The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight, saying, ‘No eye will see me’; and he veils his face.
Job is answering friends who insist that God always punishes the wicked in this life. He points instead at men who work under cover of night. This verse catches one of them in the act. It raises two questions: why does a man think darkness hides him, and why does God allow it to pass?
The company he keeps
Job lists the adulterer beside the murderer and the housebreaker, and calls them all rebels against the light. One writer draws the line between weakness and open defiance:
Leslie M. GrantSurely Job's friends knew he could not be classed with those who "rebel against the light" (v.13). This is not only sin moved by greed, but that moved by bold defiance of God. There was, and is, light that can be a great blessing to those who value it. But many "choose darkness rather than light." They are not merely giving in to their weaknesses; they are deliberately choosing the ways of wilful evil.
Watching the clock
The picture is of a man timing his sin. A close rendering of the Hebrew brings out both the watching eye and the covering laid over the face:
William KellyThey are among the rebels against the light, they know not His ways, nor remain in His paths. With the light the murderer rises, he slays the poor and needy, and in the night he is as a thief. And the adulterer's eye watches for the twilight, saying, "No eye observes me," and he lays a veil over the face.
Why they choose the dark
These men hide indoors by day. One writer explains what they hate about the light:
Samuel RidoutHere are men who hate the light, "because their works were evil." They choose the night for their "unfruitful works of darkness." … The adulterer prowls for his vile deeds "in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness" (Proverbs 7:9). He is like other beasts of prey. "By day they shut themselves up" (v.16), and — how solemn — "they do not know the light": it shows up their shame and sin. … They are at home in the night — it is their day.
Another writer names what the light disturbs:
Hamilton SmithThe evil deeds that men do lead them to hate the light that exposes their deeds and disturbs their conscience. An uneasy conscience makes the light unbearable. The person who puts the truth into practice will not fear the light.
The calculation that fails
Scripture has already tested the claim "No eye will see me" in the life of a king:
William J HockingDavid's flagrant sin in the matter of Uriah the Hittite was committed in secret. But God knew the whole sordid story, and exposed his guilt to all Israel (2 Samuel 12:12). The king said to himself, Surely the darkness shall cover me. But he had to learn that the darkness could not hide from the Lord. To his shame, God brought his secret sin out into the light of the sun (Psalm 139:11-12).
The witness already inside the room
Even the veil over the face does not shut out every observer. The sinner carries one with him:
Hamilton SmithGod knows your most secret sin: "You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence" (Psalm 90:8). He sees when you shut the door of your room to pray, and He will reward your sincerity. In the same way, when you shut it to sin in secret, He will reward your hypocrisy. The word tells you of an informer in your own heart — conscience. It goes along with you, and it witnesses all your well-laid plots. What it sees, it writes down, for it is a court of record.
Why judgment waits
Job's real complaint is that nothing happens to such men. One writer takes up that question:
William KellyHow is it that He allows it to pass as He does, and that there is no day of retribution now? Well, we can perfectly answer that. It is all reserved for Christ… All judgment is committed to the Son, because He is the Son of man, and as the Son of man He has been hated.
The remedy laws cannot supply
One writer spells out what the waiting is for, and why new laws cannot stop it:
Leslie M. GrantThe adulterer waits until it is dark enough that no one will recognise him, and in the dark he breaks into a house which he marked in the daytime, to commit his cruel crime of rape. Has society changed since Job's time? Not at all! There are still such crimes committed every day. People keep on demanding more laws to combat such things, but laws do not change men's rebellious hearts. They need to be saved by the grace of God.
Summary
- Chosen dark. The adulterer is not a man who slipped. Job groups him with those who rebel against the light and choose their hour.
- Hated light. They prefer darkness because light exposes them. An uneasy conscience cannot bear it, so they shut themselves in by day.
- Failed cover. The veil over the face fools people, not God. David counted on the darkness and learned otherwise.
- Kept record. Conscience goes along with the sinner as a court of record, writing down what the night hides from everyone else.
- Reserved judgment. Nothing happens now because God has reserved the reckoning for Christ. So the only real escape is His grace, not tighter laws.