Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Job 20:23-29 comments: Zophar, doing the work of the Accuser


23 ¶  When he is about to fill his belly, God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him, and shall rain it upon him while he is eating. 24  He shall flee from the iron weapon, and the bow of steel shall strike him through. 25  It is drawn, and cometh out of the body; yea, the glittering sword cometh out of his gall: terrors are upon him. 26  All darkness shall be hid in his secret places: a fire not blown shall consume him; it shall go ill with him that is left in his tabernacle. 27  The heaven shall reveal his iniquity; and the earth shall rise up against him. 28  The increase of his house shall depart, and his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath. 29  This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed unto him by God.

Zophar uses some frightful imagery to finish his attack on Job’s character. The wicked is about to fill his belly, presumably with his ill-gotten gains, and the fury of God’s wrath will rain down upon him while he is eating. There used to be a sarcastic saying regarding snipers in the military. It was, “don’t run, you’ll just die tired.” There is no escape from God’s judgment. Like a weapon wielded by an experienced warrior, it will pierce the wicked through, and terror shall be upon him.

The fire of Hell could very easily be described in verse 26. It is a fire, not like one prepared by man, but a fire and terror and darkness as well. Everything, heaven and earth, turns against the wicked. His wealth shall depart in the day of God’s wrath, he says, in an indirect reference to Job’s suffering.  Zophar says that this is what you get from God when you are wicked. This is your appointed fate and your inheritance.

Here, the rebellious Hebrews suffer the fate mentioned in verse 23;

Numbers 11:33  And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.

Psalm 78:30  They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths, 31  The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.

Here are examples of the thoughts carried over from verses 26-29. First, regarding what the Lord Jesus Christ will do.

Deuteronomy 32:22  For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

Matthew 3:12  Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Matthew 5:22  But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Matthew 18:9  And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

Revelation 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Here is a scene given as a warning about a Hell that is real and not some imagined state of existence.

Luke 16:19 ¶  There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20  And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21  And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22  And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23  And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24  And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25  But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26  And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 27  Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: 28  For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29  Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30  And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31  And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

The fires of Hell are real and in this time the wicked are those who, when confronted with their own state of sinfulness and offered the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ the Lord, reject Him and it. Remember the “second death” spoken of in Revelation 20:14 above?

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Street preachers have a phrase, “born once, die twice, born twice, die once.” Why is that? Because Jesus said you must be born again, spiritually reborn, to have eternal life.

John 3:3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Why do you need to be reborn? Because you have inherited Adam’s sinful rebellion against God. It is your genetic inheritance, even your spiritual state of being. But it is through Jesus Christ that we are lifted up from that pit.

Romans 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11  And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. 12  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 13  (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14  Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. 15  But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16  And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 17  For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 18  Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 19  For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 20  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21  That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Death and Hell and the lake of unquenchable fire are the natural destination of mankind due to his nature. There is only one way of escape from that fate.

John 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

As Peter declared;

Acts 4:12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Keep in mind you have one opportunity.

Hebrews 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Something better awaits you if you choose and are chosen.

1Corinthians 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Zophar is like a doctor announcing the symptoms of a disease the patient to whom he is talking does not have. He has misapplied truth to the wrong person. He is attacking an innocent man, declared innocent of specific wrongdoing by God Himself as the book opened up. He is doing the work of Satan, slandering and accusing God’s man. Job is in type the Christian, declared righteous by God by virtue of the Christian’s belief and faith in Christ’s righteousness, His death on the Cross, and His resurrection from the grave, being slammed by Satan day and night without a break. Satan is saying, “he is guilty.” God has said once and for all, “No, he’s not.”

Revelation 12:10  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

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