This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 27:7
7 Let mine enemy ['oyeb] be as the wicked [rasha`], and he that riseth up [quwm] against me as the unrighteous [`avval]. KJV-Interlinear
7 'May my enemy be as the wicked, And my opponent as the unjust. NASB
Some might think that Job is hateful toward his so-called friends, that he wishes punishment on them. Some might think that Job is hateful toward wicked people anywhere, and wishes disaster and calamity on them.
But this is not the case.
How do we know this? Because God told us of Jobs character in chapter one, and God will repeat His backing of Job at the end of this book, while at the same time condemning his friends. In fact if the three friends do not offer the commanded sacrifices, and have Job pray for them, then their life will be little better than burnt toast, so to speak.
But these are not what are in view here. Job neither holds contempt nor ill wishes against anyone, but there is a reality to life which will discover the spiritual and carnal nature of everyone. And for their chosen pattern of life, there are repercussions.
Wickedness is an attribute of a faulty spiritual life. Unrighteousness is an attribute of a faulty carnal life.
Wickedness is the activity of evil. Evil is the policy which is antithetical to truth. Sin is the strength of wickedness and self-righteousness is the weakness of wickedness. You might want to review the Carnal Human Nature chart, which is on the web site.
Unrighteousness is the activity of a dysfunctional carnal life. Unrighteousness is the lack of virtue, it is immorality, the function of injustice, indecency, dishonesty, degeneracy. In short it is the sum total of almost all of the bad norms and standards of society.
In contrast to wickedness and unrighteousness, then divine good and righteousness are the strong attributes of a stable life, which is produced by spiritual growth. One cannot have a stable life unless the spiritual life is pursued.
Either, of these patterns of life, is chosen, either actively or passively, by the individual.
Each of these patterns of life comes complete with repercussions.
Stick your hand in the fire and what happens? …… That's right. Rightness or wrongness is irrelevant in this case, but the obvious result is clear to all. At first, it might be a learning experience, but repeated actions of this type indicate a definite unwillingness to learn.
And this is where Job enters the picture in these verses.
The person who rejects truth, is by default the enemy, the opponent of truth. Truth did not make them that way, they chose to become the enemy by their repeated and defiant attitude.
We have already seen the phenomenal greatness and power of God. To have someone like that on your side would be the obvious choice. To reject the one and only God of the universe and everything else, should seem foolish.
To desire the good and best things of life seems natural. To choose repeatedly, the bad things of life should seem foolish.
The condition of the wicked and therefore unrighteous person, is a miserable one at best. This ultimate result of rejecting God, Christ, doctrine and ones spiritual life, is common knowledge, and yet the majority of the world seems to choose it. And most seem to choose it by means of substitution, substitution by some other invented human good or human righteousness mechanism.
And what is their expectation? Well that is coming in tomorrows study.
