8-21-14. Zophar Had It All Wrong- my devotional

Job 20:1-29                                                                                                 Kevin E. Jesmer

Key Verse: 20: 27                                                                                      8-21-14

“The heavens will expose his guilt; the earth will rise up against him.”

Dear Lord heavenly Father, please help me to have enough focus and strength to get some clear understanding from this chapter of Job. I am working a lot and find it hard to focus my thoughts, but you can help me. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Part 1: Glorify God In The Midst Of Our Suffering (1- 22)

Look at verses 1-9, “Then Zophar the Naamathite replied: 2 “My troubled thoughts prompt me to answer because I am greatly disturbed. 3 I hear a rebuke that dishonors me, and my understanding inspires me to reply. 4 “Surely you know how it has been from of old, ever since mankind was placed on the earth, 5 that the mirth of the wicked is brief, the joy of the godless lasts but a moment. 6 Though the pride of the godless person reaches to the heavens and his head touches the clouds, 7 he will perish forever, like his own dung; those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’ 8 Like a dream he flies away, no more to be found, banished like a vision of the night. 9 The eye that saw him will not see him again; his place will look on him no more.” (NIV)

This is Zophar’s second (and last) speech. His main premise is stated first in 20:5 and summed up in 20:20. These read as follows; Job 20:5, “5 that the mirth of the wicked is brief, the joy of the godless lasts but a moment.” and Job 20:20, “Surely he will have no respite from his craving; he cannot save himself by his treasure.”

In verses 10-22, Zophar now accuses job of gaining his former riches by deceit, fraud oppressing the poor and that he continued to oppress the poor long after he was extremely wealthy because of his greed. A wicked person’s children are cursed to make amends for he ill gotten gain of their greedy parent. According to Zophar, such a wicked man shall be made to vomit up his ill gotten gains by God himself. Though Job may have seen much prosperity during his lifetime, he will now see it no more. And so now, according to Zophar, the Lord has taken everything away because of Job’s terrible sin.

Zophar is inspired by his own understanding, not by God. From his vantage point, no wicked person can escape God’s punishment. This is true. But he is also implying that Job’s troubles are God’s punishment for his sin. But this is not true. Zophar does not know God. He does not pray for his friend…he only tries to explain why Job is suffering and he is wrong. His counseling is unnecessary and even harmful.

Zophar’s speech again revealed his false assumptions about the root cause of suffering and in particular, Job’s suffering.  He based his arguments purely on the idea that Job was an evil hypocrite. Zophar said that although Job had it good for a while, he didn’t live righteously and therefore God took his wealth from him and “laid him on a bed of suffering”. He continues to refer to Job as a hypocrite and insults Job further saying that future generations will ask what has become of him.  According to Zophar, Job’s calamites proved his wickedness.

For those who can not take a rebuke from others….In Job 20:1-3, Zophar reacts to a rebuke from a righteous man, Job. He reacted out of his pride and failed to learn what God wanted to teach him. Look at Job 20:1-3, “Then Zophar the Naamathite replied: 2 “My troubled thoughts prompt me to answer because I am greatly disturbed. 3 I hear a rebuke that dishonors me, and my understanding inspires me to reply.”  Zophar heard Job’s rebuke, but brushes aside Job’s warnings concerning judgment and reacts by turning on Job again. Instead of accepting a rebuke and learning from the words of a righteous man, in his self righteousness, Zophar admits he has heard Job’s rebuke yet he claims that he and his friends have been more dishonored by Job. Zophar asserts that he has greater understanding in these issues and therefore is compelled to answer.

God’s people need to be humble and be able to listen to a rebuke. We have a tendency to easily criticize and find fault in something, but we are not able to take criticism. We like to dish it out but not take it. The Bible teaches us to be humble. We need to take the plank out of our own eye before we take the speck out of our brother’s eye. (Matt 7:4-5) We need to self reflect and be humble enough to say, “OK, I concede. That is true of me. Maybe I need help.”  We need to open our hearts and accept what is spoken to us by others. Sometimes God may even use a child to rebuke us. God does speak through the mouths of babes. Sometimes non believers speak the truth to us. We had best listen to them and learn. But we especially need to learn when a righteous person, like Job rebukes us, we need to accept it and grow through it.  Psalm 141:15a reads, “Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it….”  (NIV) This requires great humility and confession of our need for support.  It also requires us to see others our brothers and sisters in the Lord with the eyes of respect and honor and listen to what they have to say, even if it is words of rebuke. One thing that we must never let happen is leave the impression on people that we are not willing to listen and learn from others. We will be labeled as one who is too proud to learn. And that goes for seasoned Christian leaders too. The more mature we get in Jesus the more we should listen and learn from others. I especially pray this for myself.

