Job 24:13-25 - Homiletics

Job to Eliphaz: 5. Ancient rebels against the light.

I. THEIR BLACK CHARACTER .

1 . They are hostile to the light. The light alluded to is the light of day. The wicked persons spoken of regard that light with aversion, as being unfavourable to the special forms of ungodliness they delight to practise. Distinguished from the previously mentioned sinners who transact their nefarious deeds openly and unblushingly beneath the clear firmament of heaven, these night-birds may be taken, in their general characteristics at least, as representatives of those evil-doers whom Christ designates ( John 3:20 ) haters of the light. Light is a frequent biblical symbol for Divine truth ( Proverbs 6:23 ; Psalms 119:105 ; Isaiah 2:5 ), and in particular for the gospel ( Matthew 4:16 ; Luke 2:32 ; John 12:36 ; Ephesians 5:8 ). Hence the unbelieving and therefore unconverted wicked heart naturally looks upon the light of God's Law and of Christ's gospel with repugnance ( Romans 8:7 ), and for the same reason, that the light condemns their works.

2 . They know not the ways of the light. They have no familiarity with such modes of living as men practise in open day. The ordinary avocations of law-abiding citizens possess for them no interest and yield to them no enjoyment; in which respect again they fitly typify ungodly men in general, who neither know nor care for the ways of holiness and truth. The way of the wicked is a way of darkness ( Proverbs 4:19 ; Romans 13:12 ), of unbelief ( Hebrews 3:12 ), of disobedience ( Romans 8:7 ), of folly ( Proverbs 12:15 ), of sorrow ( Proverbs 13:15 ), a way that is displeasing to God ( Proverbs 15:9 ), and that leadeth unto death ( Matthew 7:13 ; Romans 6:23 ). The way of truth ( Psalms 119:30 ), of understanding ( Isaiah 40:14 ), of holiness ( Isaiah 35:8 ), of peace ( Isaiah 59:8 ; Romans 3:17 ), of life ( Matthew 7:14 ), they do not keep, love, or know.

3 . They shun the paths of the light. They remove themselves and their nefarious practices as far as possible from the light, lest they should be seen of men. Even so evil workers come not to the light lest their deeds should be reproved ( John 3:20 ). Honest men fear not to stand in the sun. Nor do children of the light require to wrap themselves in cloaks of darkness. But because God's light (of the Law and the gospel) has a singular power of discovering men's wickedness to themselves and others ( Ephesians 5:13 ), the children of darkness avoid the light.

II. THEIR DARK DEEDS . The poet sketches portraits of three of these ancient rebels against the light.

1 . The murderer ; whose villainies are described by a threefold characteristic.

(a) its adaptation to the works about to be performed, works of darkness ( Romans 13:12 ), such as robbery and murder, which cannot bear the light, and

(b) the facilities it affords for finding subjects on which to operate.

2 . The adulterer ; who also is possessed of the infernal sagacity to select the season most appropriate, and the manner most effective, for accomplishing his diabolic purpose. Not at early dawn, but with the falling of the evening twilight, he sallies forth towards his neighbour's harem, saying, "No eye shall see me;" to render detection impossible, putting a mask upon his face, forgetting that masks hide from men, but not from God, who can see as well in darkness as in light. But most criminals and sinners omit to reckon with the invisible Spectator of their abominations. Notoriously so did Cain ( Genesis 4:10 ), David ( 2 Samuel 11:4 ), Ananias and Sapphira ( Acts 5:2 ). Yet, again, from even a teacher so unworthy as this violator of marriage sanctities, God's people may derive a lesson to transact their deeds of light with wisdom and efficiency.

3 . The burglar ; who, already referred to as the highwayman of the morning dawn (verse 14), is reintroduced as the midnight housebreaker who, with pick and spade (the modern thief using crowbar and chisel, skeleton keys, etc.), digs beneath the mud walls of rich men's abodes, marked by him during day (verses 16, 17). The more probable translation, however, sets forth the housebreaker's horror of the light: "In the daytime they shut themselves up," because "they know not," i.e. hate, "the light:" and "to them together the morning is as the shadow of death," i . e. through fear of discovery; "for they are acquainted with," and therefore are greatly afraid of, "the terrors of the shadow of death."

III. THEIR TERRESTRIAL REWARDS . The treatment of neither of the two classes described in the present chapter is strictly retributive.

1 . The fate of the petty criminals ; i.e. of the murderer, the adulterer, the thief, and all included in the category of rebels against the light. According to Eliphaz, these creatures of the darkness should be overtaken with calamities proportioned to their crimes; but, according to Job, the contrary is the case—they are

(a) a quick and easy disappearance from the earth, like the passing away of a light substance upon the face of the waters (cf. Job 9:26 ), instead of struggling towards the grave through protracted and painful suffering, or like the melting of snow before the scorching heats of summer (verse 19), going down into Sheol suddenly as in a moment ( Job 21:13 ); and

(b) a complete escape from the just penalties of their crimes, the curse not descending upon their heritages until they themselves have departed from the scene (verse 18), and though forgotten by the very mothers that bore them because of their wickedness, yet not compelled to eat the bitter fruits of their transgression, since by death their iniquity has been broken off like a tree, i.e. before it has had time to yield its appropriate results.

2 . The fate of the rapacious despots ; i.e. of those sketched in the preceding section (verses 2-12), who are here identified as the oppressors of barren and widowed women (verse 21). They, too, should be arrested by visible judgments; but altogether different, according to Job, is their lot.

Learn:

1 . The unnatural wickedness of those who despise God's mercies—even his common gifts of providence, but much more his grandest gift of grace.

2 . It is an unmistakable evidence of depravity when a man loves the darkness rather than the light.

3 . The present-day forms of wickedness are of extreme antiquity, some of them, such as murder, being nearly as old as the Fall.

4 . The soul that hates the light has the seed-corn in his heart out of which the greatest crimes may be developed.

5 . The truest security a man can have that he shall never perpetrate such wickedness as murder, adultery, etc; is to walk in the light.

6 . The destruction of the most powerful sinner that walks the earth is a work of perfect ease to God.

7 . A man's triumph or superiority over his fellows terminates with the grave.

8 . That wickedness must be great which causes a mother to forget her child.

9 . That mercy must be great which continues when human love in its highest form is exhausted.

10. Death may seem to remove the curse from the sinner, but in reality it only conducts the sinner to the curse.

11. God's goodness and mercy may follow a sinner to the grave's mouth; there is no evidence that it can pursue him further.

12. It is appointed unto all men once to die.