Teaching Notes

TH1084: JOB

As we move into Job chapter 20, we are closing out round two of this verbal tongue lashing that Job is receiving from his three friends. And Zophar is going to respond to what Job has just said. Job accused these guys of speaking lies, making up stories to prove their neatly packaged theology. They were accusing Job of hiding some sin in his life and that is why all this calamity has come upon him.

But Job tells them to "Be afraid of the sword for yourselves; For wrath brings the punishment of the sword, That you may know there is a judgment." Job 19:29. Job is telling his friends to watch out for their empty words for they will be judged and punished by God for them. He turns the table on them and it is out of this that Zophar is going to respond.

JOB 20

VERSES 1-3

1. Even in the poetic style it is written in, you get the idea that Zophar is very upset with the words that Job used against him and his friends. And Zophar is not going to take this lying down. He is not going to just be silent and let Job walk all over him. Now why is Zophar so upset? Because Job has come against his character, he has insulted him. Interesting isn't it. He has no problem with blasting Job but when someone says something about his character, look out! Yousee, as many today, Zophar was sensitive to self and very insensitive towards others. Because of that, he has to speak, he has to do to Job what Job did to him. Job needs to be put in place.

VERSES 4-11

1. Zophar is comparing what happens to the wicked to what is happening in Job's life, and is saying that the wicked may prosper but only for a short time. Everything they have will be taken away from them. His children will be poor and have to beg for food. And even though they are young, full of life, the grave will take them suddenly. Understand this, when compared to eternity, all life is short, all life is for but a moment, for the just and the unjust!

VERSES 12-19

1. We don't know how long they were friends with Job, but it must have been some time and a fairly close relationship for they came to comfort him. And yet here we see Zophar say that Job has oppressed the poor and repossessed homes by force. They have no proof of this, and maybe these were some of the rumors that began to circulate and they just picked up on it. But they did not know of any sin in Job's life that is why they were saying that he had some secret sin, some hidden sin. So why were they now going to such extremes to make Job guilty? Because they saw things as black and white. Thus, sin equaled punishment so Job must be a sinner. Wrong! Yes God will deal with the unrighteous according to His timetable and His ways. In this life we see the wicked prosper and suffer. We also see the righteous suffer and blessed. God is sovereign, He is in control. Think about it this way. There are over 5 billion people in the world today and God is orchestrating each and everyone of their lives. I don't know about you, but I have a hard time taking care of my own life. We don't always know the ways of God, thus, we must fall back on the character of God, which is the same yesterday, today and forever!

VERSE 20

1. In the Hebrew it can be translated "None of his desires will save him." How true that is. Only the Lord can save and yet we tend to gravitate to everything else to bring us peace, to bring us joy, and it doesn't. Isaiah 59:8 says "The way of peace they have not known, And there is no justice in their ways; They have made themselves crooked paths; Whoever takes that way shall not know peace." It is as the bumper sticker says, "KNOW GOD, KNOW PEACE! NO GOD, NO PEACE!"

VERSES 21-25

1. The wicked are not going to get away with anything. Just when they think everything is okay, God will deal with them.

VERSES 26-29

1. Zophar blasts Job, telling him that if he wants to continue to hide his sin, these are the things that will happen to him, besides all that has taken place already. And by the way, "Have a nice day Job!"

2. Again, Zophar is partially right, God will deal with the wicked. But that does not mean that as soon as we become a Christian all of life's problems will end for us either. Not at all. In fact, many times they get even worse. But God is stretching our faith through them, and yes, one day wickedness will be judged and God's punishment issued forth for them.

JOB 21

VERSES 1-3

1. Do you get the idea that Job has had it with these guys? He is going to say what is on his heart and then they can go and mock him some more if they want. And I like what Job is saying, "Let my words comfort you!" In other words, "If your speech to me was suppose to comfort me, then mine will do the same for you."

VERSES 4-6

1. Job must have looked awful. In fact it seems that these guys had a hard time even looking at Job. Thus, Job calls them to take a good look at him, even though his appearance was shocking to those who saw him.

