If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness;
Job speaks in his defense of his moral integrity against his friends, calling for judgment if wrongdoing is found in him. To look on the sun in its shining or the moon moving in brightness with admiration, with the heart secretly enticed and the hand kissed in homage, is to worship them, which is idolatry and unfaithfulness, a denial of the God above and a breaking of the first commandment punishable by the judge. That same idolatry and denial of God is committed in making gold one's hope and confidence, rejoicing in great wealth and much gain, or being enticed by the brightness of silver and gold. Job, though one of the richest men of his day, did not trust in riches or grow proud because of them, but regarded wealth only as a means of blessing the poor, the needy, the fatherless, and the widow. Every trick of trade for unjust gain is this same worship of Mammon and having another god before the Lord, whether underselling to crowd out a neighbor, demanding a higher price without competition, beating down a seller, boasting in enormous gains, or building great trusts that crush individuality.
Setting and Sun Worship
Job 31:26 falls within the extended debate between Job and his three friends concerning his afflictions spanning Job 4-31. Within that debate it belongs to Job's defense of his moral integrity, in which he challenges his friends and calls for judgment if any wrongdoing is found in his character.
To behold the sun when it shines or the moon walking in brightness with admiration is worship of the sun and moon. If the heart is secretly enticed by their glory or beauty and the mouth kisses the hand in token of respect or homage, that act denies the God that is above. Such worship is idolatry and sin, unfaithfulness to God and contrary to right worship. It is an iniquity to be punished by the judge, a violation and breaking of the first commandment, and expressly forbidden by Jehovah's law even when their brightness might invite reverence.
That Job names looking on the sun and moon in their brightness as a possible object of reverence shows their worship was already practiced in his day. It was already practiced by the heathen before the time of Moses and was known to Job. That worship is idolatry, the most ancient form of idolatry, and the only form of idolatry mentioned in the book of Job, showing Job lived before Moses in the early patriarchal age. Sun-worship was a chief form of Babylonian nature-worship, with feasts and revels connected with it, and those practices were forbidden by God's law. Honoring or worshiping the shining sun and bright moon as idolatry and denial of God belongs to that Babylonian sun worship and its religious feasts, from which the Judean youths refused to take part.
Wealth Worship and Application
Gazing at the sun as it shines and the moon as it moves in brightness with admiration belongs to the same idolatry, violation of God's commandments, and denial of the God above as making gold one's hope and saying to fine gold that it is confidence. Rejoicing because wealth is great and because the hand has gotten much is no less idolatry, no less denial of God, and no less sin than allowing the heart to be secretly enticed by the glory or beauty of sun and moon with the mouth kissing the hand in respect or homage. Allowing the heart to be secretly enticed by the brightness of silver or gold is that same iniquity just as really, an iniquity to be punished by the judge. It is the worship of Mammon, having another god before the Lord, breaking the first commandment, neither loving God with all the heart nor the neighbor as self. Such covetous trust in wealth must be shunned by taking heed and beware of covetousness.
Job did not trust in riches or rejoice because his wealth was great, though he was one of the richest men of his day. He did not take pride in wealth or become highminded because of it. He looked upon his wealth only as a means of blessing the poor, the needy, the fatherless, and the widow. Being rich is not sin, but trusting in wealth, putting confidence in it, rejoicing in it, and being proud on account of it denies the God that is above.
Every trick of trade for unjust gain is this same worship of Mammon and having another god before the Lord. Underselling to crowd out the neighbor, demanding a greater price where there is no competition than would be taken with competition, beating down a seller to get a thing for less than it is worth, boasting in enormous gains, and the great trusts that crush individuality and demand tribute neither love God with all the heart nor the neighbor as self. The verse stands as additional testimony against selfish covetousness, to be met by laying up treasure in heaven for eternal life instead of spending all energy accumulating possessions available only in this short and uncertain life. It belongs to Job's protestation of his integrity, which is much stronger proof of honesty than merely paying debts to fellow men and claiming to owe no man anything.
