The consideration of the miserable condition of the hypocrite should engage us to be upright.
Job 27
2 As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;
3 All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;
4 My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.
5 God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.
6 My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.
7 Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous.
8 For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?
9 Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him?
10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty? will he always call upon God?
11 I will teach you by the hand of God: that which is with the Almighty will I not conceal.
12 Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; why then are ye thus altogether vain?
13 This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of oppressors, which they shall receive of the Almighty.
14 If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword: and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
15 Those that remain of him shall be buried in death: and his widows shall not weep.
16 Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay;
17 He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver.
18 He buildeth his house as a moth, and as a booth that the keeper maketh.
19 The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered: he openeth his eyes, and he is not.
20 Terrors take hold on him as waters, a tempest stealeth him away in the night.
21 The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth him out of his place.
22 For God shall cast upon him, and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand.
23 Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place.
Job 27 Intro – J. Vernon McGee
Job 27:1-6 – J. Vernon McGee
Job 27:7-23 – J. Vernon McGee
Job 27 – The Justice of God
Zophar ought now to have taken up the discourse, but, as he is silent, Job proceeds. First he renews his protestations of integrity, Job 27:1-10. He denies the charge of being ungodly, and says that till he dies he will not put away his integrity. He refuses to justify the accusations of his friends, and demands that they who had spoken against him should suffer the punishments which they had suggested as his due, Job 27:7. The falsity of their charges was surely evidenced by the fact that he could still delight in the Almighty and call upon His name, Job 27:10.
Then he speaks of the portion of the wicked, Job 27:11-23. Zophar and the rest could hardly have spoken more strongly. Though Job denied the application to himself, he was willing to admit the general truth of these propositions. Through what marvelous alternations the mind of man passes—now on the crest of the wave and again in the trough; arguing, debating, questioning; now antagonizing a position, and then almost accepting it! But be of good cheer! “At evening time it shall be light” (Zechariah 14:7)! “I have been within the gates,” said one brave explorer, “and there is no dark valley.” —Through the Bible Day by Day
It is often the lot of upright men to be censured and condemned as hypocrites, but it well becomes them to bear up boldly under such censures, holding fast to Jesus Christ, who will keep from discouragement and eventually vindicate them.
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6 My __________________________ I ________ fast, and will not let it __: my __________ shall not ________________ me so long as I ________.
8 For what is the ________ of the __________________, though he hath ____________, when ______ taketh ________ his ________?
Job 27:6—My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go.
Job had an ideal and clung to it. Have you such? A vision of what you may be, and, by the grace of God, will aim at being. The vision of the ideal guards monotony of work from becoming monotony of life. Bitter indeed is life for those who have not seen the heavenly vision, or heard the calling upward of the voice that says, Come up hither. Any life looks more interesting and attractive when the light of our ideal falls on it, and we realize that every yard leads somewhere, and every step is one nearer the goal. So some one has suggested that, “If we cannot realize our ideal, we may at least idealize our real.”
But there are many hindrances, many adverse influences to combat, many suggestions that we should let go our ideal. We have so often failed, slipped where we thought we should stand, limped where we thought to overcome by wrestling. The crags are so steep, the encouragement we receive from fellow climbers so scant, the dissuasions and misconstructions—like those job had from his friends—so many. But Jesus who inspired the ideal waits to realize it, if only you will open your heart and let Him enter. Do you hunger and thirst? then He, will satisfy. He does not tantalize and disappoint the seeking soul.
Have we not all, amid life’s petty strife,
Some pure ideal of a noble life
That once seemed possible? It was. And yet
We lost it in this daily jar and fret,
And now live idle in a vague regret.
But still our place is kept, and it will wait,
Ready for us to fill it, soon or late
No star is ever lost we once have seen
We always may be what we might have been. —Our Daily Homily