 Job chapter 21, and what we're looking at is Job replying to one of his miserable counselors, man by the name of Zophar. And so beginning at verse 1, Job chapter 21, reading to verse 3, we read, then Job answered and said, listen carefully to my speech and let this be your consolation. Bear with me that I may speak, and after I have spoken, keep mocking. Zophar, one of his counselors, had just made it very clear that he still believed that Job had suffered because of sin. And he began his speech by saying that he heard Job's rebuke and he said, it's provoked me to answer you. And so again, as I'm laying the foundation, once again, the line of reasoning is that, that Job is a hypocrite and Job is a sinner. Because if he weren't, then he wouldn't be suffering in the manner that he's been suffering. And so he had argued. He had argued that the rejoicing of evil people is short and the hypocrite's joy is temporary, obviously speaking, in that way to Job, calling him evil and calling him a hypocrite. He said that though the hypocrite may appear to prosper in every way, he ultimately dies. And not only does he die, but once he's died, he's quickly forgotten, as for wealth. Any wealth that he's amassed, his children would return it to the people that he stole that money from. And any pleasure that he has doesn't last. It's all temporary. Not only that, but he lives in guilt because he's defrauded the poor. And so he has no peace. He loses everything. He goes hungry. And his well-being doesn't last. And so this is basically what he is saying. He's saying that a person who's in sin and Job, this is you, is in distress. He goes hungry. He ends up with a miserable life. He lives in fear that someone is hunting him down to kill him. And that affects everyone around him. So he loses his wealth. And in wrath, God takes everything that he has from him. So obviously, Zophara has been recounting what Job has experienced. And by doing so, he's telling Job that he's getting what he has rightly deserved. He's saying to him, God has judged you. God is judging you because you're a hypocrite. And Job, the reason that you're in such pain, you've gone through so much, is that you're simply reaping what you've sowed. And so that is a line of argument that once again provokes Job to respond. And Job, as we're looking at this, makes it clear that many wicked people live long lives and even prosper. And though they're evil, they die peacefully. They have extravagant funerals. Well, the actual fact is that people don't always receive what they actually deserve in this life. Though they don't get punished for their sins here, they will in the future. And this is the line of reasoning that we see in Job is about to respond. And that's what he's doing in verses one through three, when it says, Job answered and said, Listen carefully to my speech. Let this be your consolation. Bear with me that I may speak. And after I've spoken, keep mocking. And so let me speak and don't interrupt me as I do. If after I've spoken, you still disagree? Well, feel free to continue mocking me. Now, they had mocked his troubles and pain, but they did reject what he's been saying. And so he's making it very clear. I have something to say in verse four. As for me, my complaint against as for me is my complaint against men. And if it were, why should I not be impatient? Look at me. Be astonished. Put your hand over your mouth. Even when I remember I'm terrified. Trembling takes hold of my flesh. So my complaint he's saying isn't against men. In fact, it's deeper. My complaint isn't against men. My, my complaint would be called a moral complaint. I've asked, but I haven't received a reply. I've been asking, but my pain has not been relieved. I've been asking, he's saying, and, and I'm still suffering. I've asked God, I've asked God to do something and God hasn't. And so in verse five, he says, so look at me, be astonished. Put your hand over your mouth. Look at me. Take a good look at me. You know, look at what I'm going through. Look at the pain that I'm experiencing. Look at my body. Look at me. I've got worms in my skin. My, my body's erupted with sores. I've, I've had to clean out my own wounds with, with broken pieces of pottery. I've been humiliated. Look at me from head to toe. I'm nothing but a, a mass of sores. I've lost all my weight. I'm frail. My body is, is sick. My, I've lost all this weight. You don't see me. You don't, you don't understand. How can you not see this? So try and understand. Pay attention. He's basically saying, I've got a news flash for you. In an order for you to receive it, I'm going to ask you to shut up and listen. I'm going to ask you to resist the temptation to interrupt me as I speak. You know, sometimes there are people who really want to make their point known so much that they just wait for your mouth to stop so they can start opening their own. And that's basically what he's saying here. Would you please be quiet for just a moment? Will you allow me to speak and make my case? Now, this has already been going on for quite a long time, by the way, and Job has gotten to a point of frustration, quite obviously. So he's basically being very blunt with them. Now they're his friends and therefore he speaks bluntly and he says, you need to be quiet. You need to let go. Put your hand over your mouth. Even when I remember, I'm terrified. Trembling takes hold of my flesh. When I look at