June
7
Job
20:19–Job:23:10
JOB’S JUDGMENTAL KNOW-IT-ALL FRIEND
"Suffer me that
I may speak; and after that I have spoken, mock on."
Job 21:3
Job’s friend, ZOPHAR,
came at Job with fire and tongs. His judgment of Job is
relentless. It is unfounded. It is like a knife in Job’s
back. It cut to the very heart! ZOPHAR can’t wait to
condemn (Job 20:2). He thinks he has the "spirit of
understanding." How like many of our friends, who
sit in their Ivory Towers and judge our lives from their
perspective–not God’s. He declared that the "joy of
the hypocrite" is for a moment. Zophar is confident
that Job is a BIG HYPOCRITE! In other words, Job’s
wicked ways are catching up to him! Now Job must suffer
the consequences for them!
Zophar chants more and
more "traditional proverbs" to his friend. He has
the right answers to the wrong questions:
"Ye shall perish as
refuse."
"Your bones are full
of sin!"
"The gall of poisonous
snakes is in him."
"Job will swallow
riches and spit them up."
"Job has forsaken the
poor."
"Every hand of the
wicked will come upon him."
"God will cast the
fury of his wrath upon him."
"A steel bow will
strike him through."
"Job’s children will
forget him."
How does Job answer
such folly? He put on his verbal boxing gloves
and punches back, "Permit me to say a few words, and
after I have spoken, MOCK ON!" He then orders his
false comforters, in no uncertain terms, TO SHUT UP!
My mother always instructed me to not use the words,"shut
up!" It was unkind and "ladies" did not talk
that way. Yet, Mother would agree with Job. It was time
for Job to talk in language they could understand!
Job asks, "Why do
the wicked grow old and become powerful before they
die?" He notices that "The‘rod of God’ is not
upon them." This is an observance many who follow
the Lord ask themselves today. They observe ungodly men
prosper. Their cattle produce. Their little ones are
happy. Their lying politicians are re-elected. Their
music is uninterrupted. They live wealthily lives, and
are buried in wealth and pomp. Job rightly observed that
those ungodly, who appear to have no care, thumb their
noses at God to their dying day.
Job asks, "How oft
is the candle of the wicked put out? How oft cometh
their destruction upon them? God distributeth sorrow in
his anger. . ." (Job 21:17) Many who ignore God seem
"to have it all," Someday they will have their
comeuppance! Their judgment time will come! Wait and
see!
Then Job gives a
brilliant soliloquy on Death! One dies in full
strength! Another dies in bitterness of soul! One is
wholly at ease and quiet. Another never had any
pleasure. But, "They shall lie
down alike in the dust, and the worms shall cover them.
. .They shall be brought to the same grave and remain in
the tomb."
I, too, have noticed
the graveyards. Within the earth of such cemeteries lie
men of all degrees–rich or poor. One can’t help but read
their pretentious memorial stones. Then some have small
stones, that must be searched out to be found. Within
those graves are expensive mahogany caskets. decorated
by skillful craftsmen. Within other graves are caskets
no better than a pine box. Yet all that are
buried are just as dead as the other. Death is
a leveling agent.
Dead
is just as dead no matter the
material loss or gain. Only those who know Jesus Christ
as Saviour have HOPE! (ysw)
"HE
KNOWETH"
(Job 23:10)
"He knoweth the
way that I take: when HE hath tried me, I shall come
forth as gold."
God’s
foreknowledge comforts me.
He will try me.
It is to change
me into the likeness of His dear lovely, holy Son.
My Sorrows! His
Promise!
"I shall come
forth as gold–like unto His glorious beauty.
He tries me, not
the world.
(GGS)
