Day 318: Job 20-21 | Read The Bible In A Year | Bible Study with Commentary by Dr. Manny Arango

Welcome to the Bible Department podcast, powered by Arma. We are walking through the entire Bible in a year. You can go to the description or thebobledapartment.com to download a reading plan and join the journey. (gentle music) Family, welcome to day 318 here at the Bible Department. I'm so excited that we get to walk through Job. Chapters 20 to 21 together today, just two chapters of Job on the docket for today. If you haven't done the reading, I wanna challenge you. Stop the video, pause the audio, go get the reading done, solid, solid reading. And if I could be transparent, honest, vulnerable, I would actually admit that more and more and more, I really walk through the book of Job. The more I read it, especially something about reading it this time around, up again, to realize that a lot of my internal dialogue sounds a lot like Ella Faz, Bill Dad, and so far. And so this book has really challenged me. I don't know if it's been challenging you. It's been stretching me, and honestly, helping me to realize that a lot of my understanding of the world, a lot of my philosophy about, about how the world works is too simple, is a little too black and white. And so the book's been challenging me,

I hope it's been challenging you. Today we got two, what I think are challenging chapters, not in terms of they're complicated, but in terms of, I think, the message that it has for our soul and the challenge that it gives us to just think in a more nuanced, in a more complex way. So with no further ado, like every day, we're gonna look at context clues, then nerdy nuggets. I got five nerdy nuggets for you today, and then we're gonna leave off the episode with a timeless truth, so I'm pumped. Let's dive into our context clue. Just one big context clue, nothing super profound or complicated today. Job chapter 20 is gonna be so far speech, and then Job chapter 21 is gonna be Job's response to so far, okay? Now, I just wanna remind everybody that this speech and then response by Job fits within the larger context of cycle number two, dialogue cycle number two. This started in Job chapter 15, okay? So if I could give you just a mini map of this subsection, Eliphaz is gonna speak in Job 15, and then Job's gonna respond in Job 16 and 17, and then Bill Dad is gonna talk in Job 18, and then Job's gonna respond in Job 19. Obviously, we looked at that yesterday, and then today Zofar is gonna give us speech in chapter 20, and then Job's gonna respond in chapter 21.

So each cycle is Eliphaz, Job, Bill Dad, Job, Zofar, Job. Okay, so this is cycle number two, and we are looking at Zofar's speech, and then Job's response, all right? Let's dive into our nerdy nuggets for the day. I got five for you. First, Zofar's entire idea is essentially that God always punishes the wicked, okay? God always punishes the wicked. And again, on the surface, like not a bad idea. Job's actually going to debunk that idea in a pretty brilliant move, but that God always punishes the wicked. I actually think if I went out right now and I just started telling people, God always punishes the wicked, doesn't he, right? Doesn't God always punish the wicked? Most people would say, yeah, and you would be shocked that you're agreeing with a character in the Bible that is not necessarily being framed as someone with truth. And so Zofar is going to make this argument that God always punishes the wicked. And so I, in my own personal life, have been challenged by reading this because I'm realizing, yeah, Job actually is gonna debunk this, and it's a legitimate argument, okay? So God always punishes the wicked. Therefore, hey, this is the crux of Zofar's argument.

Therefore, Job is wicked. Since God always punishes the wicked and Job's being punished, or it certainly looks like this is punishment, Job must be wicked. This is what I would call easy theology. I'm not gonna lie, I have gotten caught in the trap of easy theology, okay? And what I began to realize is that simple, not simple in terms of just like plain or easy to understand, but simple in terms of like overly simplistic. Simple and lazy answers hurt people. Simple and lazy answers. You know, I can't tell you how many funerals I've been to or I've listened to people talk once tragedy hits and pastors, ministers, representatives of God's church, say things that I think are really, really, really hurtful and lazy answers really do hurt people. Job is not lazy. This is the opposite of lazy. This is really, really, really calming through tons of complex philosophy and theology and I think that it's worth it. So Zofar's big argument, okay? Let's go to chapter 20 for ourselves is that God always punishes the wicked, okay? Let's start out in verse one. My troubles then Zofar, the name of sight replied. My troubled thoughts prompt me to answer because I am greatly disturbed.