VERSES 7-12

1. Job is coming against their empty words by pointing to what really takes place in life. The wicked don't die young. They are profitable. They are powerful. They have many healthy children. Their homes are safe. Their livestock breed and are healthy. They party and have a good time. Now, just as Zophar went to one extreme saying that the wicked are always punished, Job goes to the other extreme and says that the wicked are always blessed. Not true. Psalm 37:35-36 says "I have seen the wicked in great power, And spreading himself like a native green tree. Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found." God is sovereign and He has a purpose for everything. We must be careful that when we speak we are not speaking out of our emotions, but according to the Word of God.

2. For example, some say when they go through difficult times that "God doesn't love me!" Not true. In Ephesians 3:17-19 Paul tells us "that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height; to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." And in Romans 5:8 we read "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Let the Word of God be your guide and not just your emotions or you experience.

VERSE 13

1. Job's life seems to linger on in pain while he sees the wicked not only living long, prosperous lives, but when they do die, they go quickly.

VERSES 14-16

1. How true this is. A person who is wealthy, has everything they want, sees no need for God. They have it all. What more do they need, for God is no profit to them, or so they think. But when that is all taken away, they tend to look up to God. That was the point that Jesus was making in Matthew 19:23-24 when He said "...'Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.'" Not that people who are rich can't make it into heaven, but many times they see no need for God. You see, you can't work your way into heaven, or buy your way into heaven, only believe your way into heaven by faith through Jesus Christ.

VERSES 17-21

1. Job's friends were blaming Job and his hidden sin for the death of his children and Job is saying what good will that do for the wicked man. Punish the wicked man and not his children. And God does just that. He holds each person accountable for their actions. In Ezekiel 18:20 we read "The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself."

VERSE 22

1. God can't learn anything because He knows everything! If you think God can learn, then your God is to small!

VERSES 23-26

1. There seems to be no difference between the death of a righteous man and the death of a wicked man. As Ecclesiastes 2:14 says "The wise man's eyes are in his head, But the fool walks in darkness. Yet I myself perceived That the same event happens to them all."

VERSES 27-29

1. He is calling for them to ask the people what they have seen, and they will tell you all that he has said is true.

VERSES 30-33

1. Even in death the wicked are honored, they make him a hero. Does that not speak of our society today? The wicked tend to be exalted by man and made into hero's. Movies are made to exalt the publisher of that pornographic magazine, Hustler. Rock stars who died of a drug overdoes have been made into hero's, like Janis Joplin and Jimmy Hendrick's. Even those that are still living and are doing wicked things are made into hero's, like Dennis Rodman. A great basketball player and yet his actions, his lifestyle is one of rebellion. And yet how many look up to him. You see, they look at the outward actions and lift them up because of it, and yet we should be looking at the inward quality of the person which is then manifested in outward actions. We are a society that calls good, evil and evil, good!

VERSE 34

1. Your words are empty, futile, useless, they are not comforting and why continue speaking them?

2. Now we begin round 3 of this verbal tongue lashing by Job's friends, and Eliphaz starts this all over again.

JOB 22

VERSES 1-3

1. Your actions do not benefit God at all. You are not doing God a favor by being good. God desires us to do good because it is what is best for our lives and we are blessed by it. But it doesn't add or take away from God at all. Yes our unrighteousness grieves God but it doesn't harm him. Jesus said in Luke 17:10 "So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.'"

VERSES 4-5

1. God is not bringing this upon you because you are good, but because you have done wrong. Same kind of reasoning.

VERSES 6-8

1. No Eliphaz has no proof that Job did these things but he is trying to figure out the ways of God by applying life's situations to them. Thus, he has come to the conclusion that Job has become wealthy by strong-arming the poor. Taking their clothes. Refusing to give them food and water. But God said in Exodus 22:26-27 "If you ever take your neighbor's garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious." And we know that Job did not do these things for God has told us in chapter 1 that Job was a good man.

VERSE 9

1. He is accusing Job of taking advantage of the orphaned, which God said was wrong in Exodus 22:22. We read "You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child."

VERSES 10-16

1. There was the belief that when clouds covered the earth you could do what you want because God, who is in heaven, can't see through them. Sorry, all things are open and naked before the Lord. But these guys were accusing Job of trying to get away with some kind of evil when God could not see his actions.

