{"id":1031,"date":"2018-01-30T14:59:43","date_gmt":"2018-01-30T13:59:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/?p=1031"},"modified":"2018-01-30T15:14:29","modified_gmt":"2018-01-30T14:14:29","slug":"the-book-of-job-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/2018\/01\/30\/the-book-of-job-7\/","title":{"rendered":"The Book of Job"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Book Of Job
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Biblical Research Monthly
\n<\/span>
by Dr. David L. Cooper
\n<\/span>
(Installment 12)<\/center>
Bildad’s Second Speech
\n<\/span>

\n<\/span>
A Reply to Job’s Message of Chapters 16 and 17<\/center><\/center><\/center><\/center><\/center><\/p>\n

AS WE HAVE already noted, the speeches of Job and his friends run in cycles. Each of the friends makes his speech in his turn. But to each one Job answers. Usually he gives a longer reply than they make in their regular speeches directed to him. Bildad’s messages are found in chapters 8, 18, and 25.<\/p>\n

Bildad’s Vitriolic Reply to Job<\/center><\/p>\n

„Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, How long will ye hunt for words? Consider, and afterwards we will speak. Wherefore are we counted as beasts, And are become unclean in your sight? Thou that tearest thyself in thine anger, Shall the earth be forsaken for thee? Or shall the rock be removed out of its place?“ (Job 18:1-4)<\/p>\n

In verse 2 Bildad implied that Job had no rhyme, reason, or logic in what he said, but had to hunt for words to put up any semblance of defense for his position. Moreover, he took what Job had said as insinuations that he, Bildad, and his friends were considered as being on a level with the beasts. Hence, they had become, according to this interpretation, unclean in Job’s sight. In verse 4 he declared that Job goes off into fits of anger and tears himself–like a mad person. Bildad does not seem to fear any of his outbursts of rage. No one would glean, however, from what Job has said to his friends that he has such fits of anger as thus implied by Bildad. At the same time, it is true that Job was driven to the point of desperation and, knowing his innocency, he almost approached the point of blaspheming God. It may be this to which Bildad is referring.<\/p>\n

The Fate of the Wicked According to Bildad’s Theory<\/center><\/p>\n

In verses 5-21 Bildad explains God’s dealing with the wicked. It is with him, according to Bildad’s theory, that God begins in a light way in sending His punishments upon the wicked, but these judgments increase in intensity until they blot him from the face of the globe. The beginning of the judgment of God upon the wicked is expressed in verses 5-7.<\/span><\/p>\n

„Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, And the spark of his fire shall not shine. The light shall be dark in his tent, And his lamp above him shall be put out. The steps of his strength shall be straitened, And his own counsel shall cast him down.“ (Job 18:5-7)<\/p>\n

In this passage Bildad thinks of the wicked as dwelling in tents. He makes a prediction that the light shall be put out and the spark shall not shine. Thus everything would be darkness in the tent. Under such conditions the wicked cannot walk around in the darkness as he could if he had the light. Hence, his steps are straitened. Following out his plan and purpose, he stumbles over different things in the darkness and is cast down to the ground. Such is the pictorial presentation of the beginnings of the sorrows that come upon the wicked and that exterminate him from the face of the globe.<\/p>\n

These judgments of God increase in intensity and become more specific as Bildad’s speech advances. This is seen in verses 8-11.<\/p>\n

„For he is cast into a net by his own feet, And he walketh upon the toils. A gin shall take him by the heel, And a snare shall lay hold on him. A noose is hid for him in the ground, And a trap for him in the way. Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, And shall chase him at his heels.“ (Job 18:8-11)<\/p>\n

According to verse 8 man’s own efforts and goings cause his feet to be caught in the net. A trap suddenly springs and catches his heels, and a snare shall spring forth and have him fast in its grip. Speaking of a different type of noose, or trap, he says that such are hid from him in the ground. At the springing of these traps, the wicked man is terrified because he is fearful on every side. These terrors shall chase him, following close at his heels.<\/p>\n

More intense and drastic, according to Bildad, become these judgments as is set forth in verses 12-14.<\/p>\n

„His strength shall be hunger-bitten, And calamity shall be ready at his side. The members of his body shall be devoured, Yea, the first-born of death shall devour his members. He shall be rooted out of his tent where he trusteth; And he shall be brought to the king of terrors.“ (Job 18:12-14)<\/p>\n

The wicked suffer from lack of food. On account of malnutrition, calamity is at his side. Various members of his body being undernourished, disease begins to set in, in his body. The „first-born,“ or beginning of death, starts to prey upon his vital organs. Finally, he, the wicked man, is rooted out of his tent, that is, his spirit is forced by disease to leave the body. Then he is brought to the „king of terrors.“ Actual death is thought of as the king of terrors. Thus he departs this life.<\/p>\n

In verses 15-17 Bildad portrays in a very vivid manner his conception of the desolation and wreckage that is wrought by the judgments of God upon the estate of the wicked, when he is wiped out of the land of the living.<\/p>\n

