“Will he call upon God…?” Job 27:10b
/Verses seven through ten reveal a traditional Eastern practice from ancient times – speaking a curse upon another or a group when maintaining one’s innocence. By this time, others may have gathered to observe the debate between Job and his friends. So, for Job, it wasn’t enough for him to be proven right; he had to stand so firmly upon his own innocence as to declare a curse upon his enemies (v.7). And who were Job’s enemies? Anyone who sided with the accusing visitors.
The visitors had presumed Job’s guilt while ‘schooling’ him on the consequences of the wicked. It was those consequences which they leaned upon as proof of Job’s hidden wickedness. So, Job turned his friends’ accusations right back into their laps of indifference:
“May my enemies be like the wicked, my adversaries like the unjust!” (v.7)
Within the curse Job articulated four provoking questions:
“For what hope has the godless when he is cut off, when God takes away his life?” (v.8)
Job’s declaration acts as a warning to the continued verbal attacks from his friends, as well as those falling for their posturing. In this moment, Job was speaking as a prophet… declaring, ‘Thus says The Lord’. In our culture, this may sound a bit like sour grapes. However, to understand its biblical meaning, we must understand the same warning God gave the children of Israel. That warning applies to humanity today, to all who reject His loving call – when The Spirit prompts one to repentance, leading to rebirth: dying to sin and self and rising to walk in newness of life, allowing Christ to live in and through the one converted.
Theologian C.H. Spurgeon described the stench of one’s wickedness. Though not in the physiological
sense:
“Filth is offensive to all cleanly persons. We cannot bear close contact with a person who neglects the washing of his body or of his clothes, so as to become a living dunghill. However poor a man is, he might be clean; and when he is not, he becomes a common nuisance to those who speak with him or sit near him. If bodily filthiness is horrible to us, what must the filthiness of sin be to the pure and holy God.
“I cannot attempt to express the abomination of sin to God. He hates it with all His soul. If we are to be acceptable before God, there must be no keeping up a favorite sin, no sparing of darling lusts, no providing for secret iniquities; our service will be filthiness before God if our hearts go after our sins. He said, ‘Be clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.’ He would not have the vessels of His sanctuary touched with filthy fingers. Have we well considered this? Lay aside, then, all filthiness unless you wish to arouse the wrath of God.” (from Spurgeon Gold, Pure. Refined., Bridge-Logos, Alachua, FL; ©2005, pp. 42 – 43)
Job is echoing the biblical precedent of a personal relationship with God, which comes with a personal responsibility to respond to God’s call. If one continues to reject God on earth, one’s own destiny has been
sealed… a horrible end to those who have spurned God’s love held out to them through Jesus Christ.
2. “Does God listen to his cry when distress comes upon him?” (v.9)
Many think God will welcome all into Heaven… even those who have lived reckless lives, ignoring God’s precepts for holy living. Those who ignore The Spirit’s leading are in for a bitter surprise. God gives every soul ample opportunity to respond to His voice in the ‘here and now’ so that they will enjoy the benefits of Heaven in the ‘sweet by and by’. Many think God an overbearing ogre to enforce such, though it is because they are blinded to the goodness of God, the truth of His Word, and the reliability of His grace.
3. “Will he find delight in The Almighty?” (v.10a)
I find this to be the most moving question. Within this question, Job is showing just how ridiculous the idea could be. It is an argument of contrasts – especially given the statement was made as part of Job’s curse. Such a curse was given to remove oneself from aspersions by others. Job may have also questioned the possibility of real heart change. As I’ve said before, with God, it’s
always been about the heart. Can a heart poisoned by the sin of self-indulgence, meanness, and all sorts of wickedness really change? God’s Word tells us it IS possible. If you don’t believe me, look at the proof in the
lives of those who have experienced the life-changing power of Christ in prisons around the world. Go to the ‘Prison Fellowship’ website and read some of the testimonies there. When God begins to work in the heart of one, it is irresistible! If you haven’t already, please pray for God to speak to your heart today.
4. Will he call upon God at all times?
Job dug deeper to express what to him seemed impossible. This question, like a coin, has two sides to it:
First, Job was most likely showing how far-fetched the idea would be for God to allow the wicked to approach Him so casually… contaminating His holy realm with their indifference toward His righteous precepts.
Secondly, could Job have been pondering the possibility of a sinner having the right to approach God so freely? Probably not, though the idea bears merit in considering God’s purpose for breathing these words into Job’s mind.
Spurgeon did not mince words with the Christian’s responsibility in matters pertaining to the wicked:
“If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.
“Do we really believe that sinners will be damned forever? Do we think about their fate very often, if ever? Or do we busy ourselves in the work of The Lord, and never bother to implore them to come to The Savior? In general, the modern pulpit is deafly silent when it comes to the horrors of Hell. When do we hear preaching about the reality of The Lake of Fire or of the terrible wrath of God? Such themes aren’t popular with modern preachers. They never have been. They are not popular with me. Other topics are more attractive, but preachers must not ignore the fate of the lost, because if we do, we run the risk of it also being ignored in the pews.
“How we fall short of having the passion we should. How would we react if we saw a huge line of blind men walking towards a thousand-foot cliff, and one by one falling headlong onto jagged rocks below? Wouldn’t we put ourselves between them and the cliff? Wouldn’t we put our arms around them to hold them back? Wouldn’t we implore them and scream at them to turn around? Yet, we don’t warn or plead with those whose fate is infinitely worse than that of those who would fall onto jagged rocks. Our passive preaching and ‘careful not to offend’ vocabulary betray our apathy and our unbelief. If we don’t implore the world to turn from sin, it’s because we don’t truly believe God’s Word. We mustn’t. We cannot be so deafly cold, so evil-hearted as to not care. We haven’t let the reality of Hell sink into our minds and soften our hard hearts. The fact of its existence should horrify us beyond words, and then it should be reflected in our prayers and in our preaching.” (Ibid, pp. 52-53)
Will you call upon God and beckon others to do the same? Instead of seeing one so far from God, imagine that one coming freely before the throne of grace – restored as a child of God. You ARE the only Jesus some will ever see!
Have a blessed day…