what I was, when I think of where I was, and where I, when I see myself as I am now, it even causes me to shudder. If I look into a looking glass, if I looked into a mirror, I wouldn't recognize the person that I'm looking at. I have changed that much. And so when I think about where I was and all the honor that I had and the beauty of my life and a good marriage and loving children and servants and I had so much wealth and my health was just so good. And I'd walk into a room and the men would stand, the aged would ask for counsel and the children would close their mouth and respect me. When I think of that, and now where I am now, it causes even me to shudder. In verse seven, why do the wicked live and become old? Yes, become mighty in power. Now you've been saying to me that people who are wicked die young. That's not so. Some wicked people grow old and some wicked people die powerful. It says in verse eight, their descendants are established with them in their sight. They're offspring before their eyes. So he says, not only are they themselves powerful, they even establish dynasties. They have power, they have wealth, they have a name, and they pass that on to their children. That's what they do. They establish dynasties. In Psalm 17, verses 13 and 14, the Psalmist said, Arise, O Lord, confront him, cast him down, deliver my life from the wicked with your sword and with your hand from men, O Lord, from men of the world who have their portion in this life and whose belly you fill with your hidden treasure. They are satisfied with children and leave the rest of the possessions for their babies. And so that's what he's saying. There are wicked people who oppose God. You'll see more of this in just a moment. But they die prosperous. They die with a good name. They leave their legacy behind. Their children are inheriting their wealth. And so they're established in verse nine, their houses are safe from fear and neither is the rod of God upon them. They may be ungodly, but they live in peace and they live in security. Now remember, there are a couple of men that have been speaking to him. One is so far as we're looking at his response to him, but build that also. And both of them had said that they ungodly live in fear and that they have no peace. Well, Job says notorious sinners don't always live in peace and security. They don't. The fact of the matter is in Isaiah 48, 22, the Scripture simply says there's no peace at the Lord for the wicked. In Romans 3, 16 and 17, speaking of the unrighteous, it says destruction and misery are in their ways and the way of peace they have not known. Well, the argument was their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them. They're ungodly living in peace and security. Well, that's not always true. When it says in verse nine, neither is the God the rod of God upon them. The rod, when you read in your scriptures and uses the word rod, like thy rod and thy staff, they come from me. The word rod can speak of various things. A rod could be a short handled club that was used for defense. But there's also the rod is also used as a symbol for authority. And protection. It even speaks sometimes of chastisement. So it has various meanings that here, the rod of God would be speaking of the chastening that the Lord brings. And so in Psalm 89, 33, it reads, I will punish their transgression with the rod, their iniquity with stripes. In other words, they appear to get away with everything. God never punishes them. There are a lot of people who appear to get away with everything. Sometimes I've wondered over the years myself and say, how do you get away with that? How do you do that and not have a conscience at all? How does that work? Well, Job is simply speaking of a common fact that that's a fact. They appear to get away with everything, at least in this life. And he starts speaking about this in verse 10. Look at how he says, their bull breeds without failure. The cow calves without miscarriage. They send forth their little ones like a flock and the children dance. And so even though they're wicked, they still can become rich. They still can become prosperous. When it says in verse 11, they send forth their little ones like a flock, the children dance. In other words, they have many children and they're all happy. In verse 12, he goes on to say, they sing to the tambourine and harp, rejoice to the sound of the flute. They spend their days in wealth and in a moment go down to the grave. And so their homes are filled with music. Their homes are filled with joy. They dance. The musical instruments mentioned here would be instruments that would evoke energetic kind of energetic music. So he's saying they spend their days in wealth and in a moment they go down to the grave. They spend their life living with pleasure and die quickly. They have a peaceful and happy existence. And in the end, they die in peace. So after thinking about this in Psalm 73, 3 and 4, the Psalmist had said, I was envious of the boastful when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. He said, there are no pangs in their death, but their strength is firm. So he said, I was envious of these people. They seemed to get away with everything. These are boastful, arrogant people. And it bothers me because they're getting away with everything. And it seems that I can't do anything without getting in trouble for it. But after thinking about this, the Psalmist