I hear a rebuke that dishonors me and my understanding inspires me to reply. He's like, Job, the words that you're saying are just like, they're disrespectful, like they're just, they're just like, this is, this is, this is a problem. Surely you know how it has been of old ever since mankind was placed on the earth. So he's about to make a universal argument. Like, dude, ever since mankind was placed on the earth that the mirth of the wicked is brief, okay? So we're already into, hey man, like the wicked die. The joy of the godless last but a moment, though the pride of the godless person reaches to the heavens in his head, touches the clouds, he will perish forever like his own dung, okay? So the life of the wicked is the same value of their poop. That is just the point of this wisdom literature is to kind of sear mental images into your mind. Those who have seen him will say, where is he? Like a dream, he flies away, no more to be found, banished. Okay, so Zofar is gonna give seven, what I would say like are pretty, I guess analogies for how the pride of the wicked is brought down, okay? So in chapter 20, verse six and seven, it's gonna be from head and the clouds to being like his own dung, okay? From head and the clouds to being like his own dung. I hope you can see that juxtaposition. And verses eight through nine,

disappear like a dream or a nightmare, okay? Verse 10, children will seek help from the poor. Okay, we can read verse 10 together, it says this, his children must make amends to the poor. His own hands must give back his wealth. And then verse 11, the youthful vigor to lying in the dust. Okay, the youthful vigor that fills his bones will lie with him in the dust. I think, okay, number one, two, three, that was number four. And then verse 12 to 14 says that for the wicked, evil is sweet in the mouth, yet turn to snakes, venom in the stomach. And then the sixth analogy that we get is in verse 15, swallows up riches, but then vomits them out, okay? That's an image for what happens to wicked people. They swallow riches, but then they vomit them out. And then lastly, the seventh analogy is that they will eat the fruit of his toil. Verse 18, it says this, what he toiled for, he must give back uneaten. He will not enjoy the profit from his trading, okay? So if you were to just think about that, most of us would probably go, yeah, that's exactly what it's like to be a wicked, godless person. (laughs) So again, it can be easy to kind of get roped in to Eliphaz, Buildad, and so far as arguments, thinking that they're right, but in all actuality, they are very, very wrong, okay? - Family, the weight is over.

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and compare those. And then for the second one, I want you to write down Job 21 verse 7 and then the corresponding response is to Job 20 verse 11. I want you to compare those. Okay, then third, we got chapter 21 verse 8. Chapter 21 verse 8. And Job chapter 21 verse 8. By the way, all of this is coming from chapter 21. Okay, Job 21 is where Job is going to respond, and I just want you to know what he's responding to. Okay, Job chapter 21 verse 8, he's actually responding to what Bill Dad said in Job 18 verse 19. Next, we have Job 21 verse 9. He's actually responding to what Elephas said in Job 15 verse 24. And you can look at both of those passages. Job chapter 21 verse 17. Again, Job is responding to Bill Dad and he's responding to Bill Dad's words from Job 18 5. And then Job chapter 21 verse 19. Job is responding to Zophar and Zophar's words could be found in Job chapter 20 verse 10. And then last, Job chapter 21 verse 28. Job is responding to two friends, Elephas in Job 15 verse 34. And Zophar in Job chapter 20 verse 26. So Job chapter 21 verse 2. Job chapter 21 verse 7. Job chapter 21 verse 8. Job chapter 21 verse 9. Job chapter 21 verse 17. Job chapter 21 verse 19. Job chapter 21 verse 28. These are seven examples of where Job is responding to multiple friends, Elephas, Zophar, Bill Dad. And he's responding to things that they have said in various chapters. And there are seven of these responses. And now you kind of have a mind map for that. Okay? All right. Our fourth nerdy nugget is that crux of Job's argument is that actually, okay, there are several examples of wicked people flourishing. This is brilliant because Job is brave enough and courageous enough to admit this. Here's my pet peeve in church when we want to hold on to what we think is like a religious idea or a spiritual idea. And so we suppress the truth. We suppress facts. It's almost like you ever talk to like a religious person and like you give them a legitimate argument for something. And it's like they just pretend like the argument you gave doesn't exist. And then they over-spiritualize everything and they're like, well, God's ways are higher than our ways and its thoughts are higher than our thoughts. So, you know, there's an explanation for that. It's like, what, what? Wait, so Job, you know, the friend's arguments is God always punishes the wicked. Everybody knows that because God is just. And then Job's like, wait, before we continue, sometimes the wicked like when, like there are all kinds of wicked people who are winning at life and like they're fine. Wicked people sometimes live long and healthy lives with many children living without fear of judgment. This is, you know, Job, chapter 21, verse 13, as he says, they spend their days in prosperity and in peace they go down to shield. And then here's some examples. Job, chapter 21,