2. Again, going back to the time of the flood and pointing out what God did do to the wicked, He swept them away with a flood, just as they saw happening with Job, not with a physical flood, but with various judgments. And understand this, the events in the book of Job were only some 300 years or so after the flood, so this was fresh in their minds. In fact, Genesis 9:28 tells us that Noah lived for another 350 years after the flood. Thus, Noah and his sons could have given first hand accounts of what took place.

VERSES 17-30

1. Eliphaz is telling Job once again to get right with God and you will be blessed. You will be restored. And he speaks of knowing God and then being at peace with Him. That is so true. You can never know the peace of God, be at peace with Him, unless you first know Him. Paul said in Romans 1:7 "...Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Before you can know the peace of God you must receive the grace of God into your life through His Son Jesus Christ. Paul put it this way in Romans 5:1-2 "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

2. The problem for Job was that he was innocent before God, and thus, the words of Eliphaz are empty. And Job is going to answer these words of Eliphaz in chapter 23.

JOB 23

VERSES 1-5

1. Job wants to meet God face-to-face so that he can plead his case before Him

VERSES 6-7

1. Job feels that if he could talk with God, plead his case before God, that he could be vindicated of all these things.

VERSES 8-9

1. God is Spirit and thus we can't see Him as we can see a man.

VERSE 10

1. Job couldn't find God but he knows God can find him. And here Job speaks one of those golden nuggets of faith, you see, deep down inside Job knows the truth. It has just been clouded over by life's experiences. Job understands that trials are used to purify us just as gold is refined in the refiners fire so that it can become pure, all the impurities can be removed. Peter put it this way in I Peter 1:6-9 "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith; the salvation of your souls."

VERSES 11-12

1. Job is maintaining his innocence before God, how he has kept the Word of God. Notice that even Job says way back then, that the Word of God is important to his life. It is even more important than physical food. Looking at our bodies we can easily see that we are feeding them, but I wonder how many of us our feeding our spiritual bodies with the Word of God? Are we spiritually malnourished? I Peter 2:2-3 says "as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious."

VERSES 13-14

1. Job is speaking of the sovereignty of God, that He is in control. As Psalm 115:3 says "But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases."

2. This does not negate our responsibility to pray, as some would have you believe. They say "God is going to do whatever He wants, so why pray?" Because God tells us to pray and what God does through prayer is conform our heart to His. Yes God does answer our prayers, and how it all works I don't know. I know when God was going to destroy unbelieving Israel, Moses stepped in and interceded for them, but again I think that was the heart of God. Matthew 24:20 we see Jesus saying to the Jews who will be living during the tribulation period "And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath."

VERSES 15-17

1. Why is Job so afraid of God? Because he believes in the sovereignty of God, he believes in the power of God, but his life circumstances have clouded his picture of the love of God. You see, if God is not a God of love, if that is not His character, then LOOK OUT! Ephesians 2:4 says "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us." And Jeremiah 31:3 says "The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: 'Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.'"

JOB 24

VERSES 1-8

1. Job is speaking of what wicked men do. They move property lines. They take people's livestock and eat them. They oppress the orphaned. They take the widow's animals. They oppress the weak. They leave them naked with no shelter from the elements.

VERSES 9-12

1. Job has seen the wicked do all these things. They have kidnapped the young. Taken from the poor causing them to go naked and hungry without anything to drink. And yet God lets them get away with it. God does not always punish the wicked here and now.

VERSE 13

1. The wicked run from the truth, the light, because it exposes their evil deeds. John 3:19-20 says "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed." Why do you think most evil is done in the dark, because the light will expose their evil ways. Look at bars, night clubs and you will find them very dark, and the reason is simple, because with the lights turned up, your deeds will be exposed.

VERSES 14-16

1. Again, the wicked love the dark because they can get away with murder, or so they think. As John said in I John 1:5-7 "This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."

VERSE 17

1. Job is saying that if someone recognizes one of these guys that is doing evil, they are terrified that these guys will come and put them to death. We see that today, people are terrified of gangs, not wanting to speak against them for fear of retribution.

VERSES 18-19

1. Yes that is the way it should be, but it is not how it always happens. God has a purpose, God has a plan, and no one gets away with anything!

VERSES 20-25

1. Job is putting a challenge out to these guys, asking them to speak if he is wrong with what he has said. Make his words of no value, make them empty if he is wrong. Well Bildad is going to speak next and hammer Job some more. We will see this next week.