Apr. 29, 2026
“TRIED AND TESTED”
“FALSE ALLEGATIONS”
JOB 20:1-21:34
Our Savior, Jesus Christ, was known as "a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.”
Isaiah 53:3 “He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”
Jesus who gave these words to those who are sometimes falsely accused and maligned:
Matthew 5:10-12 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
In chapters 20-21, we find Job in such a persecuted position again. Job's friend Zophar is back once more to terrorize Job with his arrogant assumptions and accusations.
Job 20:1-3 “Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said: 2“Therefore my anxious thoughts make me answer,
Because of the turmoil within me. 3I have heard the rebuke that reproaches me, And the spirit of my understanding causes me to answer.”
- ZOPHAR’S HAUGHTY DIATRIBE- Jов 20:4-29
This is a personal attack against Job, even though the statements made are generic in nature.
- The Journey Is Transient- Job 20:4-11
Job 20:4-11 “Do you not know this of old, Since man was placed on earth, 5That the triumphing of the wicked is short, And the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment? 6Though his haughtiness mounts up to the heavens, And his head reaches to the clouds,
7Yet he will perish forever like his own refuse; Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’ 8He will fly away like a dream, and not be found; Yes, he will be chased away like a vision of the night. 9The eye that saw him will see him no more, Nor will his place behold him anymore. 10His children will seek the favor of the poor, And his hands will restore his wealth. 11His bones are full of his youthful vigor, But it will lie down with him in the dust.”
Zophar opens by giving Job a vision of the life of the wicked.
According to Zophar, the higher a man climbs in his success, the farther he will fall when his judgment comes- vs.6.
He describes the wicked man's demise as refuse going down a drain vs. 7
Llike a dream that cannot be remembered vs. 8
It is wrong to say that if a person dies young, it must be because they were evil.
- The Joy Is Temporary- Job 20:12-19
Job 20:12-19 “Though evil is sweet in his mouth, And he hides it under his tongue, 13Though he spares it and does not forsake it,
But still keeps it in his [b]mouth, 14Yet his food in his stomach turns sour; It becomes cobra venom within him. 15He swallows down riches And vomits them up again; God casts them out of his belly.
16He will suck the poison of cobras; The viper’s tongue will slay him. 17He will not see the streams, The rivers flowing with honey and cream. 18He will restore that for which he labored, And will not swallow it down; From the proceeds of business He will get no enjoyment. 19For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor, He has violently seized a house which he did not build.”
vs.12-14-Here he paints a picture of a wicked person enjoying his wickedness.
Zophar tells Job that the wicked person will be caused to spit out the riches that he received from taking advantage of people-vs.15
Zophar ends this scathing sermon by accusing Job of living in a stolen house-vs. 19
- The Judgment Is Terrifying- Job 20:20-29
Job 20:20-29 “Because he knows no quietness in his heart, He will not save anything he desires. 21Nothing is left for him to eat;
Therefore his well-being will not last. 22In his self-sufficiency he will be in distress; Every hand of misery will come against him.
23When he is about to fill his stomach, God will cast on him the fury of His wrath, And will rain it on him while he is eating. 24He will flee from the iron weapon; A bronze bow will pierce him through. 25It is drawn, and comes out of the body; Yes, the glittering point comes out of his gall. Terrors come upon him;
26Total darkness is reserved for his treasures. An unfanned fire will consume him; It shall go ill with him who is left in his tent.
27The heavens will reveal his iniquity, And the earth will rise up against him. 28The increase of his house will depart, And his goods will flow away in the day of His wrath. 29This is the portion from God for a wicked man, The heritage appointed to him by God.”
Zophar tells Job that God is going to rain down His blows upon him and that he will be dragged into the court of heaven where he will be found guilty. What a distorted picture of life and death for Job!
2. JOB’s HUMBLE DISCUSSION- JOB 21:1-34
- Job’s Appeal- Job 21:1-6
- "Please Listen to Me”- Job 21:1-3
Job 21:1-3 “Then Job answered and said: 2“Listen carefully to my speech, And let this be your consolation. 3Bear with me that I may speak, And after I have spoken, keep mocking.”
2. "Please Look at Me”- Job 21:4-6
Job 21:4-6 “As for me, is my complaint against man? And if it were, why should I not be impatient? 5Look at me and be astonished; Put your hand over your mouth. 6Even when I remember I am terrified, And trembling takes hold of my flesh.”
His instruction to cover their mouths with their hands is wonderful advice for us too.
Psalm 141:3 “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.”
- Job’s Arguments- Job 21:7-26
- The Power of the Wicked- Job 21:7-13
Job 21:7-13 “Why do the wicked live and become old, Yes, become mighty in power? 8Their descendants are established with them in their sight, And their offspring before their eyes.
9Their houses are safe from fear, Neither is the rod of God upon them. 10Their bull breeds without failure; Their cow calves without miscarriage. 11They send forth their little ones like a flock, And their children dance. 12They sing to the tambourine and harp,
And rejoice to the sound of the flute. 13They spend their days in wealth, And in a moment go down to the grave.”
One of the great questions for Christians today posed by unbelievers is this: How do you explain the prosperity of the wicked?
- The Perversity of the Wicked- Job 21:14-15
Job 21:14-15 “Yet they say to God, ‘Depart from us, For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways. 15Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?”
2. The Prosperity of the Wicked- Job 21:16
Job 21:16 “16Indeed their prosperity is not in their hand; The counsel of the wicked is far from me.”
3. The Protection of the Wicked- Job 21:17-21
Job 21:17-21 “How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? How often does their destruction come upon them, The sorrows God distributes in His anger? 18They are like straw before the wind,
And like chaff that a storm carries away. 19They say, ‘God lays up one’s iniquity for his children’; Let Him recompense him, that he may know it. 20Let his eyes see his destruction, And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty. 21For what does he care about his household after him, When the number of his months is cut in half?”
4. The Punishment of the Wicked- Job 21:22-26
Job 21:22-26 “Can anyone teach God knowledge, Since He judges those on high? 23One dies in his full strength, Being wholly at ease and secure; 24His pails are full of milk, And the marrow of his bones is moist. 25Another man dies in the bitterness of his soul, Never having eaten with pleasure. 26They lie down alike in the dust, And worms cover them.”
Job sums up this way: Death is death no matter when or how it comes.
Hebrews 9:27 puts it like this, "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.”
- Job’s Answers- Job 21:27-34
Job 21:27-34 “Look, I know your thoughts, And the schemes with which you would wrong me. 28For you say, ‘Where is the house of the prince? And where is the tent, The dwelling place of the wicked?’ 29Have you not asked those who travel the road?
And do you not know their signs? 30For the wicked are reserved for the day of doom; They shall be brought out on the day of wrath. 31Who condemns his way to his face? And who repays him for what he has done? 32Yet he shall be brought to the grave, And a vigil kept over the tomb. 33The clods of the valley shall be sweet to him; Everyone shall follow him, As countless have gone before him. 34How then can you comfort me with empty words, Since falsehood remains in your answers?”
The Book of Job was written in part to show us how wrong these three friends were and to warn us against treating people the way they treated Job.
So let us be stewards of grace and love, especially to those who bear the weight of suffering in their lives.
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