Job 24 Study Notes: Why Does God Delay Judgment
Job asks why God does not set times to judge the wicked. He describes oppressors who steal land and exploit the poor, the hungry who labor without food, and criminals who work under cover of night, then says the mighty rise briefly before God brings them down, and he dares anyone to refute him.
General
What do the murderer, the adulterer and the house-breakers described in 24:13-17 have in common?
Answer: They shun the daylight and carry out their deeds in the dark
Job turns to people who set themselves against the light and refuse to walk in its paths (24:13). The murderer gets up as daylight fades to murder the helpless, and at night he acts like a thief (24:14). The adulterer waits for dusk and covers his face, telling himself no one will see him (24:15). Others break into houses in the dark and shut themselves in during the day (24:16). For all of them, the blackest night is like morning (24:17). Jesus describes the same pattern: people who do evil hate the light and stay away from it so that their deeds will not be exposed (John 3:19-20). Paul calls such acts deeds of darkness and tells believers to expose them rather than join in (Ephesians 5:11).
- Job 24:13-14 (BSB)“Then there are those who rebel against the light, not knowing its ways or staying on its paths. When daylight is gone, the murderer rises to kill the poor and needy; in the night he is like a thief.”Job describes those who resist the light, including the murderer who rises when daylight is gone.
- Job 24:16-17 (BSB)“In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves in, never to experience the light. For to them, deep darkness is their morning; surely they are friends with the terrors of darkness!”Burglars work in darkness and hide by day; deep darkness is their morning.
- John 3:19-20 (BSB)“And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”Jesus says evildoers hate the light so that their deeds will not be exposed.
- Ephesians 5:11 (BSB)“Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”Paul calls sinful acts the deeds of darkness and urges believers to expose them.
Theological
What unites the murderer, the adulterer and the burglars of 24:13-17?
Answer: They shun the daylight and carry out their deeds in the dark
Job turns to those who resist the light and refuse its paths (24:13): the murderer who rises at dusk against the helpless and prowls by night like a thief (24:14), the adulterer who waits for twilight and disguises his face in the belief that no one sees (24:15), and the burglars who break in under darkness and hide by day (24:16). For them, the blackest night serves as morning (24:17). Christ diagnoses the same pattern: those who practice evil hate the light lest their works be exposed (John 3:19-20), and Paul calls such works deeds of darkness to be exposed rather than shared (Ephesians 5:11).
- Job 24:13-14 (BSB)“Then there are those who rebel against the light, not knowing its ways or staying on its paths. When daylight is gone, the murderer rises to kill the poor and needy; in the night he is like a thief.”Job describes those who resist the light, including the murderer who rises when daylight is gone.
- Job 24:16-17 (BSB)“In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves in, never to experience the light. For to them, deep darkness is their morning; surely they are friends with the terrors of darkness!”Burglars work in darkness and hide by day; deep darkness is their morning.
- John 3:19-20 (BSB)“And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”Jesus says evildoers hate the light so that their deeds will not be exposed.
- Ephesians 5:11 (BSB)“Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”Paul calls sinful acts the deeds of darkness and urges believers to expose them.
General
After describing the suffering of the poor in 24:5-12, what complaint does Job make about God?
Answer: Though the injured call for help, God does not seem to hold anyone guilty
Job pictures the poor searching the wasteland for food like wild donkeys (24:5), spending cold nights without clothes or shelter and soaked by the mountain rains (24:7-8), and having their little ones taken to pay a debt (24:9). They harvest grain and press oil and wine for others while they themselves stay hungry and thirsty (24:10-11). Then Job says that groans rise from the city and the wounded cry for help, yet God does not hold anyone to account (24:12). Job is describing how the world looks to him: injustice that seems to go unanswered. He had made the same complaint about his own cries (19:7). Elsewhere Scripture affirms that the LORD hears the moaning of the poor and will rise to help them (Psalm 12:5), and that He hears the cry of the poor because He is compassionate (Exodus 22:26-27).
- Job 24:12 (BSB)“From the city, men groan, and the souls of the wounded cry out, yet God charges no one with wrongdoing.”Job says the wounded cry out from the city, yet God charges no one with wrong.
- Job 19:7 (BSB)“Though I cry out, ‘Violence!’ I get no response; though I call for help, there is no justice.”Job had made a similar complaint about his own cries going unanswered.
