At this point in our study, Job returns to the friends’ main argument, namely, that God punishes the wicked and rewards the righteous. While we know this to be ultimately true, it would be a mistake to conclude that God always does so in this life. The fact is, according to Job, God destroys both the righteous and the unrighteous, regardless of their character (Job 9:22). In other words, it would be obvious, if one would objectively consider the calamities of life, that neither the good are necessarily protected nor are the wicked necessarily punished in common events such as pestilence, earthquakes or storms etc. While there may be exceptions to this general rule, vis-à-vis prayer and grace, the fact remains that the good often suffer, and the wicked often escape the effects of calamity. Therefore, the foundational argument of the friends is disproved easily, simply by observing the lives of those around us.
Moreover, Job argues that God treats everyone the same, whether good or evil. On the whole, he doesn’t discriminate between the just and the unjust in this present age. This fact, although seemingly obvious, has never been totally embraced by the wise (viz. Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar) or those who trust in such wisdom (cp. Acts 28:3-4). Job claimed, as the Teacher does, that one event happens to all:
Vanity is in all. There is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good, and to the bad; both to the pure, and to the impure; both to him that sacrifices, and to him that does not sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; as is the swearer, even so is he that fears an oath. (Ecclesiastes 9:2; LXX)
Therefore, if God doesn’t necessarily reward good or evil in this life, but, instead, causes all to endure life’s calamities alike, Job couldn’t, necessarily, be suffering due to some great unknown or secret sin. Or, if he was suffering due to his wickedness, it wasn’t a common event that occurred to all who are wicked. While there are certainly exceptions to the rule, the fact remains that one event happens to all, whether just or unjust. And, if Job truly is wicked, the friends couldn’t know that simply by observing his troubles. Their worldview of God and how he works in the lives of men is hereby proved wrong.
Next, Job tells the friends: “If the scourge slay suddenly, he will laugh at the trial of the innocent” (Job 9:23). That is, if the calamity occurs suddenly (viz. natural disaster, oppressor, pestilence etc.), the Lord would laugh at the trial of the innocent. The second statement has both surprised and confused many students of the Bible. Why would God laugh at the trial of the innocent?
First of all, the sense should not be taken literally, because the Lord takes no joy in the destruction of the sinner (Ezekiel 18:32; 33:11). The sense should be that the Lord doesn’t discriminate between the just and the unjust, as far as saving the just out of the calamity is concerned. Secondly, we need to take note of Job’s words and understand that there is, indeed, a distinction being made between the righteous and the wicked. For the one the scourge comes as a destroying power (slay suddenly), but to the other it is meant for a trial (the trial of the innocent). In other words, the very same calamity that destroys the wicked is meant to build up the character and faith in the innocent.
However, in the context of Job’s debate with the friends, he means to show that, as a rule of thumb, the innocent don’t get to be treated differently than the wicked in times when calamity strikes a city or a nation. One event happens to all alike, regardless of one’s righteousness or lack thereof (Ecclesiastes 9:2).
Finally, Job sums up this part of his argument by saying that by and large it is the wicked who rise to power in a city and a nation. While exceptions do occur, it is the wicked and not the righteous who become the movers and shakers of society. Why is that? Job claims it is by the hand of God, and, if not God, then who does it (Job 9:24). Job also claims: “he covers the faces of the judges.” Some scholars have given the sense that God makes the wisdom of the righteous to be obscure so that evil-doers will gain power. Other scholars understand the phrase to mean, the Lord deliberately blinds the eyes of the judges so that the wicked will come to power. However, no matter which sense is the correct one or if both are wrong and another is correct, the Lord causes the wicked to rise to power. Why? It is because the Lord gives to the people the leader they long to have. When the people have wicked desires, the wicked will reign (cp. 1Samuel 8:3-4, 7).
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