„There shall dwell in his tent that which is none of his: Brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation. His roots shall be dried up beneath, And above shall his branch be cut off. His remembrance shall perish from the earth, And he shall have no name in the street.“ (Job 18:15-17)<\/p>\n

Having passed out of this life by the judgments of God, the wicked man’s tent is left empty, but there is another one who moves into this and occupies it. Continuing his description, Bildad thinks of such a judgment as that which fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah as falling upon the tent of the wicked: „Brimstone shall he scattered upon his habitation.“ God destroyed the people of Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities of the plain by a rain of brimstone and fire. This judgment came because of their wickedness. In Psalm 11 we are told that God will, in the Tribulation, rain fire and brimstone down upon the wicked and thus destroy them. There are other intimations that such a judgment will come at that future time.<\/p>\n

In verse 16 Bildad thinks of the wicked man as a tree, whose roots are dried beneath, and above the trunk and branches are cut off. Thus the stump is left dead in the ground. So perishes the wicked. After he has disappeared, says Bildad, all remembrance of him perishes from the earth. People will soon forget that such a man as he ever lived. Having run the entire gamut of the judgments of God upon the wicked man, in verses 5-17, Bildad seems to summarize his unfortunate situation in the following words (vss. 18-20):<\/p>\n

„He shall be driven from light into darkness, And chased out of the world. He shall have neither son nor son’s son among his people, Nor any remaining where he sojourned. They that come after shall be astonished at his day, As they that went before were affrighted.“ (Job 18:18-20)<\/p>\n

The wicked shall be driven from light into darkness and chased out of this world, according to verse 18. Life is thought of as being in this present world and Sheol, the place of departed spirits in the center of the earth, is thought of as the place of darkness. Job spoke of it in these words:<\/p>\n

„A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.“ (Job 10:22)<\/p>\n

According to the ancient Hebrews and the old Babylonians, Sheol was a dismal, dreary place where the spirit eked out a bare existence. Bildad seems to entertain such ideas. After the wicked one has perished from the face of the earth and made his descent into Hades, or Sheol, he shall not have a son nor grandson to follow him, taking his place in the civilization of the world. In fact, there will be none remaining where he sojourns. The rising generation will be astonished at his day, that is, at the calamity that overtook him because of his sin. Those who lived before, and who were wicked, were frightened. So will those who come after be affrighted at the terrific plagues of God upon the wicked.<\/p>\n

Bildad summaries his entire speech by the use of the following words:<\/p>\n

„Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him that knoweth not God.“ (Job 18:21)<\/p>\n

A careful study of Bildad’s speech shows that he drew his conclusions from some particular case or cases of wicked men. On the other hand, as Job has already pointed out in different speeches of his, the wicked do seemingly prosper and fare well through this life and have very few pangs of death when they come to pass out of this life. They prosper and nourish, whereas many of the righteous have untold sufferings and sorrows. Bildad made deductions that were not justifiable from a thorough canvass of the affairs of life.<\/p>\n

It is quite evident that Bildad has had Job in mind in speaking these words. In other words, Job’s own life and history furnished the framework into which Bildad built his story in an attempt to set forth a general basic principle upon which God deals with the wicked. Such faulty reasoning will always lead one into error.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

The Book Of Job
\nBiblical Research Monthly
\nby Dr. David L. Cooper
\n(Installment 13)<\/p>\n

Job’s Reply To Bildad’s Second Speech<\/p>\n

BILDAD, in both of his speeches (chaps. 8 and 18), brought fire when he struck the rock of Job’s patience. As we saw in the last study, he painted the picture of the wicked, taking his colors from the personal experiences of Job. Thus it became quite evident to the latter that Bildad had him in mind as he was depicting the typical wicked man.<\/p>\n

In chapter 19 Job seems to lay aside passion and prejudice while he looks at the stern realities of life and recounts facts as he has observed them. Finally, he sees, with a clear vision, the future. And he expresses, in one of the most sublime passages in the Book of Job, his conviction of his being vindicated by his Redeemer in the future.<\/p>\n

Job’s Rebuke of Bildad and His Friends<\/p>\n

The suffering patriarch began his reply to Bildad by asking how long Bildad and his friends would continue to vex his, Job’s, soul and break him in pieces with words–words that were largely platitudes used to express man-made theories concerning God’s government of the world and the Almighty’s treatment of His people. The speeches made by Job’s friends were indeed very hard for him to accept, since they were exactly contrary to the facts as Job, in his innermost conscience, realized.<\/p>\n

In verse 3 he speaks of their having reproached him ten times without being ashamed of the way they were treating him. It seemed from Genesis 31:7 and Numbers 14:22 that the number, ten, is used to indicate a round number.<\/p>\n

After these words of rebuke, in verse 4, he asserts that, if he has erred, that fact is a private matter of his own–not one for them to discuss.<\/p>\n

