11/15/2011 8:48:56 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: The actual end of a wicked man
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Job 21:1-34
Message of the verses: We will take this chapter one sub-section at a time in order to understand how Job will refute what Zophar had just said to Job. When Job gets done with his speech he will have refuted all the things that Zophar had said to him and tear them to bits.
I want to first look at the beginning six verses of chapter twenty-one. “1 ¶ Then Job answered, 2 "Listen carefully to my speech, And let this be your way of consolation. 3 "Bear with me that I may speak; Then after I have spoken, you may mock. 4 "As for me, is my complaint to man? And why should I not be impatient? 5 "Look at me, and be astonished, And put your hand over your mouth. 6 "Even when I remember, I am disturbed, And horror takes hold of my flesh.” In order to understand better what Job is saying her I wish to use the Message at this point, for it seems to be very clear as to what Job is saying here: “1 ¶ Job replied: 2 "Now listen to me carefully, please listen, at least do me the favor of listening. 3 Put up with me while I have my say—then you can mock me later to your heart’s content. 4 "It’s not you I’m complaining to—it’s God. Is it any wonder I’m getting fed up with his silence? 5 Take a good look at me. Aren’t you appalled by what’s happened? No! Don’t say anything. I can do without your comments. 6 When I look back, I go into shock, my body is racked with spasms.”
Job does not have any complaints with men, but his complaint lies with God, and all he wishes from these men is silence, but thus far they have not given that to him, and in the future they will not give it to him.
The life of the wicked may be long (Job 21:7-16): “7 ¶ "Why do the wicked still live, Continue on, also become very powerful? 8 "Their descendants are established with them in their sight, And their offspring before their eyes, 9 Their houses are safe from fear, And the rod of God is not on them. 10 "His ox mates without fail; His cow calves and does not abort. 11 "They send forth their little ones like the flock, And their children skip about. 12 "They sing to the timbrel and harp And rejoice at the sound of the flute. 13 "They spend their days in prosperity, And suddenly they go down to Sheol. 14 "They say to God, ’Depart from us! We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways. 15 ’Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him, And what would we gain if we entreat Him?’ 16 "Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand; The counsel of the wicked is far from me.”
Job is refuting what Zophar had said earlier about how the wicked lived, for in these verses we see how they live, and I might add live without God or for the most part without the thought of God in their lives. Job speaks of all the good things that the wicked have, and how their children prosper, and their animals mate without having any troubles. Job even says that these wicked men die without suffering, unlike what Job is going through. The children of the wicked prosper, unlike Job’s who died at a early age.
In his commentary on this section Dr. Wiersbe points out that many believers today want this kind of a life style, a life style like the rich and famous, and in doing this they fall away from the Lord and do not depend upon Him, whom they should be depending on. It is sad to see how young married couples who are believers care more about the riches of this life than the good things of the Lord.
The wicked do not often experience calamity? (Job 21:17-21): “ 17 ¶ "Still, how often does it happen that the wicked fail, or disaster strikes, or they get their just deserts? 18 How often are they blown away by bad luck? Not very often. 19 You might say, ‘God is saving up the punishment for their children.’ I say, ‘Give it to them right now so they’ll know what they’ve done!’ 20 They deserve to experience the effects of their evil, feel the full force of God’s wrath firsthand. 21 What do they care what happens to their families after they’re safely tucked away in the grave?” (Message)
“17 ¶ "How often is the lamp of the wicked put out, Or does their calamity fall on them? Does God apportion destruction in His anger? 18 "Are they as straw before the wind, And like chaff which the storm carries away? 19 "You say, ’God stores away a man’s iniquity for his sons.’ Let God repay him so that he may know it. 20 "Let his own eyes see his decay, And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty. 21 "For what does he care for his household after him, When the number of his months is cut off?” (NASB)
In Job 18:5 Bildad says "Indeed, the light of the wicked goes out, And the flame of his fire gives no light.” This is not what Job is saying in this section.
Both Zophar and Eliphaz were saying that God would punish the children of the wicked instead of the wicked and in saying this they were pointing to Job who lost his children, but Job asks “What kind of judgment is that?” Besides that Job was also suffering, not only from losing his children, but because of his health too. I don’t know about everyone who reads Job and studies it, but it seems to me that for the most part I have forgotten about the loss of Job’s children, and that is to my shame, for even though Job was suffering greatly from the illness that Satan has given to him, he must be greatly suffering from the loss of his five children too.