- Psalm 12:5 (BSB)““For the cause of the oppressed and for the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the LORD. “I will bring safety to him who yearns.””The LORD declares that He will arise because of the groaning of the needy.
- Exodus 22:26-27 (BSB)“If you take your neighbor’s cloak as collateral, return it to him by sunset, because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? And if he cries out to Me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.”God says He will hear the cry of the poor because He is compassionate.
Theological
What charge against God does Job make at the close of his description of the poor in 24:5-12?
Answer: Though the injured call for help, God does not seem to hold anyone guilty
Job portrays the destitute foraging in the wasteland like wild donkeys (24:5), exposed to cold and mountain rain without clothing or shelter (24:7-8), losing their children to creditors (24:9), and laboring at harvest, oil press and winepress while going hungry and thirsty (24:10-11). He concludes that though men groan in the city and the wounded call for help, God lays no charge against the wrongdoers (24:12). The complaint describes the apparent silence of heaven, as Job had said of his own cries (19:7). Scripture elsewhere affirms that the LORD rises on behalf of the moaning poor (Psalm 12:5) and hears the cry of the poor because He is compassionate (Exodus 22:26-27).
- Job 24:12 (BSB)“From the city, men groan, and the souls of the wounded cry out, yet God charges no one with wrongdoing.”Job says the wounded cry out from the city, yet God charges no one with wrong.
- Job 19:7 (BSB)“Though I cry out, ‘Violence!’ I get no response; though I call for help, there is no justice.”Job had made a similar complaint about his own cries going unanswered.
- Psalm 12:5 (BSB)““For the cause of the oppressed and for the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the LORD. “I will bring safety to him who yearns.””The LORD declares that He will arise because of the groaning of the needy.
- Exodus 22:26-27 (BSB)“If you take your neighbor’s cloak as collateral, return it to him by sunset, because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? And if he cries out to Me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.”God says He will hear the cry of the poor because He is compassionate.
General
In 24:22-24, what does Job say about the mighty who seem secure?
Answer: God watches their ways, and they rise only briefly before falling
Job also pictures such wrongdoers as foam on the water whose land lies under a curse, carried off by Sheol, the realm of the dead, the way drought swallows melting snow, and then forgotten (24:18-20); they mistreat the childless woman and the widow (24:21). Job says that God by His power hauls off the powerful; even when they rise, they cannot be sure of life (24:22). God lets them feel safe, but He keeps watch over their ways (24:23). They are lifted up briefly and then disappear, brought down like everyone else and cut off like ripe grain (24:24). Readers differ on how 24:18-24 fits Job’s complaint in 24:1, whether Job grants that the wicked do come to an end while still protesting the delay, or whether he is describing the view his friends held. The psalms make the same point about the wicked: in a little while they are gone (Psalm 37:10); a ruthless man who flourished soon passed away (Psalm 37:35-36); and God casts them down suddenly (Psalm 73:18-19). Job closes the chapter by daring anyone to prove him a liar (24:25).
- Job 24:22-24 (BSB)“Yet by His power, God drags away the mighty; though rising up, they have no assurance of life. He gives them a sense of security, but His eyes are on their ways. They are exalted for a moment, then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like heads of grain.”Job says God drags away the mighty, watches their ways, and cuts them down after a short rise.
- Job 24:25 (BSB)“If this is not so, then who can prove me a liar and reduce my words to nothing?””Job closes by challenging anyone to prove his words false.
- Psalm 37:10 (BSB)“Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.”A psalm says that in a little while the wicked will be gone.
- Psalm 37:35-36 (BSB)“I have seen a wicked, ruthless man flourishing like a well-rooted native tree, yet he passed away and was no more; though I searched, he could not be found.”David saw a ruthless man flourish and then pass away.
- Psalm 73:18-19 (BSB)“Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down into ruin. How suddenly they are laid waste, completely swept away by terrors!”Asaph learns that God sets the wicked on slick ground and sweeps them away suddenly.
Theological
How does Job describe the end of the mighty in 24:22-24?
