Because Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” we know that God’s will is not done on earth right now in the same way as it is done in heaven. While God is sovereign and nothing happens anywhere outside of His control, all that He desires and all that pleases Him won’t happen until the end of the age. In the meantime, our own desires and prayers should be consistently directed toward that day. This involves not only a longing for the righteous to be vindicated (Job 23), but also for the wicked to be punished (Job 24). This too is part of the gospel. In the second half of his reply to Eliphaz’s last speech, Job begins with a pair of rhetorical questions: “Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty, and why do those who know Him never see His days?” (v 1). This is the concern that drives the whole chapter: not that God never rights the books, but that a great deal of evil takes place without any prompt accounting, and righteous people suffer without any prompt vindication. Though God’s people long for His coming judgment, they never see it. So why the delay? As examples, Job lists many evils that people frequently get away with, most of them cases of public injustice. Everyone sees it happening all around them, yet nothing changes. Orphans and widows are cruelly taken advantage of by those with power. The poor are cruelly driven from society, unable to enjoy simple benefits others enjoy. Surrounded by plenty of food and drink as they glean in the vineyards of the wicked, they themselves are hungry and thirsty, cold and wet, lacking adequate shelter. Human misery is great worldwide. Yet when the wounded cry out, “God charges no one with wrong” (v 2-12). From the abuse of power Job turns to more flagrant offenses. While certain sins are more respectable in a given society, murder and adultery are seen as abhorrent behavior in every culture. These take place in “deep darkness” to avoid exposure by the light. They may indeed escape judgment now, but those who do these dark deeds are actually making friends with hell (v 13-17). Job knows that justice will eventually be done. God does see, He does care, and He will act (v 18-24). Yet the question remains: why does He wait until the end in order to punish sinners? As D.A. Carson notes, “It is a searing question. Part of the answer emerges later in the book. But at the very least we should acknowledge that instant judgment on every sin would have most of us in pretty constant pain, yelping like Pavlovian dogs to avoid the hurt, but without inner transformation. Do you really want what Job seems to be asking for?” For further meditation: