Job Chapter 21
Please read: Job 21 –
Some things never change. It is the same today as it was back in the time of Job. Men get this idea or philosophy in their head, and they speak the idea amongst themselves so many times that they believe that the idea or philosophy is factual and true. This is what has happened in all religion, the philosophy that there is some scale that weighs the good deeds of people versus the bad of people. Job calls out the false belief of his friends. It is simply not true, that we can see in this life, that there is always reward for the righteous and that there is always punishment of the wicked.
Because the friends of Job held these philosophies as factual, they were willing to condemn Job. But Job states there is no way they can comfort him if they are going to hold on to these false philosophies. That is the story of every man and woman. They need to let go of their false ideas and false thinking about God, about sin, and about this idea of there being a system where the good deeds of people will outweigh the bad. This is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that ALL are sinners and in need of a redeemer.
Let's Reflect
1. Job asked his friends to listen to him, to hear what he had to say about their philosophy. According to verse 3 what did he say they could do after they heard him?
2. Job understands that his physical condition is so terrible that people would find it hard to look at him. Apparently, he has seen his own reflection and states that he does what when he remembers his appearance? I believe he is saying that just because my appearance is difficult to look at, it does not mean that his words are not worth listening to.
3. Job goes on to recite many things that are true in this life of the wicked. He said that the wicked reach an old age and grow mighty in power. According to verse 9 what does God not do them?
4. Have you ever noticed that it seems like the most wicked people are the ones that become very wealthy and good things just seem to fall into their lap? Job describes this very idea in several ways. What example did he give in verse 10 that expresses this observation of the wicked?
5. And perhaps the most confusing thing about the prospering of the wicked is their attitude toward God. How did Job describe their attitude towards God?
6. In verses 17-26 Job describes the life and the end of the wicked. Often wicked people go through life never feeling that they need God because they have everything they want (except peace and forgiveness). Job explains in verses 24 and 25 that there are two kinds of wicked people that will die in the same way and both will return to dust after they are put in their graves. What are the two different kinds of men that are both going to die in the same way?
7. Job calls his friends to examine their philosophy and where they have drawn such conclusions from. He asked them if they interviewed people who are travelers to get an assessment of people from all walks of life. He said to his friends have you investigated to see what type of people they are and how their life is going. If they had done such a thing they would have learned that what type of people are often spared from calamity and the wrath of God (while living on earth)? See verse 30.
8. Job said that there can be a great funeral services for the wicked man. Many people might come to see his grave. He is implying that if he is wicked why would people come to pay their respect. And if his friends feel that Job fits into the category of the wicked, how can they do what for him since their philosophy is false?