We find in Jeremiah 31:29-30 and also Ezekiel 18:1ff that God does not punish the children for the parent’s sins or the parents for the children’s sins, which is what Job’s friends are claiming. Deuteronomy 24:16 states: ‘"Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin.’” This was a very cruel thing that Job’s friends were saying to him.
Job refutes Zophar’s statement that claimed that the pleasure of the wicked were temporary because God’s judgment suddenly fell upon them, but Job asked, “How often have you seen that happen.” Zophar had also said that the life of the wicked is short, but Job says that the wicked live a long life.
The wicked die just like other people (Job21:22-34): “22 "But who are we to tell God how to run his affairs? He’s dealing with matters that are way over our heads. 23 Some people die in the prime of life, with everything going for them— 24 fat and sassy. 25 Others die bitter and bereft, never getting a taste of happiness. 26 They’re laid out side by side in the cemetery, where the worms can’t tell one from the other.
“27 ¶ "I’m not deceived. I know what you’re up to, the plans you’re cooking up to bring me down. 28 Naively you claim that the castles of tyrants fall to pieces, that the achievements of the wicked collapse. 29 Have you ever asked world travelers how they see it? Have you not listened to their stories 30 Of evil men and women who got off scot-free, who never had to pay for their wickedness? 31 Did anyone ever confront them with their crimes? Did they ever have to face the music? 32 Not likely—they’re given fancy funerals with all the trimmings, 33 Gently lowered into expensive graves, with everyone telling lies about how wonderful they were. 34 "So how do you expect me to get any comfort from your nonsense? Your so-called comfort is a tissue of lies.’” (Message)
“22 "Can anyone teach God knowledge, In that He judges those on high? 23 "One dies in his full strength, Being wholly at ease and satisfied; 24 His sides are filled out with fat, And the marrow of his bones is moist, 25 While another dies with a bitter soul, Never even tasting anything good. 26 "Together they lie down in the dust, And worms cover them.
27 ¶ "Behold, I know your thoughts, And the plans by which you would wrong me. 28 "For you say, ’Where is the house of the nobleman, And where is the tent, the dwelling places of the wicked?’ 29 "Have you not asked wayfaring men, And do you not recognize their witness? 30 "For the wicked is reserved for the day of calamity; They will be led forth at the day of fury. 31 "Who will confront him with his actions, And who will repay him for what he has done? 32 "While he is carried to the grave, Men will keep watch over his tomb. 33 "The clods of the valley will gently cover him; Moreover, all men will follow after him, While countless ones go before him. 34 "How then will you vainly comfort me, For your answers remain full of falsehood?’” (NASB)
I like the way that verse twenty-two is stated in the Message. Job is saying that man does not have any right to interfere with what God is doing, for God is God and will do as He wishes. God will latter ask Job this question and Job will have no answer for God.
Job is saying that some people die when they are young and healthy and some suffer for a long time, and when they get to the grave and are laid out beside each other one will not be able to tell the difference between them.
In verse thirty-one Job asks the question to his friends if they had ever asked the wicked about what was going to happen to them. This is a good question for all believers to pounder, for that is one of the reasons that we are here on this earth to tell others about the saving grace that is offered to these people.
As we look at verse thirty-four we will see that Job does not have any confidence in the answers that his friends were going to give him, for he says that they are full of falsehoods.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I would suppose that verse twenty-two is the verse that sticks out in my mind this morning as it goes along with one of my favorite verses in all of the Scriptures, and that is Deuteronomy 29:29. I will quote this verse in both the NASB and also the Message “"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.’” ‘GOD, our God, will take care of the hidden things but the revealed things are our business. It’s up to us and our children to attend to all the terms in this Revelation.’”
As a believer I do not have all of the answers, and there are many things that I will never be able to answer as this verse shows me so it is my job to obey the things that have been written in God’s Word, and not to try and understand the things that are what the verse calls “secret things.”
My Steps of Faith for Today:
1. Listen with my heart and not just with my ears.
2. Continue to learn contentment.
11/15/2011 10:02:32 AM
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