Hello everyone! Welcome to today’s Bible study on Job 27 – Job maintains his integrity. According to Bible scholars, the events of the book of Job took place approximately before 2100 B.C.
I encourage you to turn to Job 27 in your Bible. Kindly invite the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read and study Job 27 with me. I mention this in all the Bible Studies because it is through the Holy Spirit that we get fresh revelation and knowledge to understand the word of God. I am using the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, just in case you want to know. All the scriptures that you find highlighted in purple in this post are from the NKJV.
In the Bible Study on Job 26, we read about Job’s discourse on man’s frailty and God’s majesty. Well, in this Bible study on Job 27, we will read about how Job maintained his integrity. The next five chapters of the book of Job from now on will solely be Job’s discourse on various topics as he attempts to justify himself before his three friends Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar.
Without any further delay, let us study together and learn what is Job Chapter 27 about, shall we?
Job Maintains His Integrity
1 Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said:
2 “As God lives, who has taken away my justice,
And the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,
3 As long as my breath is in me,
And the breath of God in my nostrils,
4 My lips will not speak wickedness,
Nor my tongue utter deceit.
5 Far be it from me
That I should say you are right;
Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
6 My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go;
My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live.
In Verses 1-6 of Job 27, Job swore by God that he will not speak wickedly or deceitfully even as God lives. He would never agree that his friends were right because they were not, in his eyes. Job said that he will not give up his integrity even until he dies. He did not have any desire to give up his righteousness just because his friends accused him falsely. By being righteous and by upholding his integrity, he would not have to bear the reproach of his own heart. In short, he saved himself from feeling guilty of being false by maintaining his righteousness.
Job Desires Judgment Against His Enemy
7 “May my enemy be like the wicked,
And he who rises up against me like the unrighteous.
8 For what is the hope of the hypocrite,
Though he may gain much,
If God takes away his life?
9 Will God hear his cry
When trouble comes upon him?
10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty?
Will he always call on God?
In Verses 7-10 of Job 27, Job desires for his enemies and those who rise up agaisnt him to have the judgment of the wicked and unrighteous. A hypocrite has no hope because even if he gained all riches, he would lose everything when God cuts his life short. God will not listen to him when trouble comes upon him. The hypocrite does not delight in the Almighty. He does not always call on God even when he is in trouble.
Job Questions His Friends’ Nonsense Behaviour
11 “I will teach you about the hand of God;
What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 Surely all of you have seen it;
Why then do you behave with complete nonsense?
In Verses 11-12 of Job 27, Job tells his friends that he would teach them about the hand of God and he would not conceal it. Surely, by now all of them (his friends) have seen the hand of God on Job (they were there physically with Job) and yet their behaviour is completely nonsense as if their eyes had seen nothing.
Job: The Portion Of A Wicked Man From God
13 “This is the portion of a wicked man with God,
And the heritage of oppressors, received from the Almighty:
14 If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword;
And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
15 Those who survive him shall be buried in death,
And their widows shall not weep,
16 Though he heaps up silver like dust,
And piles up clothing like clay—
17 He may pile it up, but the just will wear it,
And the innocent will divide the silver.
18 He builds his house like a moth,
Like a booth which a watchman makes.
19 The rich man will lie down,
But not be gathered up;
He opens his eyes,
And he is no more.
20 Terrors overtake him like a flood;
A tempest steals him away in the night.
21 The east wind carries him away, and he is gone;
It sweeps him out of his place.
22 It hurls against him and does not spare;
He flees desperately from its power.
23 Men shall clap their hands at him,
And shall hiss him out of his place.
In Verses 13-23 of Job 27, Job talks about the portion of the wicked man from God. Even though the wicked man might have many offsprings, they will all be killed or go without food. Those who inherit his wealth will be die and be buried. Their widows shall not weep for them. Though he is so rich where he heaps up silver for himself like mere dust and piles up clothing for himself as if they were mere clay, he will not get to enjoy any of it. His wealth and clothes are stored for the righteous and the innocent. He builds his house like a moth and his house is like a temporary booth that a watchman makes.
The rich wicked man will lie down but not be gathered up. He opens his eyes only to die. Terrors overtake him and tempest literally steals him away at night. The east wind sweeps him out of his place and hurls against him without mercy. He desperately tries to escape the terrors surrounding him. However, men shall clap their hands (rejoice at God’s judgement against the wicked) at his calamity and shall hiss him (like a serpent hisses to send it predators away) out of his dwelling place.
Conclusion
This brings us to the end of the bible study lesson on Job 27. Job, despite his friends’ accusations in all these chapters, continued to maintain his integrity. I hope you learnt something from this free bible study and found it helpful in your Bible study journey.
If you have any comments or questions for me, kindly leave them in the comments box below. I highly appreciate it. I will get back to you as soon as I can. Stay tuned for the upcoming bible study on Job 28.
Until Next Time!