In Job 20 there are also some deep things to be said of suffering. Although Zophar was wrong in directing his tirade against Job, he was correct, in some instances, and in a very general sense, in talking about the final end of the wicked. The scenarios he paints do happen in this world. Remember my point, this is in a general sense. For those who live apart from God, sin seems enjoyable and attractive at first. Lying, stealing or oppressing often bring temporary gain to those who practice such sins. Some live a long life enjoying ill gotten gain. But all must know, that in the end, God’s justice will prevail. There are also the lost whose lives are short lived in the land. They are like driven leaves…here today and gone tomorrow. People do say, “What ever happened to that person?” They also said in Zophar’s time. Look at Job 20: 7b-9, “…those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’ 8 Like a dream he flies away, no more to be found, banished like a vision of the night. 9 The eye that saw him will not see him again; his place will look on him no more.”

But this is only a generality and not every case. There are instances where people who are in Christ suffer a lot. They may be racked on a bed of pain. They may suffer from bone crushing and disabling depression. They may be always struggling with getting the bills in order, or with relational issues. People may loose their homes, their money and even their families. Some may even loose freedom and security their lives and even their heads, as we see in the Middle East. But that does not mean the people who are suffering loss are wicked and receiving God’s wrath. It does mean that people of faith, who suffer, are called to glorify God under very, very difficult circumstances.

One day Jesus and his disciples were walking down a road and they saw a man who was blind from birth. The disciples asked, “Who sinned this man or his parent’s that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned”, said Jesus. “But this happened so that the work of God may be displayed in his life.” (John 9) Those who find themselves suffering, should see their situation from God’s point of view and ask God, “How can I bring glory to Jesus in this situation?” Easier said than done, right? When I was depressed the last thing I wanted do is ask Jesus how I can glorify him in the midst of it all. But this is where our hearts and our prayers should move us. There is deliverance in following Jesus’ way in the midst of our suffering.

Zophar continues to tell everyone what he thinks is the outcome of the wicked. Look at verses 10-22, “10 His children must make amends to the poor; his own hands must give back his wealth. 11 The youthful vigor that fills his bones will lie with him in the dust. 12 “Though evil is sweet in his mouth and he hides it under his tongue, 13 though he cannot bear to let it go and lets it linger in his mouth 14 yet his food will turn sour in his stomach; it will become the venom of serpents within him. 15 He will spit out the riches he swallowed; God will make his stomach vomit them up. 16 He will suck the poison of serpents; the fangs of an adder will kill him. 17 He will not enjoy the streams, the rivers flowing with honey and cream. 18 What he toiled for he must give back uneaten; he will not enjoy the profit from his trading. 19 For he has oppressed the poor and left them destitute; he has seized houses he did not build. 20 “Surely he will have no respite from his craving; he cannot save himself by his treasure. 21 Nothing is left for him to devour; his prosperity will not endure. 22 In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him; the full force of misery will come upon him.”  (NIV)

Part 2: Entrust all Judgment To God  (23-29)

Look at verses 23-29, “When he has filled his belly, God will vent his burning anger against him and rain down his blows on him. 24 Though he flees from an iron weapon, a bronze-tipped arrow pierces him. 25 He pulls it out of his back, the gleaming point out of his liver. Terrors will come over him; 26 total darkness lies in wait for his treasures. A fire unfanned will consume him and devour what is left in his tent. 27 The heavens will expose his guilt; the earth will rise up against him. 28 A flood will carry off his house, rushing waters on the day of God’s wrath. 29 Such is the fate God allots the wicked, the heritage appointed for them by God.” (NIV)

For those who feel compelled to condemn others.  In Job 20:27-29, we learn that we don’t need to call down the wrath of God on others. In this chapter, Zophar was implying that Job would suffer the wrath of God and anyone around him is also going to suffer judgment. (26) Zophar’s arguments seemed plausible enough so that all who knew Job agreed with his observations and three friends condemned Job also. There are so many like Zophar who are calling down the wrath of God on others and encouraging others to do the same.

God eventually proved Zophar and his friends wrong. Actually, the very opposite happened to Job. “Heaven” didn’t judge Job, rather God revealed Job’s righteousness heart. People would once again seek his help and advice. Those who dwell in his tent would be blessed thought Job’s faith and his life. .

The fact is, God will do his judging in his way and his time. Our job, as Christians, is to love people into the kingdom. This is what Zophar misunderstood. Look at Job 20:27-29, “ 27 The heavens will expose his guilt; the earth will rise up against him. 28 A flood will carry off his house, rushing waters on the day of God’s wrath. 29 Such is the fate God allots the wicked, the heritage appointed for them by God.” (NIV)  God will do the judging. Jesus even declared that he did not come to condemn the world, but to save the world. (John 3:17) Therefore let us love and pray and serve and listen and truly reveal Christ to a world that is gone astray.

Prayer: “Lord, help me to listen and learn from others. Help me not to be so quick to condemn, but to seek to listen and understand.”

One word: Love people into the kingdom, entrusting all judgment to the Lord.