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Commentary on Job 27 verses 7–10
Job having solemnly protested the satisfaction he had in his integrity, for the further clearing of himself, here expresses the dread he had of being found a hypocrite.
I. He tells us how he startled at the thought of it, for he looked upon the condition of a hypocrite and a wicked man to be certainly the most miserable condition that any man could be in (Job 27:7): Let my enemy be as the wicked, a proverbial expression, like that (Dan 4:19), The dream be to those that hate thee. Job was so far from indulging himself in any wicked way, and flattering himself in it, that, if he might have leave to wish the greatest evil he could think of to the worst enemy he had in the world, he would wish him the portion of a wicked man, knowing that worse he could not wish him. Not that we may lawfully wish any man to be wicked, or that any man who is not wicked should be treated as wicked; but we should all choose to be in the condition of a beggar, an out-law, a galley-slave, any thing, rather that in the condition of the wicked, though in ever so much pomp and outward prosperity.
II. He gives us the reasons of it.
1.Because the hypocrite's hopes will not be crowned (Job 27:8): For what is the hope of the hypocrite? Bildad had condemned it (Job 8:13, Job 8:14), and Zophar (Job 11:20), and Job here concurs with them, and reads the death of the hypocrite's hope with as much assurance as they had done; and this fitly comes in as a reason why he would not remove his integrity, but still hold it fast. Note, The consideration of the miserable condition of wicked people, and especially hypocrites, should engage us to be upright (for we are undone, for ever undone, if we be not) and also to get the comfortable evidence of our uprightness; for how can we be easy if the great concern lie at uncertainties? Job's friends would persuade him that all his hope was but the hope of the hypocrite, Job 4:6. "Nay," says he, "I would not, for all the world, be so foolish as to build upon such a rotten foundation; for what is the hope of the hypocrite?" See here, (1.) The hypocrite deceived. He has gained, and he has hope; this is his bright side. It is allowed that he has gained by his hypocrisy, has gained the praise and applause of men and the wealth of this world. Jehu gained a kingdom by his hypocrisy and the Pharisees many a widow's house. Upon this gain he builds his hope, such as it is. He hopes he is in good circumstances for another world, because he finds he is so for this, and he blesses himself in his own way. (2.) The hypocrite undeceived. He will at last see himself wretchedly cheated; for, [1.] God shall take away his soul, sorely against his will. Luk 12:20, Thy soul shall be required of thee. God, as the Judge, takes it away to be tried and determined to its everlasting state. He shall then fall into the hands of the living God, to be dealt with immediately. [2.] What will his hope be then? It will be vanity and a lie; it will stand him in no stead. The wealth of this world, which he hoped in, he must leave behind him, Psa 49:17. The happiness of the other world, which he hoped for, he will certainly miss of. He hoped to go to heaven, but he will be shamefully disappointed; he will plead his external profession, privileges, and performances, but all his pleas will be overruled as frivolous: Depart from me, I know you not. So that, upon the whole, it is certain that a formal hypocrite, with all his gains and all his hopes, will be miserable in a dying hour.
2.Because the hypocrite's prayer will not be heard (Job 27:9): Will God hear his cry when trouble comes upon him? No, he will not; it cannot be expected he should. If true repentance come upon him, God will hear his cry and accept him (Isa 1:18); but, if he continue impenitent and unchanged, let him not think to find favour with God. Observe, (1.) Trouble will come upon him, certainly it will. Troubles in the world often surprise those that are most secure of an uninterrupted prosperity. However, death will come, and trouble with it, when he must leave the world and all his delights in it. The judgment of the great day will come; fearfulness will surprise the hypocrites, Isa 33:14. (2.) Then he will cry to God, will pray, and pray earnestly. Those who in prosperity slighted God, either prayed not at all or were cold and careless in prayer, when trouble comes will make their application to him and cry as men in earnest. But, (3.) Will God hear him then? In the troubles of this life, God has told us that he will not hear the prayers of those who regard iniquity in their hearts (Psa 66:19) and set up their idols there (Eze 14:4), nor of those who turn away their ear from hearing the law, Pro 28:9. Get you to the gods whom you have served, Jdg 10:14. In the judgment to come, it is certain, God will not hear the cry of those who lived and died in their hypocrisy. Their doleful lamentations will all be unpitied. I will laugh at your calamity. Their importunate petitions will all be thrown out and their pleas rejected. Inflexible justice cannot be biassed, nor the irreversible sentence revoked. See Mat 7:22, Mat 7:23; Luk 13:26, and the case of the foolish virgins, Mat 25:11.
