(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)
(Job 20:1-29) Then Zophar the Naamathite responded,
2 “Therefore my disquieting thoughts make me respond,
Even because of my inward agitation.
3 I listened to the reprimand which insults me,
And the spirit of my understanding makes me answer.
4 Do you know this from ancient times,
From the establishment of mankind on earth,
5 That the rejoicing of the wicked is short,
And the joy of the godless momentary?
6 Though his arrogance 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;
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 strength,
But it lies down with him in the dust.
12 “Though evil tastes 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 kills him.
17 He does not look at the streams,
The rivers flowing with honey and curds.
18 He returns the product of his labor
And cannot swallow it;
As to the riches of his trading,
He cannot even enjoy them.
19 For he has oppressed and neglected 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.
21 Nothing remains for him to devour,
Therefore his prosperity does not endure.
22 In the fullness of his excess 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 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 and comes out of his back,
Even the flashing point from his gallbladder;
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 guilt,
And the earth will rise up against him.
28 The increase of his house will disappear;
His possessions will flow away on the day of His anger.
29 This is a wicked person’s portion from God,
The inheritance decreed to him by God.”
2 “Therefore my disquieting thoughts make me respond,
Even because of my inward agitation.
3 I listened to the reprimand which insults me,
And the spirit of my understanding makes me answer.
4 Do you know this from ancient times,
From the establishment of mankind on earth,
5 That the rejoicing of the wicked is short,
And the joy of the godless momentary?
6 Though his arrogance 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;
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 strength,
But it lies down with him in the dust.
12 “Though evil tastes 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 kills him.
17 He does not look at the streams,
The rivers flowing with honey and curds.
18 He returns the product of his labor
And cannot swallow it;
As to the riches of his trading,
He cannot even enjoy them.
19 For he has oppressed and neglected 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.
21 Nothing remains for him to devour,
Therefore his prosperity does not endure.
22 In the fullness of his excess 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 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 and comes out of his back,
Even the flashing point from his gallbladder;
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 guilt,
And the earth will rise up against him.
28 The increase of his house will disappear;
His possessions will flow away on the day of His anger.
29 This is a wicked person’s portion from God,
The inheritance decreed to him by God.”
(Job 21:1-34) Then Job responded,
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 me.
4 As for me, is my complaint to a mortal?
Or 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.
7 Why do the wicked still live,
Grow old, and also become very powerful?
8 Their descendants endure 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 miscarry.
11 They send out their boys like the flock,
And their children dance.
12 They sing with the tambourine 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 Yet they say to God, ‘Go away 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 plead with Him?’
16 Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand;
The advice of the wicked is far from me.
17 “How often is the lamp of the wicked put out,
Or does their disaster 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 saves up a person’s wrongdoing for his sons.’
Let God repay him so that he may know it.
20 Let his own eyes see his destruction,
And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
21 For what does he care about his household after him,
When the number of his months is at an end?
22 Can anyone teach God knowledge,
In that He judges those on high?
23 One dies in his full strength,
Being wholly undisturbed and at ease;
24 His sides are filled with fat,
And the marrow of his bones is wet,
25 While another dies with a bitter soul,
Never even tasting anything good.
26 Together they lie down in the dust,
And maggots cover them.
27 “Behold, I know your thoughts,
And the plots you devise against 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 travelers,
And do you not examine their evidence?
30 For the wicked person is spared a day of disaster;
They are led away from a day of fury.
31 Who confronts him with his actions,
And who repays him for what he has done?
32 When he is carried to the grave,
People will keep watch over his tomb.
33 The clods of the valley will gently cover him;
Moreover, all mankind will follow after him,
While countless others go before him.
34 So how dare you give me empty comfort?
For your answers remain nothing but falsehood!”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
- hoping to obtain understanding and maybe some empathy
- trying to change someone's opinion or belief
- enjoying an unhealthy game of rhetoric to pass away one's time
- desiring to win the debate.
And let this be your way of consolation.
3 Bear with me that I may speak;
Then after I have spoken, you may mock me.
4 As for me, is my complaint to a mortal?
Or 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.
7 Why do the wicked still live,
Grow old, and also become very powerful?
8 Their descendants endure 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 miscarry.
11 They send out their boys like the flock,
And their children dance.
12 They sing with the tambourine 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 Yet they say to God, ‘Go away 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 plead with Him?’
16 Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand;
The advice of the wicked is far from me.
17 “How often is the lamp of the wicked put out,
Or does their disaster 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 saves up a person’s wrongdoing for his sons.’
Let God repay him so that he may know it.
20 Let his own eyes see his destruction,
And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
21 For what does he care about his household after him,
When the number of his months is at an end?
22 Can anyone teach God knowledge,
In that He judges those on high?
23 One dies in his full strength,
Being wholly undisturbed and at ease;
24 His sides are filled with fat,
And the marrow of his bones is wet,
25 While another dies with a bitter soul,
Never even tasting anything good.
26 Together they lie down in the dust,
And maggots cover them.
27 “Behold, I know your thoughts,
And the plots you devise against 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 travelers,
And do you not examine their evidence?
30 For the wicked person is spared a day of disaster;
They are led away from a day of fury.
31 Who confronts him with his actions,
And who repays him for what he has done?
32 When he is carried to the grave,
People will keep watch over his tomb.
33 The clods of the valley will gently cover him;
Moreover, all mankind will follow after him,
While countless others go before him.
34 So how dare you give me empty comfort?
For your answers remain nothing but falsehood!”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
These "friends" are rather fatiguing, and I'm not even in Job's spot! Job pointed out the fact that his argument wasn't with mortals, yet he persisted in trying to reason with these men. Even when anti-productive, one can get caught up in this endless, senseless banter . And I have been there - via internet messages. It was a lot of time, effort and frustration, and there was never any resolute agreement or real understanding, except to finally say (several times), "Let's just agree to disagree."
The reasons why these types of conversations happen can span anywhere between:- hoping to obtain understanding and maybe some empathy
- trying to change someone's opinion or belief
- enjoying an unhealthy game of rhetoric to pass away one's time
- desiring to win the debate.
Still, Job asks that his friends "bear with him" so that he may speak. To bear one another's burdens is to patiently endure while supporting and helping to carry the weight of an issue. This does not mean that we are to fix the other person's problem. We should be there to listen and empathize, to consider God's words and pray, in order to guide a person towards a resolution. In the following scripture, we can see that Job's friends have a few things to learn...
(Galatians 6:1-5) Brothers and sisters, even if a person is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you are not tempted as well. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks that he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting, but to himself alone, and not to another. 5 For each one will bear his own load.
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