Answer: God watches their ways, and they rise only briefly before falling
Job pictures such wrongdoers as foam on the water with a cursed portion, seized by Sheol as drought consumes melting snow, and forgotten (24:18-20), though they exploit the childless woman and the widow (24:21). He affirms that God by His power drags off the mighty, who rise without assurance of life (24:22); He grants them security, yet He watches their conduct (24:23); they are exalted briefly and then vanish, laid low like all others and cut off like ripe grain (24:24). Interpreters differ on how 24:18-24 relates to the complaint of 24:1, whether Job concedes the eventual end of the wicked while protesting the delay, or is reporting the friends’ position. The verses accord with the psalms: the wicked will soon be no more (Psalm 37:10), the flourishing tyrant passes away (Psalm 37:35-36), and God casts them down suddenly (Psalm 73:18-19). Job ends by challenging anyone to refute him (24:25).
- Job 24:22-24 (BSB)“Yet by His power, God drags away the mighty; though rising up, they have no assurance of life. He gives them a sense of security, but His eyes are on their ways. They are exalted for a moment, then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like heads of grain.”Job says God drags away the mighty, watches their ways, and cuts them down after a short rise.
- Job 24:25 (BSB)“If this is not so, then who can prove me a liar and reduce my words to nothing?””Job closes by challenging anyone to prove his words false.
- Psalm 37:10 (BSB)“Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.”A psalm says that in a little while the wicked will be gone.
- Psalm 37:35-36 (BSB)“I have seen a wicked, ruthless man flourishing like a well-rooted native tree, yet he passed away and was no more; though I searched, he could not be found.”David saw a ruthless man flourish and then pass away.
- Psalm 73:18-19 (BSB)“Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down into ruin. How suddenly they are laid waste, completely swept away by terrors!”Asaph learns that God sets the wicked on slick ground and sweeps them away suddenly.
General
Which wrongs does Job describe in 24:2-4?
Answer: Shifting land markers and seizing animals from orphans and widows
Job lists people who shift the stones that mark property lines in order to steal land, and who graze flocks they have stolen (24:2). They drive off the donkey that belongs to orphans and take a widow’s ox as security for a debt (24:3). They shove the needy aside so that the poor must hide (24:4). These were the very wrongs God’s law forbade. It was forbidden to move a neighbor’s boundary marker (Deuteronomy 19:14), to withhold justice from the fatherless, or to hold the cloak of a widow as collateral (Deuteronomy 24:17). Proverbs repeats the warning about boundary stones and the fields of orphans (Proverbs 23:10), and God promised to hear the cry of widows and orphans who are mistreated (Exodus 22:22-23).
- Job 24:2-4 (BSB)“Men move boundary stones; they pasture stolen flocks. They drive away the donkey of the fatherless and take the widow’s ox in pledge. They push the needy off the road and force all the poor of the land into hiding.”Job describes oppressors who steal land and flocks and drive the needy into hiding.
- Deuteronomy 19:14 (BSB)“You must not move your neighbor’s boundary marker, which was set up by your ancestors to mark the inheritance you shall receive in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.”God’s law forbade moving a neighbor’s boundary marker.
- Deuteronomy 24:17 (BSB)“Do not deny justice to the foreigner or the fatherless, and do not take a widow’s cloak as security.”The law forbade denying justice to the fatherless or taking a widow’s cloak as security.
- Proverbs 23:10 (BSB)“Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,”Wisdom warns against moving old boundary stones and taking the fields of the fatherless.
- Exodus 22:22-23 (BSB)“You must not mistreat any widow or orphan. If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to Me in distress, I will surely hear their cry.”God promised to hear the cry of mistreated widows and orphans.
Theological
What kinds of oppression does Job catalog in 24:2-4?
Answer: Shifting land markers and seizing animals from orphans and widows
Job describes the seizure of land by shifting property markers, the grazing of stolen flocks (24:2), the taking of the orphan’s donkey and the widow’s ox as a pledge (24:3), and the thrusting aside of the needy until the poor are driven into hiding (24:4). Scripture condemns these very acts: the law’s prohibition on moving a neighbor’s boundary marker (Deuteronomy 19:14), the command not to pervert justice for the fatherless or seize the cloak of a widow as collateral (Deuteronomy 24:17), the proverb guarding the fields of orphans (Proverbs 23:10), and God’s pledge to hear the cry of the oppressed widow and orphan (Exodus 22:22-23).