verse 17, 18, how often is it that they actually face the calamity you say next versus 19 to 21, how often do children bear the punishment of their wicked parents? Then 21, 22, who gets to tell God who to judge and who not to? And then chapter 21, verse 23, 26, why is it that poor and rich, wicked and unrighteous all face the same fate? Job was pointing out that the universal facts of their reward theology are by no means universal. Yes, they can go on and on and on and on about how the wicked do not prosper. But you meet any random stranger on the road and he will tell you examples that contradict you. This is the main argument of Job, chapter 21, verses 27 to 33. In addition to all the other verses that I just mentioned and Job, yeah, I know, I know wicked people who are doing just fine. That doesn't mean that we should be wicked. That doesn't mean that living a godly life isn't amazing. It just means that our motive has to be different. And it means that this argument that you're trying to make, you know, and by you, I mean, build that LF has in so far just falls apart. This is a strong man argument. And I think sometimes, you know, I've heard leaders use all kinds of bad reasoning to get people to do good things. I've heard people use scare tactics to get people to tithe. And I'm like, I 100% believe in tithing, full blown. I tithe, been tithing for a long time. But man, making people scared of like being cursed, 'cause they don't, I don't know if I can rock with that. Like, you know, you're gonna be cursed. It's like, or promising that people are gonna be rewarded. Man. Yeah. Oh, ah, that makes me nervous.

I'm all about people staying versus until they're married. Like, that's smart, it's wise. But fear mongering that creates purity culture. Ugh. And then it's like, you just tell people facts. Hey, I know people who had sex before marriage and they have amazing marriages today. Like, because you can't just make the argument, if you have sex before marriage, you're gonna have a terrible marriage. Like, ah, gosh, wow. Okay, if you have sex before marriage, you're gonna displease the Lord. If you have sex before marriage, you know, there's all kinds of consequences that will happen if you have sex before marriage. But then we get into the territory of just saying things that aren't true. And I love that Job has the courage to just say, they don't make you people prospering, guys. Like, I don't know what to tell you there, we're making people prospering. And it takes a lot of courage to say that, okay? Fifth, and ultimately is where I think the book is really going, is that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And what does the fear of the Lord do? It makes God big and us small, which creates humility. And what does humility always confess? We don't know, we're not omniscient, we don't know. We know in part, we see in part, we prophesy in part.

I can't assume to know, I don't know. And for whatever reason, a lot of Christians aren't comfortable with the words, I don't know. One of the things I had to tell the youth leaders at our church, when I was a youth pastor, is you can tell kids you don't know. If there's ever a time where you don't know something, just say to the young people, I don't know. I don't know, but you know what, I can find out. I don't know, why am I great? Especially when it comes to suffering, I don't know. And you know what, you don't know either. And none of us know, we don't know why that person died. There was a kid named Shaviz who ended up dying while we were youth pastors. He was a young kid, young kid drowned. And you know, I didn't get up there and say anything like, well, God just needed another angel. So he took Shaviz, like that's ridiculous. That's a lazy answer that Axie produces more hurt. And now I'm gonna run the risk of hurting young people. And now they're gonna be in their 30s still talking about, yeah, I stopped going to church as Pastor Man, he said that, you know, God needed another angel and that's why God killed Shaviz. Oh my gosh. Or you just say, hey, we don't know, we don't know. And I think there's this desire to know why. And throughout the book, what is clear is that God has no intentions of telling us why.

But he has an intent on telling us who. And there's answers to the who question. Maybe not the why question, but the who question. Who is behind the attack or the suffering? Satan who desperately wants you to maintain your integrity and continue to bless the Lord? Yahweh, who wants you to turn your back on God, Satan? And who is present in with you through all suffering, the person of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit? We can't always answer the why question, but we certainly can answer the who question. And who are we becoming? As we go through hard seasons in life, I hope that we're becoming more and more and more, like our Father in heaven, like Jesus and being formed by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is autonomous shoes for the day. Easy answers make religious people comfortable, but simultaneously they make people who are searching for God uncomfortable and create a barrier that is going to be a hurdle that people are gonna have to jump over. And they actually end up doing more damage in harm than good. So here's what I would say. If you don't have a good apologetic argument for why they're suffering in the world, I'd rather you say nothing than say things that are going to have to then be deconstructed. And that's not just true for Job, LFA's, Bill Dad, and so far.

That's true for me, that's true for you. Humility creates a comfortability with being able to say, "We don't." - All right, family, tomorrow we got day 319. We're gonna be looking at Job, chapters 22, 23 and 24. I hope the last couple of days haven't ruined you. I know yesterday and today we only have two chapters to read, but tomorrow we're back up to three chapters. I'll be right here waiting to dive in to Job, chapters 22 to 24 with you tomorrow, same time, same place. If you're on a street, I'm proud of you. If you're not, I love you. I'll see you tomorrow. Peace. - Thanks so much for joining us on the Bible Department podcast. If this episode was helpful, how about you leave a comment? Share with a friend and subscribe so that you never miss an episode. To learn more about the show, head to thebobaldapartment.com. We'll see you right back here tomorrow.