17 “How often is the lamp of the wicked extinguished? How often does their misfortune come upon them? How often does God apportion pain to them in his anger? 18 How often are they like straw before the wind, and like chaff swept away by a whirlwind? 19 You may say, ‘God stores up a man’s punishment for his children!’ Instead let him repay the man himself so that he may know it! 20 Let his own eyes see his destruction; let him drink of the anger of the Almighty. 21 For what is his interest in his home after his death, when the number of his months has been broken off? 22 Can anyone teach God knowledge, since he judges those that are on high? 23 “One man dies in his full vigor, completely secure and prosperous, 24 his body well nourished, and the marrow of his bones moist. 25 And another man dies in bitterness of soul, never having tasted anything good. 26 Together they lie down in the dust, and worms cover over them both.
Since we’re reading two chapters of the Bible each day, we’ll find ourselves in the book of Job for three Sundays. It’s going to take a little longer for us to get through Job because there are 42 chapters. But once we’re finished with Job, we’ll move on to the Psalms, and we won’t be done with them until November.
Last week, I explained how the Book of Job plays an important role in our biblical understanding. It is part of wisdom literature but acts as a counterbalance to many other books in that genre, which focus on what I call conventional wisdom. As we go through Job, we’ll see that all of his miserable comforter friends are experts in conventional wisdom. However, each of them views the concept of conventional wisdom from a different perspective.
Today’s text is part of Job’s reply to Zophar’s argument. Zophar argues that Job is guilty of a secret sin but that God knows about the sin and has brought this calamity on him as punishment.
Zophar’s argument.
Before we examine Job’s words in today’s text, let’s review the context. Zophar’s second speech is in chapter 20, and I want to highlight some of what he said there.
Zophar acknowledges that wicked people exist and sometimes prosper, but he argues they won’t prosper for long before their sins catch up with them. Zophar states that “the elation of the wicked is brief, the joy of the godless lasts but a moment” (20:5). This view is ancient and common in many religions worldwide. It reflects the principle of karma – what goes around comes around. A person’s evil actions are the cause, and they lead to suffering as the effect. In many of these religions, this effect appears in the person’s next reincarnation. It can also be seen in the troubles a person faces, which might otherwise be blamed on bad luck.
Zophar did not believe in reincarnation, but he did believe that Job had committed a secret sin, and all the calamity and pain he experienced were the result of God’s effecting a balance in his life. He was telling Job that even though he had experienced elation and joy for a while, it was now time to pay for his sins, and this suffering was all his fault.
Zophar tells Job that his ill-gotten gain was sweet when he devoured it, but it turned into snake venom in his stomach, so he had to vomit it out. “Nothing is left for him to eat; that is why his prosperity does not last. In the fullness of his sufficiency, distress overtakes him. The full force of misery will come upon him. While he is filling his belly, God sends his burning anger against him, and rains down his blows upon him” (21-23). He implied that lasting blessing only goes to the righteous. In a sense, that is true. But Zophar infers from that principle that the righteous would never experience the kind of calamity that Job did. The book of Job teaches against that inference.
Zophar is essentially acting as a prosecuting attorney, presenting Job’s suffering as evidence that he had committed a crime. The suffering proves that Job’s claim of innocence is a lie. All the while, we have been presented with evidence to the contrary in chapters 1-2. We know that Job is not suffering because of his own sin. He is not being punished because God is angry at him. He is being tested because God is proud of him, and the devil hates him.
Job’s question.
When we get to Job’s reply in today’s text, we discover Job acting as his defense attorney. He needs to present evidence that contradicts Zophar’s accusation that his suffering is evidence of his guilt. The prosecution has made its case and presented its evidence. It is now up to the defense to poke holes in that evidence – to create reasonable doubt in the jury by showing that there is some evidence not accounted for in the prosecution’s theory.
Job does that by asking questions of Zophar. One of his questions is found in verse 7: “Why do the wicked go on living, grow old, even increase in power?” That question suggests that if Zophar were correct in his assumption, there should be plenty of examples of evil rich men who wind up like Job. But Job says that is not the case. Plenty of rich evil people keep getting richer and never experience the significant reversal Zophar says is bound to happen. Those prominent religions that teach karma recognize this fact as well. That is why they invented reincarnation, to teach that the reversal occurs in the next life.
