in ch. 9 that even if he could approach God, God would prevail against him because of his power. Job insists, 'No godless person would dare come before him!' (13:16), thus anticipating this moment. Now Job is sure that if he could find God, God 'would not press charges' against him. On the contrary, God could establish Job’s innocence."

(B) The Life Application Study Bible. "[In chapter 22] Eliphaz declares that Job’s view of God is too small, and he criticized Job for thinking that God was too far removed from earth to care about him. If Job knew of God’s intense, personal interest in him, Eliphaz said, he wouldn’t dare take his sins so lightly. Eliphaz had a point—some people do take sin lightly because they think God is far away and doesn’t notice all we do. But his point did not apply to Job. Several times Job’s friends showed a partial knowledge of God’s truth and character, but they had trouble accurately applying this truth to Job's life. Such was the case with Eliphaz, who gave a beautiful summary of repentance. He was correct in saying that we must ask for God’s forgiveness when we sin, but his statement did not apply to Job, who had already sought God’s forgiveness (7:20, 21; 9:20; 13:23) and had lived closely in touch with God all along."

(C) The Gospel Coalition Commentary. Alright, so this last one is not a study Bible--but it is a free, online commentary on the whole Bible, with some of the top Bible scholars in the world having contributed to it. The notes on the book of Job are written by Christopher Ash. He writes, "Where Eliphaz and his friends think that justice is perfectly done on earth, Job knows justice is lacking but longs for the day when it will be established on the whole earth. Job’s speech here is almost an expanded version of the cry “Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven” in the Lord’s prayer. Job is reaching towards the understanding that, although God is sovereign in all he commands, not all that he commands fits yet with what he desires; in this age God commands puzzling things, in order to work out his inscrutable purposes of good, so that in the age to come he will bring to fruition all that he desires. In chapter 23 the burden of Job’s speech is the longing that those who are righteous by faith will be vindicated. Then in chapter 24 he turns to the other side of the problem and cries out that the wicked will be judged. Probably Job is agreeing with his friends that there will be a judgment but doubting that it always happens straightaway, as they suppose."

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

Increasingly, Job ceases to really interact with those bringing accusations against him, and he begins to center his thoughts more upon God--intuitively coming to understand many important theological truths in the process. As he focuses on God, he begins to understand how the world works on God's timeline. Maybe a great way to respond to that, today, would be to ask that God would help you to do the same--that He would help you to be less overwhelmed by the urgency and downward pull of the things of this world, so that like Job you would be enabled to tune those things out and begin to turn your attention to Him more directly, to wrestle with the things of God.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US CLOSER TO GOD?

Here is a suggested prayer prompt for today: "God, there are so many things going on in and around me that take up my mental space. I have urgent cares that need to be acted upon; I have relationships that demand my focus; I have responsibilities; I have things that demand a response from me from without, and I sometimes face discouragement and times of guilt or questioning from within. Help me, God, to turn towards you. Help me to tune those things out, at least for these next few moments, so that I can focus on you. Remind me that the rest of the world around me is just temporary noise, but that You are eternal peace. Fill me with Your Spirit. Grant spiritual insight to me. Help me to breathe in calmly, and to know that You are God."