3.Because the hypocrite's religion is neither comfortable nor constant (Job 27:10): Will he delight himself in the Almighty? No, not at any time (for his delight is in the profits of the world and the pleasures of the flesh, more than in God), especially not in the time of trouble. Will he always call upon God? No, in prosperity he will not call upon God, but slight him; in adversity he will not call upon God but curse him; he is weary of his religion when he gets nothing by it, or is in danger of losing. Note, (1.) Those are hypocrites who, though they profess religion, neither take pleasure in it nor persevere in it, who reckon their religion a task and a drudgery, a weariness, and snuff at it, who make use of it only to serve a turn, and lay it aside when the turn is served, who will call upon God while it is in fashion, or while the pang of devotion lasts, but leave it off when they fall into other company, or when the hot fit is over. (2.) The reason why hypocrites do not persevere in religion is because they have no pleasure in it. Those that do not delight in the Almighty will not always call upon him. The more comfort we find in our religion the more closely we shall cleave to it. Those who have no delight in God are easily inveigled by the pleasures of sense, and so drawn away from their religion; and they are easily run down by the crosses of this life, and so driven away from their religion, and will not always call upon God.
“I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go.” That means, I will not surrender, nor will the perseverance and resolution of my soul yield, but I will patiently and bravely bear my calamity.
This is what Job means, one who is full of iniquity has neither liberty to express himself nor to say what I say now. Rather, he has been taken away and stays silent. On the contrary, I did not experience that, but I speak and answer. But the same does not happen to those who are iniquitous.
12. In Holy Writ, the words’ like as’ and’ as if’ are sometimes put not for a likeness, but for the reality. Whence we have that; And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father. [John 1, 14] And thus here also ‘like,’ and ‘as’ seem to be said rather for the sake of affirmation than similitude. Now between the ungodly and the wicked man there is wont to be this difference sometimes, that every ungodly man is unrighteous, but not every unrighteous man ungodly. For the’ ungodly’ is put instead of unbeliever, i.e. a stranger to the godliness of religion. But a man is called unrighteous, who by wrongness of practice is at variance with righteousness, even if he does perhaps bear the name of the Christian Faith. Therefore by the typical voice of blessed Job, Holy Church, which is subject to some gainsaying the right Faith, avouches that she has an ‘ungodly man her enemy.’ But because she has to bear others under the cloke of the faith within her pale living in bad practices, she abhors the ‘unrighteous’ man as being her adversary. But if’ like’ and ‘as’ it is right we should understand as put on account of ‘likeness,’ Holy Church brands by a likeness to the ungodly those whom she is subject to living in a carnal manner within her pale. For within her bounds he is an enemy to her, who whilst he maintains himself a believer by professions, denies it by practices. And because he accounts him as an unbeliever, who, whilst set within her pale in semblance, only assails her with mischief of evil doing, he rightly says, Mine enemy is like the ungodly, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous. As though he said in plain speech; ‘He is at variance with me in faith as well, who does not agree with me in practice.’
“My heart does not reproach me for any of my days.” Job has no resentment in himself, and his conscience does not reproach him for any shameful act that he might have committed.