In verses 5 and 6, however, Job informs his friends that, if they are determined to magnify themselves against him and to bring his reproach constantly before him, they should know that it is God who has overthrown him and encompassed him with His net. This statement is certainly true; for the Lord, in the prologue Of the Book of Job (chaps. 2 and 3), stated that Satan had moved Him to afflict Job without a cause, that is, without there being any reason for punishment. Job, therefore, was correct in making this statement.<\/p>\n

Job’s Isolation From God<\/p>\n

In the paragraph consisting of verses 7-12 Job, in a very graphic manner, shows how God has dealt with him, and how He has left him in isolation. In his great distress, according to verse 7, he cries out to God for the wrongs which he is suffering, but without avail. The Lord does not answer him. Moreover, according to verse 8, the Lord has hedged him roundabout and made his pathway darkness. There is truth in this statement of Job’s. The Lord had hedged him in by His dealings with him. But there is another side to the question of his being hedged in. The Lord had put such a defense around Job so that Satan could not come against him and take his life. As Job is in this predicament, being walled in by the Lord, everything is darkness to him. He can not understand why God treats him as He is doing. Continuing in his graphic manner, Job declares:<\/p>\n

„9 He hath stripped me of my glory, And taken the crown from my head.“<\/p>\n

By this last assertion he is evidently speaking of God’s dealing with him in such a way that the people cease to have any respect for him and no longer consider him as a prince among men. The Lord’s dealing with him has broken him down on every side, and his hope has been plucked up like a tree out of the soil, leaving him to die.<\/p>\n

Moreover, he asserts that the anger of the Lord is kindled against him, and that the Lord counts him as one of His enemies. Continuing his diatribe against the Almighty, Job, in verse 12, thinks of the Lord as sending troops against him and encamping roundabout his tent, ready to make an assault upon him. Thus Job misjudges the Lord entirely. He misinterprets His gracious dealings with him. Instead of His sending troops against him, the Almighty has doubtless, as in the case of the city of Dothan when Elisha and his servant were there, sent an army of angels to encompass him for his protection. The angel of the Lord encamps roundabout those who fear Him and delivers them (Ps. 34:7). We may be certain that it was this way in the case of Job on this occasion.<\/p>\n

Job’s Isolation From His Family and Friends<\/p>\n

In the section consisting of verses 18-22, Job speaks of his position at home, as well as in the community in which he lives. Prior to the Lord’s permitting Satan to strike him down, Job was a very influential leader in the community. He was respected by all and was a tower of spiritual strength to the people of the vicinity. He was a leader in religious affairs and in civic matters.<\/p>\n

But when the Lord permits Satan to strike him down, Job’s relatives, that is, his brethren and near kin, become estranged from him (vs. 13). They, misinterpreting the situation, also withdraw from him, and his familiar friends stand aloof, as if he were one who was plagued of God and rejected of Him.<\/p>\n

His own family and servants become bold and heap insult upon injury against him, as he declares in verses 15 and 16. Both the servants and the maids treat him as if he were a stranger, an outcast. He speaks to one of his servants, but he will not answer or obey–though Job entreats him. Moreover, his wife becomes estranged from him. In addition to this, his brothers and sisters, as we see in verse 17, hold aloof from him; and even the young children despise him and treat him accordingly. His familiar friends abhor him. Even those for whom Job has a special love turned against him.<\/p>\n

According to verse 20 Job has lost considerable weight He describes this by saying:<\/p>\n

„My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, And I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.“ (Job 19:20)<\/p>\n

His flesh has wasted away, and he has become a bare skeleton. In this pitiable condition he pleads with his friends, saying:<\/p>\n

„Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; For the hand of God hath touched me. Why do ye persecute me as God, And are not satisfied with my flesh?“ (Job 19:21-22)<\/p>\n

Such a scene should melt any heart, even a heart of stone!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

The Book Of Job
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Biblical Research Monthly
\n<\/span>
by Dr. David L. Cooper
\n<\/span>
(Installment 14)<\/center>
\n<\/span>
Job’s Reply To Bildad’s Second Speech<\/center>
\n<\/span>
Job’s Conviction Regarding Final Vindication<\/center><\/p>\n

By some sort of vision or inspiration, Job arises out of his despair, scales the highest mountain peaks of prophetic truth, and speaks with confident accent and in convincing tones regarding the life beyond this one. It is interesting to note that, in 9:33, Job laments the fact that there is no umpire between him and God, „That might lay his hand upon us both.“ In his reply to Zophar, however, light from the eternal spiritual world begins to filter through the darkness, as we see in 14:13-15. But in his reply to Eliphaz (chaps. 16,17) the light from the eternal world becomes much brighter and bursts forth in the following profound conviction:<\/p>\n

„Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, And he that voucheth for me is on high. My friends scoff at me: But mine eye poureth out tears unto God, That he would maintain the right of a man with God, And of a son of man with his neighbor!“ (Job 16:19-21)<\/p>\n