Job speaks in his defense of his moral integrity against his friends, calling for judgment if wrongdoing is found in him. To look on the sun in its shining or the moon moving in brightness with admiration, with the heart secretly enticed and the hand kissed in homage, is to worship them, which is idolatry and unfaithfulness, a denial of the God above and a breaking of the first commandment punishable by the judge. That same idolatry and denial of God is committed in making gold one's hope and confidence, rejoicing in great wealth and much gain, or being enticed by the brightness of silver and gold. Job, though one of the richest men of his day, did not trust in riches or grow proud because of them, but regarded wealth only as a means of blessing the poor, the needy, the fatherless, and the widow. Every trick of trade for unjust gain is this same worship of Mammon and having another god before the Lord, whether underselling to crowd out a neighbor, demanding a higher price without competition, beating down a seller, boasting in enormous gains, or building great trusts that crush individuality.
Setting and Sun Worship
Job 31:26 falls within the extended debate between Job and his three friends concerning his afflictions spanning Job 4-31. Within that debate it belongs to Job's defense of his moral integrity, in which he challenges his friends and calls for judgment if any wrongdoing is found in his character.
To behold the sun when it shines or the moon walking in brightness with admiration is worship of the sun and moon. If the heart is secretly enticed by their glory or beauty and the mouth kisses the hand in token of respect or homage, that act denies the God that is above. Such worship is idolatry and sin, unfaithfulness to God and contrary to right worship. It is an iniquity to be punished by the judge, a violation and breaking of the first commandment, and expressly forbidden by Jehovah's law even when their brightness might invite reverence.
That Job names looking on the sun and moon in their brightness as a possible object of reverence shows their worship was already practiced in his day. It was already practiced by the heathen before the time of Moses and was known to Job. That worship is idolatry, the most ancient form of idolatry, and the only form of idolatry mentioned in the book of Job, showing Job lived before Moses in the early patriarchal age. Sun-worship was a chief form of Babylonian nature-worship, with feasts and revels connected with it, and those practices were forbidden by God's law. Honoring or worshiping the shining sun and bright moon as idolatry and denial of God belongs to that Babylonian sun worship and its religious feasts, from which the Judean youths refused to take part.
Wealth Worship and Application
Gazing at the sun as it shines and the moon as it moves in brightness with admiration belongs to the same idolatry, violation of God's commandments, and denial of the God above as making gold one's hope and saying to fine gold that it is confidence. Rejoicing because wealth is great and because the hand has gotten much is no less idolatry, no less denial of God, and no less sin than allowing the heart to be secretly enticed by the glory or beauty of sun and moon with the mouth kissing the hand in respect or homage. Allowing the heart to be secretly enticed by the brightness of silver or gold is that same iniquity just as really, an iniquity to be punished by the judge. It is the worship of Mammon, having another god before the Lord, breaking the first commandment, neither loving God with all the heart nor the neighbor as self. Such covetous trust in wealth must be shunned by taking heed and beware of covetousness.
Job did not trust in riches or rejoice because his wealth was great, though he was one of the richest men of his day. He did not take pride in wealth or become highminded because of it. He looked upon his wealth only as a means of blessing the poor, the needy, the fatherless, and the widow. Being rich is not sin, but trusting in wealth, putting confidence in it, rejoicing in it, and being proud on account of it denies the God that is above.
Every trick of trade for unjust gain is this same worship of Mammon and having another god before the Lord. Underselling to crowd out the neighbor, demanding a greater price where there is no competition than would be taken with competition, beating down a seller to get a thing for less than it is worth, boasting in enormous gains, and the great trusts that crush individuality and demand tribute neither love God with all the heart nor the neighbor as self. The verse stands as additional testimony against selfish covetousness, to be met by laying up treasure in heaven for eternal life instead of spending all energy accumulating possessions available only in this short and uncertain life. It belongs to Job's protestation of his integrity, which is much stronger proof of honesty than merely paying debts to fellow men and claiming to owe no man anything.