Job’s Reply to Eliphaz   (23:1 – 24:25) — continued

24:1
Job wondered why God allowed wrong to go unpunished. He wondered why God seemed so slow in dealing with the wicked. The key question Job asked in this chapter is, “Why doesn’t God do something?” He wished God held a regular court schedule, like human judges, so that the wicked could be expeditiously judged and the righteous would have opportunity to present their cases as well.

24:2-12
Job presented example after example of the things the wicked do that go unpunished and said that God seemed to be oblivious to it all. He could not understand why the wicked, who were guilty of heartless and cruel oppression of others, could go unpunished while he, who kept and followed God’s Word (23:12), was suffering such agony. The injustices in the world did not make sense to Job.

24:13-17
In addition to the injustices done in the light of day (verses 2-12), Job was perplexed by the problem of crimes committed under the cover of darkness that seemed to go unpunished. These verses are filled with the question of why: “Why do murderers, thieves, and adulterers go free?”

24:18-25
Job balanced his thoughts by declaring that the wicked will eventually come to ruin. They will be judged in the end. There will be a payday some day. Job challenged his friends to try to dispute his argument.