But in chapter 19 Job’s reply to Bildad’s second philippic against him reaches the mountain peak of faith; and with a glowing fervor that is to be found in very few passages, even in the Word of God, the suffering patriarch describes, in 19:23-27, what in vision he sees:<\/p>\n

„Oh that my words were now written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book! That with an iron pen and lead they were graven in the rock for ever! But as for me I know that my Redeemer liveth, And at last he will stand up upon the earth: And after my skin, even this body, is destroyed, Then without my flesh shall I see God; Whom I, even I, shall see, on my side, And mine eyes shall behold, and not as a stranger. My heart is consumed within me. (Job 19:23-27)<\/p>\n

Since there is no one on this occasion to champion Job’s cause, he expresses the wish that his words were now written, that they were inscribed in a book. In most of the countries in the Near East at the time of Job, writing was done on clay tablets, but in Egypt the papyrus plant was used for the manufacture of paper. There were, therefore, scrolls in use, and possibly vellum, out of which books were made. Job, realizing the fragile nature of books, expressed the desire that his words might be graven in the rock and that lead might be placed in it to preserve the stone from erosion that the message might endure throughout the centuries, and that people might read it. What was it Job wishes could be written and preserved thus to all future generations? The answer is the words found in verses 25-27. Let us look at these for a few moments.<\/p>\n

In the first place he professes the profound conviction that he <\/span>knows<\/i><\/span> that his Redeemer lives. He has no doubts concerning this proposition. Job has the Word of God in his day and time and is evidently a close student of this revelation. From it he has learned that his Redeemer, his <\/span>Goel,<\/i><\/span> the one who will champion his cause, lives. He realizes that this Redeemer is not upon earth, but in heaven. He will, however, in the very last of the days stand upon the earth. Thus Job knows something about the coming of the Lord to this earth to reign upon it for a thousand years, as we learn from numerous passages throughout the prophets, as well as in the New Testament.<\/p>\n

According to verse 26 Job realizes that the Lord’s coming will not occur in his natural lifetime, for he thus declares:<\/p>\n

„And after my skin, even this body, is destroyed, Then without my flesh shall I see God; \u2026“ (Job 19:26)<\/p>\n

Job realizes that all who die during his time and subsequently, until the last days, will descend to Sheol. From our Lord’s statement in Luke, chapter 16, there were two apartments of Sheol, or Hades as it is called in the New Testament. A vast gulf separates these two compartments. The righteous went to one, whereas the wicked went to the other. Thus all the dead, both saved and unsaved went to Sheol.<\/p>\n

Job is not a „soul-sleeper.“ He believes that the soul is conscious after death. Jesus taught that doctrine in His statement to Caiaphas, for He told him: „… ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven“ (Mark 14:62). Caiaphas, upon death, descended to Sheol, having laid aside his fleshly body with its limitations and has been able to see Christ seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Thus even the lost can see across the vast extent of space separating their abode in the heart of the earth from heaven.<\/p>\n

In verse 27 Job continues:
\n„Whom I, even I, shall see, on my side, And mine eyes shall behold, and not as a stranger. My heart is consumed within me.“ (Job 19:27)<\/p>\n

It is quite possible that, in this verse, Job is speaking of the time when the Redeemer shall stand again upon this earth–at His second coming. Then will he, so Job declares, see God on his side–not as a stranger, but as his divine Defender, who will vindicate him. God will be his friend forever and ever, and Job will be in complete fellowship with Him.<\/p>\n

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Job’s Warning to His Friends
\n<\/span><\/center><\/p>\n

In concluding his speech, Job warns his friends that, should they decide to continue to persecute and to trouble him, they should fear the sword. The sword of which they should be afraid is one that will be brought by the wrath of God as punishment upon them. God overrules the actions of the nations, as well as of individuals and uses one against another in order to bring punishment for their wrongdoings and sins. The fact that God thus will providentially use others in punishing the disobedient is proof that there is a judgment. Judgments begin, however, as Peter tells us, at the house of God–now, during this life (I Peter 4:17). No one can sin with impunity. Sooner or later, God’s punishments come upon the guilty.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Zophar’s Second Speech
\n<\/span>
Read Chapter 20
\n<\/span>
<\/center><\/p>\n

Zophar made two speeches only, whereas his friends and comrades made three each. Job answered each one of these friends. Zophar, like his fellows, begins his speech (found in Job, chapter 20) with a reproof and a reprimand to Job for what he has said. These introductory remarks are found in the first three verses. In verse 2 Zophar declares that he does not have to do any research or to inquire to get an answer to Job’s speech. All he has to do is to meditate, and his thoughts supply the answer. He is confident that he has the proper reply to Job, even though his speech is an impromptu one. He feels that, without any preparation or study of what Job has said, he can give a complete refutation to the position advocated by Job.<\/p>\n

The sting from Job’s speech is echoed in Zophar’s statement:
\n„I have heard the reproof which putteth me to shame; And the spirit of my understanding answereth me.“ (Job 20:3)<\/p>\n