- Job 24:2-4 (BSB)“Men move boundary stones; they pasture stolen flocks. They drive away the donkey of the fatherless and take the widow’s ox in pledge. They push the needy off the road and force all the poor of the land into hiding.”Job describes oppressors who steal land and flocks and drive the needy into hiding.
- Deuteronomy 19:14 (BSB)“You must not move your neighbor’s boundary marker, which was set up by your ancestors to mark the inheritance you shall receive in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.”God’s law forbade moving a neighbor’s boundary marker.
- Deuteronomy 24:17 (BSB)“Do not deny justice to the foreigner or the fatherless, and do not take a widow’s cloak as security.”The law forbade denying justice to the fatherless or taking a widow’s cloak as security.
- Proverbs 23:10 (BSB)“Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,”Wisdom warns against moving old boundary stones and taking the fields of the fatherless.
- Exodus 22:22-23 (BSB)“You must not mistreat any widow or orphan. If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to Me in distress, I will surely hear their cry.”God promised to hear the cry of mistreated widows and orphans.
General
What question does Job raise at the opening of chapter 24?
Answer: Why has the Almighty not fixed set times to judge the wicked?
Job asks why the Almighty does not appoint fixed times for judgment, and why those who know God never get to see His days of reckoning (24:1). The rest of the chapter gives examples of oppressors and evildoers who seem to carry on without being punished. This cuts against what his friends had argued. Eliphaz had claimed that the innocent never perish (4:7), implying that the wicked always meet trouble. Job’s question is one other believers have asked: the prophet Habakkuk asks why God tolerates wrongdoing (Habakkuk 1:2-4), and a psalmist cries out to know how long the wicked will gloat (Psalm 94:3). Peter says the Lord does not delay His promise but is patient, wanting people to repent (2 Peter 3:9).
- Job 24:1 (BSB)““Why does the Almighty not reserve times for judgment? Why may those who know Him never see His days?”Job asks why the Almighty does not appoint times of judgment that His people can see.
- Job 4:7 (BSB)“Consider now, I plead: Who, being innocent, has ever perished? Or where have the upright been destroyed?”Eliphaz had claimed that the innocent never perish, the view Job’s examples challenge.
- Habakkuk 1:2-4 (BSB)“How long, O LORD, must I call for help but You do not hear, or cry out to You, “Violence!” but You do not save? Why do You make me see iniquity? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.”The prophet Habakkuk asks a similar question about why God tolerates wrongdoing.
- Psalm 94:3 (BSB)“How long will the wicked, O LORD, how long will the wicked exult?”A psalmist asks how long the wicked will be allowed to exult.
- 2 Peter 3:9 (BSB)“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.”Peter says the Lord is not slow about His promise but patient, wanting all to repent.
Theological
What question frames Job’s speech at the start of chapter 24?
Answer: Why has the Almighty not fixed set times to judge the wicked?
Job asks why the Almighty does not appoint set times for judgment and why His faithful never witness His days of reckoning (24:1). The chapter then catalogs oppression and nocturnal crime that appear to go unpunished, directly contesting the friends’ retribution scheme, such as Eliphaz’s claim that the innocent never perish (4:7). The question stands in the tradition of Habakkuk’s complaint against tolerated wrongdoing (Habakkuk 1:2-4) and the psalmist’s cry of how long the wicked may exult (Psalm 94:3). Peter answers the charge of slowness with the Lord’s patience, which waits for repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
- Job 24:1 (BSB)““Why does the Almighty not reserve times for judgment? Why may those who know Him never see His days?”Job asks why the Almighty does not appoint times of judgment that His people can see.
- Job 4:7 (BSB)“Consider now, I plead: Who, being innocent, has ever perished? Or where have the upright been destroyed?”Eliphaz had claimed that the innocent never perish, the view Job’s examples challenge.
- Habakkuk 1:2-4 (BSB)“How long, O LORD, must I call for help but You do not hear, or cry out to You, “Violence!” but You do not save? Why do You make me see iniquity? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.”The prophet Habakkuk asks a similar question about why God tolerates wrongdoing.
- Psalm 94:3 (BSB)“How long will the wicked, O LORD, how long will the wicked exult?”A psalmist asks how long the wicked will be allowed to exult.
- 2 Peter 3:9 (BSB)“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.”Peter says the Lord is not slow about His promise but patient, wanting all to repent.