Another question Job asks Zophar is found in verse 29: “Have you never questioned those who travel the roads?” Job asked Zophar if he had actually surveyed to see if evil people finally get theirs. The evidence actually shows something different. Plenty of people actually get away with their crimes because they are rich. That was true in Job’s day, and it is just as true today. Justice is supposed to be blind, but she has a bit of a hole in her mask.
But I want us to focus for a bit on the other question that Job asked Zophar. He actually repeats the question four times in today’s text. Look again at verses 17-18:
17 “How often is the lamp of the wicked extinguished? How often does their misfortune come upon them? How often does God apportion pain to them in his anger? 18 How often are they like straw before the wind, and like chaff swept away by a whirlwind?
Zophar has accused Job of sinning and presented as his evidence the principle that God judges sin by punishing the sinner in this life. The sin that goes around in a rich man’s life eventually comes around and punishes him in that same life. Job’s question is, “How often does that actually happen?”
Now, Job is not asking, “Can such a thing ever happen?” He knows that God is sovereign. Our Bibles tell us that God can punish sinners like Pharaoh and Saul, Haman, Nebuchadnezzar, and Herod. But we all know that these are actually exceptions to the rule. They are not evidence of any principle of Karma that is taking place in the world.
If we actually do survey the stories on the road, we find that most of the time, evil rich people keep getting more and more evil and richer and richer. Prosperity is not proof that you have done the right thing.
Job does present evidence of a kind of leveling that happens at the end of life. He says that when rich, healthy people die, they lie down in the dust, and the worms cover them. When poor, sick people die, they lie down in the dust, and the worms cover them.
Job is arguing that Zophar has not made his case. There is no evidence that people are always held accountable for their sins during this life or that they experience judgment for their sins at death.
The gospel answer.
The book of Job leaves us there, but Job’s question still stands, challenging everyone who believes that people experience God’s judgment and that we can judge if someone is righteous just by their outward appearance.
We have to fast-forward to the New Testament for a gospel answer to Job’s question: “How often are people judged for their sins in this life?” The ultimate answer is never. Some criminals are caught and punished, and some sinners are found out. But God’s judgment is not taking place now, and it will not take place at death.
The texts we read this morning in our responsive reading[1] describe another time and day. They talk about Jesus the Judge, sitting on a large white throne, with both the great and the small standing before Him, being judged based on what was written in the books. The graves are emptied, and the sea releases its dead. The Lord has returned and called all our names. We have risen from our tombs because Judgment Day has arrived.
Everyone has their day in court. There are no exceptions. The wealthy cannot buy their way out of this trial. The powerful cannot use their influence to escape it. Each of us will give an account of himself to God. There are only two verdicts: life or condemnation. Those who are chosen for life will be set free from death forever because their names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Those who are condemned will face the second death in the lake of fire, never to live again.
Job’s question was, “How often are people judged for their sins in this life?” The ultimate answer is never. That is because judgment for personal sins awaits that judgment day. What goes around does come around, but it’s going to take a long time. So, if we see people who are suffering today, we would do well not to turn our backs on them. God is not judging them; that comes later. It may be that we see someone suffering because God wants us to help relieve their suffering. Like the Good Samaritan, we may have encountered the sufferer so that we can be a neighbor to them and show love to them.
Or perhaps, when we see someone who is suffering, God has placed that person in our path so that we can pray for them. God has brought that poor sufferer to our doorstep so that He can perform a miracle in that person’s life. All He asks from us is that we pray.
Or, it could be that when we encounter someone who is suffering, God has placed that person in our path so we can introduce them to Christ. The hardship they are experiencing might be God’s way of grabbing their attention so they seek the salvation they need. If we turn away or cross to the other side to avoid the difficult situation, we might miss the opportunity to share Christ.
All of these responses to suffering are good and healthy. But the sad fact is that many of us, even if we are Bible-believing Christians, tend to react to suffering the way Zophar did. We don’t show love, pray, or share Christ. Instead, we judge those who are suffering. We assume that if something bad is happening to these people, they must have done something to deserve it.
Our Lord instructed us not to judge. He understands that when we act like Zophar, we are condemning ourselves. We are depriving ourselves of the joy that comes from helping the helpless, witnessing God’s work through our prayers, or lifting the lowly by leading them to Christ. That joy arises from seeking opportunities to love others in Jesus’ name.
Judgment Day is coming, and when the day arrives, we will all be there. But today isn’t judgment day. It’s not a time for us to judge others or ignore their pain. Today is our opportunity to show love, heal the wounded, and save those who are lost.