Thus what Job has said has, like an arrow, reached its mark and gone straight to Zophar’s heart. He feels the rebuke very keenly. But he also feels that he has the proper understanding of the situation and can adequately answer the argument that Job has made.<\/p>\n

The Life of the Wicked Upon Earth Is Very Short<\/center><\/p>\n

In verses 4-11 Zophar emphasizes the thought that the life of the wicked is very short, and that they soon pass off the stage of human action and are quickly forgotten. He therefore introduces his speech in the following words found in verses 4 and 5:<\/p>\n

„Knowest thou not this of old time, Since man was placed upon earth, That the triumphing of the wicked is short, And the joy of the godless but for a moment?“ (Job 20:4-5)<\/p>\n

According to him, if one will but look back at the history of the race–even from the days of Adam onward–he will come to the conclusion that the triumph of the wicked is very short, and that their joys are very brief. Upon what Zophar bases this judgment we are unable to see, because it is contrary to all experience. From the records of the past, which have been dug up in recent times, the evidence is clear that wicked and evil men have not been cut off so very suddenly because of their wickedness, as Zophar here claims. On this side of Job’s time we know that the wicked have lived as long, and sometimes longer, than the righteous. For instance, Manasseh was the most wicked king who ever sat upon the throne of David. He reigned for fifty-five years. There were good kings who sat upon the same throne, but none of them ruled for such a long time as did Manasseh, this wicked, evil man.<\/p>\n

Zophar says that the joy of the godless is but for a moment. It is doubtful whether or not the wicked have any real joy in their hearts. They may have some temporary or passing pleasure; but, when it comes to real joy, they do not know what it is. Only the redeemed, in whose, hearts the Spirit of God dwells, can have real joy.<\/p>\n

Though a wicked man, asserts Zophar, may prosper and his height reach to the heavens and his head to the clouds, he soon, passes away and people will say, „Where is he?“ He shall flee away as a dream, and be chased away like a vision of the night–as Zophar asserts in verses 7 and 8. He shall pass away so very quickly that they who saw him before will never see him again (vs. 9).<\/p>\n

According to verses 10 and 11 his children will be reduced to poverty and they will have to beg for bread, even from the poor. The wicked man’s hands will have to give back the wealth that he had gotten fraudulently. Though he has the full vigor of youth, the judgment of God overtakes him, and he lies down in the dust and passes away.<\/p>\n

The experiences, such as Zophar states here, are certainly not in accordance with facts of human history. Why the wicked should triumph and continue is a question that has engaged the attention of philosophers and theologians throughout the centuries. The problem of the presence and continuance of evil is one that has baffled the greatest minds. This question cannot be brushed aside by categorical statements which are put forth without any proof whatsoever. God in His love and mercy–and in His great wisdom–has permitted Satan, the archenemy of both God and man, to continue as the prince of the powers of the air through the centuries and millenniums of the past. Why the Almighty allows Satan to have access to human beings and to carry out his nefarious, diabolical purposes is a question that we shall never understand thoroughly until we come face to face with God. But we believe that Satan’s continuance, and that of wicked, evil men are matters that are under the control and supervision of the Almighty.<\/p>\n

We who believe the Scriptures are convinced that God makes everything– regardless of its origin–that touches the life of the children of God contribute to their welfare. Throughout all eternity it will be seen by them that God works everything for good to those who love Him, those who are called according to His purpose.<\/p>\n

Retribution and Vengeance for the Wicked<\/center><\/p>\n

In Job 20:12-22 Zophar expatiates upon the retribution that comes to the wicked, and the sudden vengeance that overtakes the unjust. In verses 12-14 Zophar thinks of wickedness as food which the wicked man takes into his mouth. It is sweet while it is in his month, but after it reaches his stomach and intestines it becomes very bitter indeed. „It is the gall of asps within him“ (vs. 14b). Thus wickedness, which at the beginning is only pleasant becomes the bitterest thing possible in the life of the wicked man.<\/p>\n

The wicked swallows down the riches which he gets from others unjustly. Soon after they reach his stomach, he vomits them up and casts them out of his belly. These words might describe one or two cases of wickedness, or a few among many, but it certainly is not the universal practice.<\/p>\n

In verse 16 Zophar thinks of the riches which the wicked seize from the righteous, and of which he partakes, and speaks of them in terms of poison of the reptiles. On account of the corruption of his heart, such a degenerate one as the wicked „shall not look upon the rivers, The flowing streams of honey and butter.“ But we see that many wicked men enjoy the flowing streams of honey and butter and other good material things of life.<\/p>\n

In verses 18 and 19 Zophar asserts that what the wicked labor for he will be forced by the providence of God to restore and not retain. Moreover, he shall not have an opportunity to rejoice according to the substance that he has gotten unjustly. He oppresses the poor and deprives the non-resisting ones of their rightful property. He, therefore, will be unable to retain that which he has gotten unjustly.<\/p>\n

