Today in God's Word—June 2023
East Tallassee Church of Christ
June 15, Job 20
”The heavens will reveal his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him. The possessions of his house will be carried away, dragged off in the day of God's wrath. This is the wicked man's portion from God, the heritage decreed for him by God." - Zophar, Job 20:27-29
Have you noticed that sequels are often not as good as the book or movie that came before them? What was fresh and new in the original might be too predictable in the sequel.The sparkling dialogue in the first work may seem stale and forced in the followup edition. It's not true of all sequels and series, but it sometimes is the case.
Chapter 20 is the sequel to Zophar's first speech. Since the original was not very good, we would not expect the second one to be better. And Zophar 2 is even worse than the first speech. There's no hint of sympathy or compassion for Job's catalog of woes from Chapter 19. Ignoring his friend's agony, Zophar must have been stung by Job's confident expression of trust in his Redeemer. Or it could have been Job's pointed reminder to the accusing friends that they themselves had a judgment appointment coming. Job's combination punches must have landed, because Zophar came back angry. He interrupted Job to retaliate against Job's insulting words.
Once again, Zophar observed the effect (Job's suffering) and presumed the cause (Job's sinfulness). In pride and haughtiness, Zophar attacked Job, citing his poverty and misery as sure signs that he was guilty of the worst sins. He told Job that his wealth and health were gone because he was wicked. God had stripped Job of the unrighteous wealth he had accumulated by taking advantage of the poor and helpless. There was no evidence that Job was guilty of any of the things Zophar and the others suggested. But they weren't presenting evidence; they were passing judgment on their miserable friend. Zophar told him that he had
toiled to accumulate and was not allowed to enjoy it. What had tasted sweet as he took it in was now sour to his belly.
According to Zophar, the wicked (he meant Job specifically) was doomed to insatiable cravings. All the treasure he lost could not save him. Now misery had replaced his prosperity. His plight was inescapable; his destruction was unavoidable.
Zophar closed with a volley of false assertions. He said that heaven had seen and would reveal Job's iniquity. He made it plain that he was talking about Job by pointing out that his possessions would be carried away and dragged off, just as Job had already experienced. God's fierce wrath was the reason for Job’s catastrophic loss. He told poor Job that what had already happened and the terrors that were to come were his heritage and his portion from God.
I heard once of a preacher who had written in the margin of his sermon notes, some delivery tips. Beside one section of his message he had written, "Weak point. Talk louder.” If Zophar had used notes, something like that would have scribbled in his margin. His argument was forceful, but weak. He had no evidence of Job's sinfulness, so he crowed loudly about the generalities of the wicked’s fate. If you and I should find it necessary to confront a friend about sin in his life, I hope we will learn from Zophar and his associates how not to do it.
Copyright © 2023 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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