came to a different conclusion because in Psalm 73, 16 and 17 he says it. He said, when I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me until I went into the sanctuary of God and then I understood their end. They may seem to be living with prosperity and joy, the children, you know, having a great life too, but they all have to stand before God. We'll be seeing that in just a moment in more clarity. I understood their end. They're going to stand in judgment. Verse 14, they say to God, depart from us. We don't desire the knowledge of your ways. Who is the Almighty that we should serve him? What profit do we have if we pray to him? Indeed, their prosperity is not in their hand. The counsel of the wicked is far from me. So they say to God in verse 14, depart from us. We don't desire the knowledge of your ways. We don't want anything to do with you. In spite of all their advantages, they want nothing to do with him. They don't want anything to do with God or his ways, the things that they should know in order to live a blessed life. They're not interested. It's like what it said in Psalm 10, verse 4, the wicked in his proud countenance doesn't seek God. God is in none of his thoughts, and that's true. See, one of the disadvantages of being wicked and wealthy is you begin to rely on your wealth to the degree that you don't need your God. And so you say to God, what is, I don't need you. Depart from me. I have no desire for you. I don't want to know you and I don't want to know the things that you would have me to do. I don't want to have your ways exposed to me. I'm not interested in those things. Not only that, notice verse 15, who is the Almighty that we should serve him? And what profit do we have if we pray to him? What do we gain by serving God? You see, when a person has material abundance, the hearts can swell with pride. So what profit is there in serving him when I already live in pleasure and when I already live in wealth? Why should I pray for him to guide me? And why would I ask for his help? I've already gained all of that. I already have that. I haven't needed him all this time. Now, Jesus had spoken of this kind of attitude. I've mentioned it recently, but in Luke chapter 12 verses 19 and 20, let me refresh your memory. This rich man had said, I will say to my soul, soul, you have many goods laid up for many years, take your ease, eat, drink and be married. But God said to him, fool, this night your soul will be required of you. And then who's will those things be which you've provided? Who's going to inherit the things that you leave behind? Because you're leaving them all behind. And so one of the things concerning wealth that is a real temptation is for us to rely on it. And when you begin to rely on your wealth and your ability to pay for your own way, for your own medical care, for everything else, that can be a trap. And we'll see a little bit more of that in a little bit. When I was in Biola, I was taking a class, a missions class. And the professor was an experienced missionary, and he had spent time on the field in South America. And he was sharing with us one day, and he said to us as students, he said, he said, when you have a headache, what do you do? What do you do? Well, we all know what we do. So the answer to that question was, well, I go to the medicine cabinet or wherever, and I get an aspirin or I get something, a Tylenol, whatever, and I take it. He says, you know, I've been on the mission field. He says, I go to places where they don't have aspirins. They don't have Tylenol. They don't have things like that at all. Now what do you do? He says, you know what the Christians there do first and foremost? Because they can't rely on something else. They rely on the Lord. And so if they have a headache, they take their headache to the Lord, and they ask God to please heal their headache. But we Americans, and it's not as if it's a sin in and of itself. I don't want to come off that way. But it hit me. And I was a young man then, but it hit me. That's really true. You know, I asked myself, even to this day, an occasional actually do this, but I asked myself even to this day, when I have a headache, what do I normally do? Well, I asked my kid to leave. No, if I have a headache, what do I do? Well, I'll go into the medicine cabinet and I'll pull out a couple of cedrin or whatever and I'll eat them. And I see that as a gift from God because medicine can be used in that way. But there have been times in my life and in yours too, when we didn't have any medicine, it wasn't available to us. What are we going to do? And then lo and behold, I just asked the Lord, please God, would you please? I know this is a minor thing to you. And I know Jesus, you've gone a lot more than a headache. But Lord, it is debilitating right now. It does hurt. Would you please help me? See, I have discovered in my life, it's easy for me to rely on other things. And that's just something for a headache. Well, Jesus taught us, he said in his prayer that he taught us, give us this day our daily bread. Because the fact is, as we Americans, maybe we need to remember that Jesus was saying, he didn't say, give us this month, our monthly bread, give us this day our yearly bread. He said, give us this day our daily bread. What does that mean? Teach us to live day by day, depending on you, every day, depending on you. Why? Because it's easy for me to depend on other