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Texts -- Job 24:1-22 (NET)

Context
The Apparent Indifference of God
24:1 “Why are times not appointed by the Almighty ? Why do those who know him not see his days ? 24:2 Men move boundary stones; they seize the flock and pasture them. 24:3 They drive away the orphan’s donkey ; they take the widow’s ox as a pledge . 24:4 They turn the needy from the pathway , and the poor of the land hide themselves together . 24:5 Like wild donkeys in the desert they go out to their labor , seeking diligently for food ; the wasteland provides food for them and for their children . 24:6 They reap fodder in the field , and glean in the vineyard of the wicked . 24:7 They spend the night naked because they lack clothing ; they have no covering against the cold . 24:8 They are soaked by mountain rains and huddle in the rocks because they lack shelter . 24:9 The fatherless child is snatched from the breast , the infant of the poor is taken as a pledge . 24:10 They go about naked , without clothing , and go hungry while they carry the sheaves . 24:11 They press out the olive oil between the rows of olive trees; they tread the winepresses while they are thirsty . 24:12 From the city the dying groan , and the wounded cry out for help , but God charges no one with wrongdoing . 24:13 There are those who rebel against the light ; they do not know its ways and they do not stay on its paths . 24:14 Before daybreak the murderer rises up; he kills the poor and the needy ; in the night he is like a thief . 24:15 And the eye of the adulterer watches for the twilight , thinking , ‘No eye can see me,’ and covers his face with a mask . 24:16 In the dark the robber breaks into houses , but by day they shut themselves in; they do not know the light . 24:17 For all of them , the morning is to them like deep darkness ; they are friends with the terrors of darkness . 24:18 “You say, ‘He is foam on the face of the waters ; their portion of the land is cursed so that no one goes to their vineyard . 24:19 The drought as well as the heat carry away the melted snow ; so the grave takes away those who have sinned . 24:20 The womb forgets him, the worm feasts on him, no longer will he be remembered . Like a tree , wickedness will be broken down . 24:21 He preys on the barren and childless woman, and does not treat the widow well . 24:22 But God drags off the mighty by his power ; when God rises up against him, he has no faith in his life .

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • What this book is all about has been the subject of considerable debate. Many people think God gave it to us to provide His answer to the age-old problem of suffering. In particular, many believe it is in the Bible to help us...
  • I. Prologue chs. 1-2A. Job's character 1:1-5B. Job's calamities 1:6-2:101. The first test 1:6-222. The second test 2:1-10C. Job's comforters 2:11-13II. The dialogue concerning the basis of the divine-human relationship 3:1-42...
  • The writer composed the prologue and epilogue of this book in prose narrative and the main body (3:1-42:6) in poetry. The prologue and epilogue form a frame around the main emphasis of the revelation, the poetic section, and ...
  • Much of Job's suffering was intellectual. He asked, "Why?"frequently in this soliloquy (vv. 11, 12, 20, 23) and in the dialogue that follows (7:20, 21; 9:29; 13:24; 21:4; 24:1)."My groaning comes at the sight of my food"(v. 2...
  • God's irresistible power and inscrutable behavior made Job afraid (23:13-17). Nevertheless he determined to confront God with His apparent injustice.Job could not understand why God did not always judge overt sin quickly (24:...
  • Since 27:1 begins, "Then Job continued . . .,"Job may have paused and waited for Zophar to respond. However we have no third speech by him in the text. Evidently Job proceeded to elaborate further on Bildad's "wisdom"but broa...
  • Elihu began by voicing his respect for Job's three friends (vv. 6-10). They were older than he, and for this reason he said he had refrained from speaking until now. However he had become convinced that advancing age does not...
  • Elihu made two responses to what he inferred was Job's attitude. First, he claimed that God is under no obligation to react to people's actions be they good or bad. He is free to respond or not respond as He chooses. God is a...
  • That another oracle is in view is clear from the question and answer format that begins this pericope, as it does the others. Verse 17 contains the question and answer, and the discussion follows in 3:1-6. The Israelites' cha...
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