Job suffers for reasons he does not know and never does find out. He has been slandered by his “friends” and yet he maintains his faith in God. There have been many false accusations in the Bible.

• Joseph – He was slandered by Potipher’s wife.
• Moses – He was slandered by the Israelites.
• David – He killed Goliath but was slandered and hunted by Saul.
• Daniel – He was slandered by his enemies and thrown in the den of lions.
• Paul and Silas – They were slandered for preaching the Gospel. See 1 Thessalonians 1:1-20.
• Jesus – He was accused of being illegitimate, a drunkard, immoral, demon-possessed and blasphemous.

  See Matthew 5:10-12. You may have been falsely accused but you are in good company.

1 – Zophar’s haughty tirade (20:1-29)

It is the same old tired stuff that he has said before. This is a personal attack on Job.

• The journey is transient (vs. 4-11) – The wicked do not live long. This is based on assumptions. Zophar’s assumptions are wrong. Look around! There are bad people who get to live to be old people. There are many godly people who have died young. It does not mean they were wicked. Life is not about how long you live but what you did when you were alive. See Isaiah 57:1-2. Zophar is wrong!
• The joy is temporary (vs. 12-19) – The people who reject God and indulge in sin find the more they indulge, the more they crave. The more they crave, the less they enjoy it. The less they enjoy it, the more they have to sin to recapture the old thrills. They become less and less satisfied. This is true. However, he is saying the right thing about the wrong man! The show does not fit!
• The judgment is terrifying (vs. 20-29) – What Zophar says is elegant but is not true! It is a distorted picture of life and death. Just because people say something, it doesn’t make it true. They may be misguided or lying!

2 – Job’s humble submission (Job 21:1-34)

Job takes Zophar apart – one point at a time!

• Job’s appeal

1. He asks Zophar to please listen to him (21:1-3) – Good counsellors listen more than they talk.
2. He wants Zophar to look at him (21:4-6) – He wanted them to see things differently so that they might understand him differently. We need to understand there is another point of view than our own!

• Job’s arguments

1. The power of the wicked (21:7-13) – Job has looked around and the evil do live to be old. They even die quickly without a long painful death. God’s wrath does not touch them. There are many having a “good life” without God. This life is not what it is all about. The wicked will be punished after death.
2. The perversity of the wicked (21:14-15) – They don’t want God as there is no profit in it!
3. The prosperity of the wicked (21:16) – They may be prosperous but that does not mean their counsel is wise or godly.
4. The protection of the wicked (21:17-21) – Job does not see the wicked suffering for their sin.
5. The punishment of the wicked (21:22-26) – From birth to death you can see that both the good and wicked live the same length. Life is a mystery. However, we do know what come after death. See Hebrews 9:27. The judgement comes after death. It rarely happens in this life.

• Job’s answers

Haven’t you heard stories that contradict your wisdom? Job says “Remarkable judgments are sometimes brought upon notorious sinners, but not always”. These prospering sinners make light of God and religion, as if because they have so much of this world, they had no need to look after another. Job anticipates the replies of his friends to these assertions. Job seems to solicit more verbal abuse in verse 34 – he’ll get his wish.

Categories: Job