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Job Continues: I Will Maintain My Integrity
27 And Job again took up his discourse, and said:
“As God lives, who has taken away my right,
and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,
as long as my breath is in me,
and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,
my lips will not speak falsehood,
and my tongue will not utter deceit.
Far be it from me to say that you are right;
till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go;
my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.
“Let my enemy be as the wicked,
and let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.
For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off,
when God takes away his life?
Will God hear his cry
when distress comes upon him?
Will he take delight in the Almighty?
Will he call upon God at all times?
I will teach you concerning the hand of God;
what is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves;
why then have you become altogether vain?
“This is the portion of a wicked man with God,
and the heritage that oppressors receive from the Almighty:
If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword,
and his descendants have not enough bread.
Those who survive him the pestilence buries,
and his widows do not weep.
Though he heap up silver like dust,
and pile up clothing like clay,
he may pile it up, but the righteous will wear it,
and the innocent will divide the silver.
He builds his house like a moth’s,
like a booth that a watchman makes.
He goes to bed rich, but will do so no more;
he opens his eyes, and his wealth is gone.
Terrors overtake him like a flood;
in the night a whirlwind carries him off.
The east wind lifts him up and he is gone;
it sweeps him out of his place.
It hurls at him without pity;
he flees from its power in headlong flight.
It claps its hands at him
and hisses at him from its place.
(ESV)
Job 27 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
Have you ever just unloaded your heart out of both sides of your mouth? On one hand, you are so angry that God would allow horrific circumstances in your life, but on the other hand, you know He is completely just and will always rule fairly. This is where Job has landed. It’s a tough place to be.
“The juxtaposition is jarringly ironic. Even as Job confesses his faith in the living God, he matter-of-factly accuses this God of deserting him, of leaving him in the lurch… Job does not say, ‘as I live,’ but ‘as God lives,’ even though this God has hidden His face and denied him justice.”
Mike Mason
Have you ever been there? I definitely have. It kind of feels like a tug-o-war on the heart. Which side will prevail?
One thing is for sure – Job is no hypocrite – at least not nearly to the degree his friends are accusing him of. Would a hypocrite boast about the power and wrath of God Almighty? I would actually argue that his contradicting statements are more of a comfort than a setback. He’s venting, and we all need to do that once and awhile.
But he is also expressing the depth of his heart while affirming who he believes God is. Hypocrites don’t do that. They usually aren’t authentic or humble. They are proud and arrogant. Hypocrites despise reality and will do whatever it takes to hide their true identity. Job has been completely transparent in his struggles.
In a weird way, I think Job’s words about God are a comfort to his heart. He’s reminding himself of who God is, and that’s never a bad thing. Even if that may seem to contradict his current situation, his strong faith keep churning out the truth about God’s character. Job is wrestling! At this point, each chapter seems repetitive, but if you’ve ever been in a deep struggle with God, you know this is what it’s like. The scenario plays out like a high-speed roller coaster.
Job isn’t contradicting himself, and he isn’t a hypocrite. He’s just a human trying to figure out an inexhaustible God. I will at least give him this much – he is persistent! Where do you need to persist in your faith? Where are you facing a paradoxical struggle? What can you remind yourself about God that will calm your heart?