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SUMMARY
Job 27:7 encapsulates Job's unwavering conviction of his integrity amidst profound suffering and persistent accusations from his friends. In this powerful declaration, Job invokes a stark contrast, expressing his fervent desire that his adversaries and those who oppose him would be treated as truly wicked and unrighteous individuals. This is not merely a personal curse but a deeply theological appeal to divine justice, reflecting Job's steadfast belief that God will ultimately vindicate the righteous and clearly distinguish them from those who genuinely rebel against His ways.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Job 27:7 masterfully employs several potent literary devices to convey Job's intense plea for vindication. The most prominent is Parallelism, specifically synonymous parallelism, where the second clause ("and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous") reiterates and amplifies the meaning of the first ("Let mine enemy be as the wicked"). This structural repetition intensifies Job's fervent desire for divine vindication and underscores the clear, unshakeable distinction he draws between his own integrity and the perceived wickedness of his accusers. The verse also functions as an Imprecation or Invocation, a formal prayer or curse that calls for divine judgment upon an enemy. While such language can be unsettling to modern sensibilities, in the biblical context, it frequently serves as a solemn appeal to God's justice and sovereignty rather than a mere expression of personal malice or revenge. It is a rhetorical strategy to assert one's innocence by invoking the ultimate Judge. Furthermore, there is a strong element of Contrast at play, as Job implicitly contrasts his own blamelessness and righteousness with the wickedness and unrighteousness he wishes upon his adversaries, thereby affirming his own integrity through a powerful negation of their accusations.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Job 27:7, though a raw expression of human anguish and a profound desire for vindication, resonates deeply with broader biblical themes concerning God's ultimate justice and the fundamental distinction between the righteous and the wicked. Job's impassioned cry is not a call for personal revenge, but rather a solemn appeal to the divine order, trusting that God, as the perfectly righteous judge, will eventually make all things right and expose the true nature of all actions and hearts. It highlights the deep-seated human longing for justice in a world frequently characterized by injustice, and the theological conviction that God will not forever allow the wicked to prosper or the righteous to suffer without ultimate vindication. This unwavering belief in God's final judgment and the just recompense for all deeds is a consistent and foundational thread woven throughout the entire fabric of Scripture.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Job 27:7 offers a profound glimpse into the human heart's deep desire for justice and vindication when confronted with false accusations or unmerited suffering. While the New Testament calls believers to a higher and transformative standard of loving enemies and praying for those who persecute them, Job's cry is not necessarily contradictory but rather a deeply honest and raw expression of a righteous heart appealing to God's ultimate sovereignty and justice. It serves as a powerful reminder that even the most righteous individuals can experience intense frustration and a profound longing for God to intervene and set the record straight in His perfect timing. For contemporary believers, this verse underscores the paramount importance of maintaining unwavering integrity, even under immense pressure and in the face of grave injustice. It encourages us to commit our causes, our reputations, and our vindication to God, knowing with certainty that He is the ultimate and infallible judge who will distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, even when human judgment fails or is perverted. Our trust is not in our own ability to exact justice, but in God's perfect and righteous character.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does Job's statement contradict New Testament teachings on loving enemies?
Answer: While Job's statement in Job 27:7 appears to be a curse, it is crucial to understand it within its specific Old Testament context and Job's unique situation. Job is not expressing personal malice or a desire for private revenge; rather, he is making a fervent appeal to God's ultimate justice. He is essentially asking God to treat his accusers (who are falsely accusing him of hidden wickedness) as truly wicked, thereby vindicating Job's own righteousness and exposing the injustice of their claims. This is a cry for divine justice and a solemn declaration of his own innocence in the face of unmerited suffering and relentless false accusations. The New Testament command to love enemies, as taught by Jesus in Matthew 5:44, calls believers to a higher standard of grace, mercy, and forgiveness, profoundly reflecting the very character of Christ. However, this New Testament ethic does not negate the foundational biblical truth that God is a righteous judge who will ultimately bring perfect justice. Job's statement reflects a legitimate longing for that ultimate justice, even if its expression differs from the explicit ethics of the New Covenant. Believers are consistently called to leave vengeance to God, as articulated in Romans 12:19, trusting that He will right all wrongs in His sovereign and perfect way.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Job 27:7, with its raw and impassioned cry for justice and vindication against false accusers, finds its ultimate fulfillment and profound transformation in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Job, a righteous man enduring immense and unjust suffering, longed for God to clearly distinguish him from the wicked and to mete out justice to his adversaries. Jesus, the perfectly righteous and sinless Lamb of God, suffered the ultimate injustice—crucifixion at the hands of wicked men, yet He did not curse His enemies or wish them ill. Instead, from the cross, in an unparalleled act of divine love and mercy, He prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). This demonstrates the profound and transformative shift from an Old Testament appeal for justice to a New Testament embodiment of sacrificial love and radical forgiveness, even while maintaining the absolute certainty of divine judgment. Through Christ's atoning death and victorious resurrection, the ultimate and eternal distinction between the righteous and the wicked is made abundantly clear: those who are "in Christ" are declared perfectly righteous, their sins fully atoned for, while those who reject Him face the just and inevitable consequences of their unrighteousness at the final judgment, as vividly depicted in Revelation 20:11-15. Thus, Job's deep longing for vindication is fully realized for all believers in Christ, who are justified by faith and have their ultimate accuser, Satan, silenced by the finished work of their Savior (Romans 8:33-34).