Zophar recognizes that the wicked man who thus mistreats the poor and oppresses the innocent has no quietness and peace in his heart. This statement is certainly true. There is no peace, real, genuine peace, to the wicked. Since he greedily devours everything that he can possibly lay his hand upon, his prosperity shall not endure, asserts Zophar. This statement is not in accordance with human experience as we know it today.<\/p>\n

Zophar feels that the wicked, in the fullness of his sufficiency, is always in a difficult position, for, said he, „… he shall be in straits.“ The reason for his being in such circumstances is, as he asserts, that „The hand of every one that is in misery shall come upon him“ (vs. 22). No one can prove such unsupported statements as these.<\/p>\n

The Sudden and Final Stroke of Judgment Upon the Wicked<\/center><\/p>\n

In verses 23-28 Zophar attempts to prove that the sudden and final stroke of God’s judgment comes upon the wicked one when he is in the height of his power and glory. He introduces this part of his speech with the following words:<\/p>\n

„When he is about to fill his belly, God will cast the fierceness of his wrath upon him, And will rain it upon him while he is eating.“ (Job 20:23)<\/p>\n

Zophar, as we see from this passage, believes in the providence of God. For him, it is God who is overruling in the minutest details of life, punishing the wicked for their evil. In realizing that it is God who is overruling, Zophar is correct. But he is certainly wrong in his hasty deductions with reference to God’s punishing at the very time all forms of wickedness and sin. When the wicked is filling his belly with the good things of others, God does not cast the fierceness of His wrath upon him while he is eating. This language echoes things that are set forth in the prologue of the Book of Job (chaps. 1 and 2). When Job was prosperous and was one of the richest men of all the East, suddenly one stroke of judgment after another fell upon him. He lost everything that he had. Marauding bands of other nations came and seized all of all livestock. The fire of God (lightning) fell upon and destroyed his sheep and his servants (1:16). „The fire of God is fallen from heaven…“ the servant who had escaped told Job. Doubtless this language refers to a terrific rain and lightning storm that did such great damage to some of Job’s property.<\/p>\n

Zophar also asserts (20:24) that the wicked man who has gotten riches unjustly shall flee from the iron weapon and the bow of brass shall strike him through. Bands of the Chaldeans and the Sabeans had come and seized much of Job’s livestock and had driven it off. Zophar is bold to make a prediction that others, with iron weapons and with a bow of brass, will come and shoot at Job. Their arrows will strike and enter his body, passing through it. Thus the suffering patriarch is lying on the ground, mortally wounded (vs. 25). The darkness of night comes and the treasures which he has accumulated fraudulently are consumed. His tent likewise is consumed and his estate is left in a desolate condition.<\/p>\n

God’s thus dealing providentially with the wicked man is interpreted by Zophar as the heavens revealing his iniquity and the earth rising up against him:<\/p>\n

„The heavens shall reveal his iniquity, And the earth shall rise up against him. (Job 20:27)<\/p>\n

He finally concludes his speech with these words:<\/p>\n

„The increase of his house shall depart; His goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath.“ (Job 20:28)<\/p>\n

All that the wicked has gained, regardless of what means, departs, and his goods flow away from him in the day of God’s wrath. This certainly is not true, generally speaking. This day of wrath of which Zophar is speaking is the time, or day, when God providentially strikes down the wicked man because of his sinfulness. Such sudden strokes of judgment occasionally come to the wicked. But by no means is this the usual thing.<\/p>\n

Mankind is continuing to grow from bad to worse. The world situation is becoming more complicated and more desperate as the days pass. As I have said in this article several times, God permits the wicked and the unrighteous to flourish and continue their nefarious practices. At the same time, the innocent and the just have most difficult times and bitter experiences. God permits things to go on now frequently in such a way that baffles our understanding. But His ways are best.<\/p>\n

But when wickedness springs up on every side and the world is practically in the grip of wickedness, rebellion, and sin, we may then know that the time for God to deal drastically with mankind is at hand. This position is asserted by the inspired writer in Psalm 92:7-9 in the following words:<\/p>\n

„When the wicked spring as the grass, And when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; It is that they shall be destroyed for ever. But thou, O Jehovah, art on high for evermore. For, lo, thine enemies, O Jehovah, For, lo, thine enemies shall perish; All the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.“ (Psalms 92:7-9)<\/p>\n

In the Tribulation Period, which is described in these verses, God will arise and deal drastically and thoroughly with all the wicked of the earth. As everyone knows who is thoroughly acquainted with the teachings of the prophetic word the judgments of the Tribulation from the very beginning, though severe, are light at the beginning in comparison with the mighty strokes of His wrath which come at the end of the Tribulation. Thus these judgments grow in intensity and in power as the Tribulation advances and approaches the end.<\/p>\n

