Job 20:1-5 - Then
Zophar the Naamathite 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. "Surely you know how it has been from of
old, ever since man was placed on the earth, that the mirth of the wicked is
brief, the joy of the godless lasts but a moment.
Zophar took his second turn replying to Job’s cries of
bitterness and pain. He was upset with his friend for trying to make him feel
guilty…and he continued to berate Job
for being a sinner…worthy of nothing less than the consequences he was
given. He maintained that Job’s problem
was a direct result of some sin he was hiding.
He called him wicked…and listed all the judgments that God would bring
to him in the end.
Only problem was that Zophar spoke from his own thoughts and
understanding. He was right is saying
that the wicked would be punished and judged someday….but he was wrong for
including Job in that group of sinners. He was right is saying that the wicked’s
prosperity is but a short while….but he was wrong for including Job in the
ranks of the wicked.
One of the problems was that Zophar was using his own
judgment and understanding of the word of God.
He forgot the wise words of Solomon in Proverbs 3:5-6. It tells us to… “Trust in the LORD with all
your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways
submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. None of Job’s friends ever
stopped to pray that God help them know what to say.
Another lesson in this chapter is that God will judge us all
someday….in his time. Job’s friends
wanted God to come down and prove them right to Job….they wanted God to show
Job his great sin that had caused such a horrible penalty. Job wanted God to come down and prove his
innocence…to shout at his friends to leave him alone…to tell them he was
telling the truth.
God was looking down from Heaven and shaking his head in
dismay at all of them...because he was teaching them a lesson about his timing.
God’s timing has no Earthly framework…it is not measured in days or hours….or
even years. It is measured in faith and
hope and joy and peace…it is measured in persistence and patience and love. It is understood only when we pray for God’s
guidance and peace to endure what he needs us to endure…while he is teaching us
about his great love and mercy.
I will be the first to say that I still don’t understand God’s
timing…but I have gotten better at waiting for him to give me answers. And I know…that I know….that I know…that if I
keep God as close as I can… that I will have peace about his timing…even when I
don’t understand it. He will give me that peace that passes all understanding
that Paul talked about in Philippians 4:7.
It says… “And the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Father…help me to hold on when it gets
rough…because you are teaching me something really good about your love. Show me how to have the faith of Job…and know
the peace that can help me through any storm.
Help me to pray for your guidance and not lean on my own understanding…as
you told the wise Solomon to record for us.
Thank you for reminding me that I need to lean only on you…and wait as
long as you ask me to wait on the blessings you promised me. Amen.
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