11/14/2011 8:28:44 AM
SPIRITIUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: The Awful Fate of the Wicked
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Job 20:1-29
Message of the verses: Today’s SD begins the 20th chapter of the book of Job and the 7th chapter of “Be Patient” the commentary on Job by Warren Wiersbe. We will be moving back to hear Zophar again, but he really has nothing new to say, as he continues to say what the other two have said that Job is a sinner and needs to repent of his sin and get right with God. Zophar realizes that he has nothing new to say but he is so upset with what Job had just said that he feels that he has to comment again. There are three sub-points under this first main point and I will see how far I can go in this SD with these sub-points. In these three sub-points Zophar will make three affirmations to prove that the fate of the wicked is indeed terrible: their life is brief, their pleasure is temporary, and their death is painful.
Their life is brief (Job 20:1-11): “ 1 ¶ Then Zophar the Naamathite answered, 2 "Therefore my disquieting thoughts make me respond, Even because of my inward agitation. 3 "I listened to the reproof which insults me, And the spirit of my understanding makes me answer. 4 "Do you know this from of old, From the establishment of man on earth, 5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short, And the joy of the godless momentary? 6 "Though his loftiness reaches the heavens, And his head touches the clouds, 7 He perishes forever like his refuse; Those who have seen him will say, ’Where is he?’ 8 "He flies away like a dream, and they cannot find him; Even like a vision of the night he is chased away. 9 "The eye which saw him sees him no longer, And his place no longer beholds him.
“10 ¶ "His sons favor the poor, And his hands give back his wealth. 11 "His bones are full of his youthful vigor, But it lies down with him in the dust.”
Zophar is giving information to Job that is not true, at least when one reads the account of the flood we learn that God gave the people 120 years to repent before He destroyed the earth by the flood. Later on he gave the Canaanite nations four hundred years before they were destroyed, so it is unclear where Zophar get his information to support what he is saying in verse four.
I have heard it said before that the wicked actually live longer because this earth is the only heaven that they will see, for the Scriptures says in different parts that the wicked do live longer (Psalms 37; 73; Jer. 12:1-4).
In verses six and seven Zophar is saying that the wicked rise he will fall rapidly and will go down the drain like refuge goes down the drain and people will wonder where he went to. Now only will he disappear, but his wealth along with him will also disappear, for his children will now live in poverty. He will die at a very young age. (Verses 8-11)
Dr. Wiersbe writes “Zophar and his two friends were certain that Job was a hypocrite, that his pious life was only a veneer to cover his secret sins. In his second speech, Eliphaz will even name some of the sins that Job committed! (22:5-9) But God does not always judge hypocrites and other sinners immediately, and the death of a young person is no evidence that he or she was a hypocrite.”
This kind of talk angers me, for Eliphaz was putting God in a box, stating what God had to do and not do therefore not understanding who God is, for God can do anything He wants to do, and do it at any time He wants to do it. We have talked about this before that all of the attributes of God will bring Him glory from His love to His justice and all of the other attributes too, so what Eliphaz is saying is not true at all.
Their pleasure is temporary (Job 20:12-19): “12 "Though evil is sweet in his mouth And he hides it under his tongue, 13 Though he desires it and will not let it go, But holds it in his mouth, 14 Yet his food in his stomach is changed To the venom of cobras within him. 15 "He swallows riches, But will vomit them up; God will expel them from his belly. 16 "He sucks the poison of cobras; The viper’s tongue slays him. 17 "He does not look at the streams, The rivers flowing with honey and curds. 18 "He returns what he has attained And cannot swallow it; As to the riches of his trading, He cannot even enjoy them. 19 "For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor; He has seized a house which he has not built. 20 "Because he knew no quiet within him, He does not retain anything he desires.”
I believe that what Eliphaz is saying in this section is true, but it is not true as far as Job is concerned. Eliphaz is saying that Job was a sinful person who loves his sinfulness so much that he cannot give it up, and that is certainly not true.
Eliphaz is saying of the wicked that their sin is like a person enjoying good food and so he continues to chew it and does not want to swallow it, but when he finally does it becomes poison in his system. We read in the book of Hebrews that Moses did not want to continue to serve the Egyptians because what he would be doing there would be sinful and so Hebrews 11:25 states “choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.” This verse is saying that sin brings pleasure, and people who love this pleasure continue to do more of it, but the more they do it the more they continue to want to do it because it takes more sin all of the time to continue to bring more pleasure to them and this is what Eliphaz is stating in this section.
The death is painful (Job 20:20-29): “20 "Because he knew no quiet within him, He does not retain anything he desires. 21 "Nothing remains for him to devour, Therefore his prosperity does not endure. 22 "In the fullness of his plenty he will be cramped; The hand of everyone who suffers will come against him.
23 ¶ "When he fills his belly, God will send His fierce anger on him And will rain it on him while he is eating. 24 "He may flee from the iron weapon, But the bronze bow will pierce him. 25 "It is drawn forth and comes out of his back, Even the glittering point from his gall. Terrors come upon him, 26 Complete darkness is held in reserve for his treasures, And unfanned fire will devour him; It will consume the survivor in his tent. 27 "The heavens will reveal his iniquity, And the earth will rise up against him. 28 "The increase of his house will depart; His possessions will flow away in the day of His anger. 29 "This is the wicked man’s portion from God, Even the heritage decreed to him by God.’”
Dr. Wiersbe suggests reading the 49th Psalm along with this section of Scripture and after reading it I can understand why he suggests it. Not even a man who is very rich can stop death when it comes. Like the 49th Psalm we see that the wicked will experience distress and misery and also God’s burning anger. When it is time for him to die God will come upon him with not only a sword, but arrows too, and will stop his life. This speech sounds like Bildad speech in Job 18.
Again these things can be true of a wicked man, but Eliphaz was saying them to Job, and Job was not a wicked man, for we learned that in the first chapter of Job by what God said about him.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: What I wish to remember from this section is not to put God in a box, and demand that He do what I want Him to do like Eliphaz and his two friends were doing. God has an overall plan for planet earth and the people on it, and He has a plan for my life which at the end of it He will reward me and other believers for what they have done while in the body. This is called the Judgment or Bema Seat of Christ and is spoken of in the books of Romans, and First and Second Corinthians. God has given me and all other believers spiritual gifts (Romans 12; 1Cor. 12; Eph. 4; and 1Pe. 4) and it is how I use these gifts and talents in the power of the Holy Spirit that will determine what rewards that I will receive from the Lord. In the end all believes will be able to cast these crowns at the feet of Jesus for after all it is only because of Him that we will be able to earn them in the first place.
Earning these rewards is motivation to continue to serve the Lord. We read in the 15th chapter of John about the Vine and the branches. Jesus is the Vine and the believers are the branches that produce fruit. Our job according to this section is to remain in the vine, and if we remain in the vine then the Lord will produce the fruit through us and we will then receive rewards for the fruit that is produced through us.
My Steps of faith for today:
1. Remain in the vine: ‘"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.’” (John 15:5)
2. Continue to learn contentment. (Phil. 4:11b)
3. Put on the whole armor of God. (Eph. 6:10-18)
4. 1Cor. 10:13.
5. Proverbs 3:5-6.
6. Luke 22:40b; 46b.
7. Romans 12:1-2.
8. Psalm 139:23-24.
11/14/2011 9:43:15 AM
rabbitsix@hotmail.com
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