Job 27

CHAPTER 27

Job's Closing Discourse (27:1–23)

1 So far in the book of Job, we have been hearing the back-and-forth arguments of Job and his three friends. This entire dialogue section of the book began with Job's opening lament in Chapter 3, and has continued on with three rounds of speeches in Chapters 4–26. Now in Chapters 27–28, Job concludes the dialogue section with a closing discourse.

2–6 Job begins with an oath based on God's existence (verse 2). This was the most solemn oath anyone could take; if one spoke falsely after taking such an oath, he could expect divine judgment to fall on him. Job was so sure he was blameless before God that he was willing to risk his life to defend his integrity.

Job claims to be blameless, but he has never claimed to be sinless. What Job is saying is that he has done nothing to deserve the suffering he has endured. This is why he can say in verse 2: “God ... has denied me justice.”

However, even though he feels God has treated him unfairly, Job does not abandon his faith in God. He swears that he will continue to speak honestly and oppose the false accusations of his three “friends.” “I will never admit you are in the right,” he tells them (verse 5); “I will never accuse myself falsely.”

One might wonder how Job could consider God unjust and yet keep hoping that God would justify him—vindicate him. It's easy to say that God is always “just”—that is, until something bad happens to us. Then we begin to think that either we are wrong or God is wrong. But Job knew that both those thoughts were incorrect: he knew that ultimately both he and God would be proven right. Job still didn't know the cause of his suffering—and on earth he never would—but he would continue to put his faith in God. Job, without realizing it, was looking forward to the day when God would come in the person of His Son and bear the punishment for man's sin; in doing this, God would show that He was both just and also the justifier—vindicator—of all who placed their faith in Him (see Romans 3:26).

7–10 Here Job refers to his three friends as enemies (verse 7). They have falsely accused him of being wicked, but in doing so they have proved themselves to be wicked. Therefore, they deserve to be punished like the wicked; they deserve to be cut off from God⁵⁶ (verse 8).

11–23 In these verses, Job vividly describes the fate of the wicked—something Job's friends had often talked about. Job, in a sense, is picturing the punishment his three friends deserve.⁵⁷