But we know, also, that the Word of God will be given to the world in the first part of the Tribulation in order that everyone who wishes truth might have an opportunity of accepting Christ and being saved. Moreover, we know that God will protect and deliver all who are honest and conscientious, and who want truth. Thus God’s preservation and working in behalf of the innocent and the poor will be apparent to all in the Tribulation Period–as it is not today. Also, His dealing with the wicked drastically will become more apparent in the Tribulation.<\/p>\n

Zophar asserts in the last verse of his speech (20:29) that he has given a true picture of God’s judgment of and dealing with the wicked:<\/p>\n

„This is the portion of a wicked man from God, And the heritage appointed unto him by God.“ (Job 20:29)<\/p>\n

Whenever a person espouses a theory and wishes to hold on to it, rather than to truth, he becomes practically blind. He cannot see facts and truth. Zophar in this speech went contrary to everything that was known in history, and in his own day and time.<\/p>\n

May we, by the grace of God, desire truth and righteousness above everything else. May we lay aside all theories and stand for truth, justice, and righteousness–yea, for the ways of God alone.<\/p>\n

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The Book Of Job
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Biblical Research Monthly
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by Dr. David L. Cooper
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(Installment 15)<\/center>
Job’s Reply To Zophar’s Second Speech
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AS USUAL, Job begins his reply to Zophar in the way characteristic of him in introducing all his speeches. He therefore calls upon his friends to listen diligently to his speech, which, if they only will do so, will prove a source of consolation to them. Continuing, he pleads with them to allow him to speak without interruption or interference. Then he will finish, and they can continue to mock–as they have been doing. He considers all of their speeches as mockery.<\/p>\n

To his friends he put this question:
\n„4 As for me, is my complaint to man? And why should I not be impatient?“<\/p>\n

By these rhetorical questions he means to affirm that his complaint is not to man, nor against man. Moreover, he justifies his being impatient in the situation. Then he calls upon them to notice him carefully and to be astonished; that is, if they would note his situation carefully and without bias, they would be astonished. Being brought to this point, they would lay their hands upon their mouths and stop finding fault with him and making false accusations.<\/p>\n

Job’s condition, according to verse 6, has reached the point that, even when he recalls something in the past, he is in trouble. Then a great horror seizes upon him, and he is gripped with fear. He has lost his nerve, as we say today, and is on the point of a complete collapse. Who would not be, under the conditions under which he was then placed? Only a person with iron nerves could stand up under the false accusations that his friends are constantly hurling at him! Having thus tried to appeal to his friends to be considerate and to cease their insinuations, he begins to explain the situation of the wicked, stating the condition of these, first in a positive manner (vss.7-16), and then in the negative way (vss. 17-21).<\/p>\n

The Truth Regarding the Lives and Destiny of the Wicked<\/center><\/p>\n

The positive side and the correct interpretation concerning the condition and state of the wicked is so very eloquently stated by Job in verses 7-16, that I wish to quote these with very little comment:<\/p>\n

„Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power? Their seed is established in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them. Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf. They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance. They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ. They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him? Lo, their good is not in their hand: the counsel of the wicked is far from me.“ (Job 21:7-16)<\/p>\n

The question asked in verse 7 assumes, in general, that the wicked do live to a good old age and wax powerful and mighty in the earth. Their posterity, according to verse 8, grows up in a godless atmosphere and prospers. The houses of such men are safe from being molested. Moreover, the rod of God does not fall upon them. Their flocks and their herds may produce and become very extensive. The children of the wicked are like flocks; they dance and play. They sing songs to the timbrel and harp and rejoice. They live in a whirl of peaceful prosperity, reaching a ripe old age. Then, in a moment, they die and go to Sheol, not lingering on beds of suffering.<\/p>\n

These very wicked ones are godless and refuse to consider the questions regarding God, the soul, and immortality. Whenever a religious topic is brought up, they demand that it be dropped. They feel their absolute independence of God and deny that there is any good to be derived from serving God. These wicked ones do not want to be bothered by the thought of their being dependent upon God for anything.<\/p>\n

But Job, in verse 16, asserts that their prosperity is not in the hands of the wicked. He therefore does not wish the counsel of the wicked to be near him.<\/p>\n

Having presented the positive side of the lives of the wicked and godless, Job now looks at the negative side of the same in verses 17-21. Since this is so very pointed and clear, I shall likewise quote these verses and give little comment to them:<\/p>\n

„How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! and how oft cometh their destruction upon them! God distributeth sorrows in his anger. They are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away. God layeth up his iniquity for his children: he rewardeth him, and he shall know it. His eyes shall see his destruction, and he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty. For what pleasure hath he in his house after him, when the number of his months is cut off in the midst?“ (Job 21:17-21)<\/p>\n

The three questions of verse 17 demand a negative answer. Not very often is the lamp of the wicked put out; neither does calamity often come upon them. Seldom does God bring sorrow and distress upon them in His anger. Job is practically right in what He is saying here; because, as a rule, God does not punish the wicked drastically here. On occasions, He does; but, as a rule, He does not. The time for their punishment is not in this life, but in the world to come. They will be sufficiently punished then.<\/p>\n

