Job Chapter 24

The Problem of the Seeming Security of the Wicked

A. Job explains the conduct of the wicked.

1. (Job 24:1–8) The conduct of the wicked.

“Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days?
Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks, and feed thereof.
They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow’s ox for a pledge.
They turn the needy out of the way: the poor of the earth hide themselves together.
Behold, as wild asses in the desert, go they forth to their work; rising betimes for a prey: the wilderness yieldeth food for them and for their children.
They reap every one his corn in the field: and they gather the vintage of the wicked.
They cause the naked to lodge without clothing, that they have no covering in the cold.
They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rock for want of a shelter.”

Job begins by raising a fundamental theological question that troubles him deeply. Since times and seasons are not hidden from the Almighty, since God knows exactly when and how He will act, why do those who truly know God not see His days of judgment? Job is not questioning God’s knowledge, but God’s timing and transparency. He wonders why the righteous, who fear God and seek Him, are left without insight into when divine justice will be exercised. This question frames the entire chapter and exposes Job’s struggle with the apparent delay of judgment.

Job then turns from theology to observation. He describes the conduct of the wicked in concrete, unmistakable terms. These are not abstract sinners, but people whose evil is visible and systemic. They remove landmarks, violating property boundaries and stealing land by fraud. This was a serious crime under the Law of Moses, condemned explicitly in Deuteronomy 19:14, which says, “Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour’s landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance.” It was also cursed in Deuteronomy 27:17, “Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour’s landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen.” Yet Job observes that such men seem to prosper rather than suffer judgment.

The wicked seize flocks violently and sustain themselves on stolen wealth. They exploit the most defenseless members of society, driving away the donkey of the fatherless and taking the widow’s ox as collateral. These acts are especially cruel because the Law repeatedly commanded care for widows and orphans. Job emphasizes that the poor are not merely disadvantaged but actively driven off the road and forced into hiding. Wickedness does not merely ignore the needy, it pushes them out of sight.

Job then shifts perspective to the victims. The poor live like wild donkeys in the desert, driven to harsh labor simply to survive. They rise early, scavenging for food in barren places. The irony is sharp. While the wicked reap harvests and gather vineyards, the poor glean from fields that are not their own and labor for others without benefit. They spend the night naked, without clothing, exposed to cold and rain, clinging to rocks for shelter. Job’s language evokes pity and moral outrage. He wants his hearers to feel the weight of this injustice.

This description directly answers Eliphaz’s earlier accusations. Job agrees that this is how wicked men behave, but he denies that he himself is such a man. His moral clarity here exposes the injustice of condemning him based solely on his suffering.

2. (Job 24:9–12) The wicked oppress the weak.

“They pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor.
They cause him to go naked without clothing, and they take away the sheaf from the hungry;
Which make oil within their walls, and tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst.
Men groan from out of the city, and the soul of the wounded crieth out: yet God layeth not folly to them.”

Job intensifies his description of oppression. He speaks of infants torn from their mothers, a picture of extreme cruelty and exploitation. The wicked treat even human life as collateral, seizing pledges from the poor without mercy. They strip the needy of clothing and confiscate food from the hungry. This is not survival-driven crime but calculated abuse of power.

The irony deepens as Job describes laborers producing oil and wine inside the walls of the wealthy, yet suffering hunger and thirst themselves. They work surrounded by abundance but are denied its benefits. Job highlights the moral obscenity of this system. The wicked profit from the suffering of others while remaining untouched by judgment.

Job then widens the lens to the city. Groans rise from urban centers. Wounded souls cry out in pain and injustice. Suffering is public, widespread, and audible. Yet the most troubling observation comes at the end. God does not immediately charge them with wrong. Job does not mean that God approves of evil, but that God does not visibly intervene in the way Job expects. The absence of immediate judgment is the core of Job’s anguish.

This tension is central to the book. Job is not denying divine justice; he is wrestling with its timing and visibility. He believes God is just, yet he cannot reconcile that belief with what he sees. The wicked oppress openly, the righteous suffer quietly, and heaven appears silent.

B. The seeming security of the wicked.

1. (Job 24:13–17) The deeds done in darkness.

“They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof.
The murderer rising with the light killeth the poor and needy, and in the night is as a thief.
The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me: and disguiseth his face.
In the dark they dig through houses, which they had marked for themselves in the daytime: they know not the light.
For the morning is to them even as the shadow of death: if one know them, they are in the terrors of the shadow of death.”

Job continues his examination of the wicked by focusing on their deliberate relationship to darkness. These are not merely people who stumble into sin, but those who actively rebel against the light. Light here represents moral truth, accountability, and the presence of God. The wicked reject this light because it exposes their deeds. They neither know its ways nor desire to walk in its paths. Their alienation from the light is willful and sustained.