These questions demanding the negative answer are continued in verse 18, which asks how often is it that God deals with the wicked in terms of the summer threshing floor. After the grain is beaten out, the chaff is thrown into the air when the wind is blowing. By this means the chaff, being lighter than the grain, is blown away, whereas the grain falls directly to the earth in a pile. Whoever, demands Job, has seen God thus dealing with the wicked? Thus far, only on special occasions has God ever pursued this method. But He will, as we learn in Psalm 1, mete out punishment to the wicked in the end of the age. Read Psalm 1:4-6 in connection with this point.<\/p>\n

In answer to Job’s presentation of God’s dealing with the wicked, his friends would say that He, God, lays up the iniquity and the punishment thereof for His children, but that He does not bring punishment upon the wicked. It is true that in the Decalogue God states that He visits the iniquity of the parents upon the children, and upon the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation (Ex. 20:4-6). But, as I have already intimated, God does bring punishment upon evil, wicked men. Always, however, the children suffer for the sins of the parents, as stated in the quotation from Exodus to which I have referred.<\/p>\n

Assuming that the position which Job’s friends held is true, Job then boldly declares:<\/p>\n

„God layeth up his iniquity for his children: he rewardeth him, and he shall know it. His eyes shall see his destruction, and he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty.“ (Job 21:19-20)<\/p>\n

Since God does not summarily punish the wicked, argued Job, the theory propounded by his friends is absolutely wrong. Job is very eager that God will deal with the wicked now, for those are they, thinks he, who need punishment for their sins. Men who are thus wicked are not very much concerned about what will come upon their posterity, just so they live, enjoy life, and get all out of it that they can. They are not concerned about the future generations.<\/p>\n

Shall a Man Teach God Knowledge?<\/center><\/p>\n

„Shall any teach God knowledge? seeing he judgeth those that are high. One dieth in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet. His breasts are full of milk, and his bones are moistened with marrow. And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure. They shall lie down alike in the dust, and the worms shall cover them.“ (Job 21:22-26)<\/p>\n

Job reasons something like this; If the theories concerning God’s providential governing of the world advocated by his friends are correct, then God needs to be instructed and to be given the proper knowledge concerning how to deal with humanity. Can man, who is of this earth, teach God who judges and renders decisions concerning the heavenly host? This question calls for a negative reply.<\/p>\n

In this passage Job speaks of the two classes of people that are to be found everywhere. Each lives his life and then passes off the stage of action. The well-to-do and rich have everything that they can want. Finally, they lie down, die, and are buried. On the other hand, there are the poor, the needy, and the oppressed. They suffer many privations during life, and then finally they too lie down in the dust as do the rich. Job, in these verses, is stating the sober facts of life.<\/p>\n

Job’s Reply to the Personal Attacks Made Against Him<\/center><\/p>\n

In verses 27-34 Job takes note of implications of the things which his friends say regarding God’s dealing with the wicked and sees in them insinuations that he is one of the wicked with whom God is dealing drastically. In verse 28 the friends are represented as saying:<\/p>\n

„For ye say, Where is the house of the prince? And where is the tent wherein the wicked dwelt?“ (Job 21:28)<\/p>\n

Of course, by these questions they were speaking of Job, who was really a prince in the land, but they are insinuating that he is a wicked man, and that his sins have found him out.<\/p>\n

In verses 29 and 30 Job insists that his friends inquire of travelers, with wide experience, concerning God’s dealing with the wicked, as they had so very insistently asserted.<\/p>\n

In verse 31 Job asks:
\n„Who shall declare his way to his face? And who shall repay him what he hath done?“ (Job 21:31)<\/p>\n

These questions probably refer to the wicked ones. No one would be bold enough to confront such powerful ones and throw insinuations at them. Nevertheless, when the wicked man passes out of this life, he is borne to his grave, and then there are those who watch over the grave lest marauders desecrate it. After burial, the wicked man lies there sweetly in his resting place. The march of humanity continues after he is gone from the earthly scene, just as it went on before he was ever born–and he is forgotten.<\/p>\n

Job concludes his message by saying:
\n„How then comfort ye me in vain, Seeing in your answers there remaineth only falsehood?“ (Job 21:34)<\/p>\n

He considers all that they have said in regard to God’s providential government of the world as simply falsehood. Job was correct in branding their utterances in this manner. History and human experience do not bear out their contentions and theories; for, as a rule, the wicked are not punished here. But the righteous are chastened and corrected. „Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth.“ But the time of the chastisement of the wicked follows this life.
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The Book Of Job Biblical Research Monthly by Dr. David L. Cooper (Installment 12)Bildad’s Second Speech A Reply to Job’s Message of Chapters 16 and 17 AS WE HAVE already noted, the speeches of Job and his friends run in cycles. Each of the friends makes his speech in his turn. But to each one … <\/p>\n

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