Job then gives concrete examples. The murderer rises early, taking advantage of daylight to prey upon the poor and needy, yet adopts the methods of a thief by night. Violence and stealth coexist in the same person. The adulterer watches for twilight, the moment when visibility fades and accountability weakens. He convinces himself that no eye sees, disguising his face both literally and morally. Sin thrives where secrecy is assumed.

Job describes thieves who break into houses under cover of darkness, homes they carefully observed and marked during the day. This detail highlights premeditation. Darkness is not accidental but chosen. These men do not know the light, not because it is unavailable, but because they reject it.

The final irony is striking. Morning, which should bring relief, safety, and renewal, is for them the shadow of death. Light terrifies them because it threatens exposure. Recognition brings panic, not peace. Their fear is not of darkness, but of being known. Job exposes the internal misery of the wicked, even when they appear outwardly secure.

2. (Job 24:18–21) What should happen to the wicked.

“He is swift as the waters; their portion is cursed in the earth: he beholdeth not the way of the vineyards.
Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth the grave those which have sinned.
The womb shall forget him; the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered; and wickedness shall be broken as a tree.
He evil entreateth the barren that beareth not: and doeth not good to the widow.”

Here Job shifts from description to expectation. He states what should happen to the wicked according to justice. They should pass swiftly away, unstable and fleeting like water on the surface of the earth. Their portion should be cursed in this present life, not delayed indefinitely. Job emphasizes earthly judgment, noting that they should no longer walk in the way of vineyards, symbols of settled prosperity and blessing.

Job uses natural imagery to reinforce his point. Just as drought and heat consume melting snow, so the grave should swiftly consume those who live in sin. He is not denying judgment after death, but insisting that justice should be visible before death as well. In Job’s mind, moral order demands that wickedness not appear to flourish unchecked in the present world.

The language grows severe. The womb should forget the wicked man, meaning he should leave no lasting legacy. The worm feeding sweetly on him emphasizes the completeness and finality of judgment. He should be remembered no more, and his wickedness should be broken like a tree, cut down decisively and permanently. Job envisions evil not merely restrained but destroyed.

Job concludes by reminding the reader why such judgment is deserved. The wicked prey upon the barren woman, who in the ancient world was among the most vulnerable, even more defenseless than the widow who might yet have sons. He does no good for the widow either. His life is characterized by exploitation of those least able to resist. Job is not speculating about abstract evil. He is describing moral outrage grounded in lived reality.

This section reveals Job’s struggle clearly. He knows what justice looks like. He knows what the wicked deserve. What he cannot understand is why God allows such people to persist, prosper, and act with apparent impunity while the righteous suffer. The problem is not whether God is just, but why His justice seems delayed and hidden.

3. (Job 24:22–25) The seeming security of the wicked.

“He draweth also the mighty with his power: he riseth up, and no man is sure of life.
Though it be given him to be in safety, whereon he resteth; yet his eyes are upon their ways.
They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all other, and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.
And if it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth?”

Job now reaches a kind of sober balance in his reasoning. He acknowledges that God does, at times, draw away the mighty with His power. The wicked may rise, appear strong, and exercise influence, yet no man is ultimately secure in life. Power, wealth, and position do not guarantee permanence. Job admits that even the strongest are subject to forces beyond their control, forces directed by God Himself.

Job observes that God may allow the wicked to enjoy a season of safety. They are given security, and they rely upon it. This is precisely what troubles Job. The wicked rest confidently, assuming their position is stable and unassailable. Yet Job affirms an essential truth. God’s eyes are upon their ways. Their prosperity is not the result of divine ignorance or indifference. God sees fully, continuously, and accurately. Nothing escapes His awareness.

Job then stresses the brevity of their apparent success. They are exalted only for a little while. Their rise is temporary, not permanent. Suddenly and quietly they are gone. They are brought low just like all others. Death does not discriminate between righteous and wicked in its arrival. Job uses an agricultural image familiar to his hearers. The wicked are cut off like the tops of the ears of corn. In ancient harvesting practices, the heads of grain were severed swiftly and decisively, leaving nothing of value behind. The image communicates suddenness, finality, and inevitability.

This conclusion shows that Job does not deny divine justice. He denies only its immediacy and predictability. He recognizes that God may allow the wicked to prosper for a season, yet their end is still judgment. This places Job closer to the later reflection found in Psalm 73, where the psalmist struggled with the prosperity of the wicked until he understood their end. Job’s struggle is similar, though he has not yet reached full resolution or peace.

Job closes with a direct challenge. If his analysis is false, let someone prove him a liar. He invites contradiction, not to provoke argument, but to assert the integrity of his observations. He has spoken honestly about what he sees in the world. The righteous suffer. The wicked often prosper. God remains sovereign over both. If this is not so, then his words are empty. Job is confident that his assessment reflects reality, even if he cannot yet reconcile that reality with complete understanding.

This final challenge marks the end of Job’s sustained argument in this section. He has described evil accurately, refused simplistic explanations, and maintained faith in God’s ultimate justice, even while admitting confusion about its timing.