things. And he wants me to have a full trust in him. Again, I don't want to say don't take medicine. I'm not saying that. And I'm not saying don't take headache tablets. I'm not saying that either. I'm just saying in many cases in my own life, the first thing I've done is I've trusted in what I have before I even brought it to him. And sometimes that's just not an adequate thing for me. I should actually say, Lord, I'd like you to take this headache away. And if not, I'll take a couple aspirin, but I'd like you to first do that. I have to learn to trust more in him, even in the simple things. See, God is in none of his thoughts. So when a person has material abundance, their hearts can swell with pride. He says in verse 16, indeed, the prosperity is not in their hand. The counsel of the wicked is far from me. They think that they've gained all of this on their own, but they haven't. Now, this is something that God actually warned the children of Israel about, this attitude of gaining things in your own strength, becoming rich by your own devices. And the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy in chapter 8, verses 17 and 18, God is reciting the things that he's done for the nation. And as he's speaking, God said that they could say in their heart, my power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth. And so the warning is you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth that he may establish his covenant, which he swore to your fathers as it is this day. You can become so wealthy and so well off that you can say, well, of course, it's my ingenuity and it's my efforts. And what you'll end up doing is trust in the uncertainty of riches. You're going to trust in the uncertain things related to them. And he says, no, you've got to trust first in me. Now notice in verse 17, 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. Now, when he says how often is the lamp of the wicked put out? Bildad had made a statement that the wicked do not have prolonged prosperity. In Job 18, five and six, it says the light of the wicked indeed goes out and the flame of his fire does not shine. The light is dark in his tent. His lamp beside him is put out. So Job is speaking about what Bildad said, because the wicked can and very often do live long lives. That lamp represents their life. The fact is that the wicked live well in good health because they have advantages. But in verse 18, they're like straw before the wind and like chaff that a storm carries away. All of this is like something that they're going to lose easily. And why is that? Why is that going to happen? It's because they don't have their roots in God. One of my favorite Psalms, Psalm one, and I think it applies here in Psalm one versus one through four. Listen to what the psalmist said. Blessed is the man who walks not in the council of the ungodly nor stands in the path of sinners nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord. And in his law, he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper. And then he goes on to say this, the ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff, which the wind drives away. When he speaks concerning this tree planted by the rivers of water, I was in South America and taken a walk past a small river. And on the bank of the river was a row of eucalyptus trees. And eucalyptus trees, you know, can grow very tall as we know. And but these were unusually large. And their leaves were they were filled with these leaves and all. And I was, and I was noticing that. And I, I thought of this particular Psalm, when it speaks about a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also doesn't wither. And I realized what the psalmist was talking about, because those eucalypti were there next to a river and the roots had dug down into a water source that kept them constantly irrigated. And as I was looking at that, I began to say, so that's what you're wanting for me, Lord, is to remember, one, that in the nation of Israel is a very arid nation. If you've been to Israel, you know this, if you haven't been, you might be surprised if you go someday to see that it's really a dry place. It's very dry. There are some areas that there are planes that that have grass and flowers and things like that. But much of the of the country in many places is very dry. And the further east you go past the and towards the Jordan and even past the Jordan, there's a lot of desert and wilderness. And you have an opportunity when you're driving down from the north to the south, we actually skirt the border of Jordan, and you'll be coming down. And as you're coming down, you'll see that there are areas that are watered that that are fruitful, but there are areas on the other side that are not being watered by the people of Jordan. And it's just dry and barren. And you get to realize that when the psalmist was speaking about this, he was speaking about the way it is, the climate in Israel. And he's saying that that everywhere you go, you can see shrubs and and brush and all. But when you have trees that are planted next to a river, these are the trees that blossom and they grow and they're fruitful. And that's another lesson you learn by being in the land where the Lord is saying, in a dry and thirsty place, I have provided water for you. So have your roots go down deep into me so that I can constantly irrigate you, feed you, replenish you, strengthen you, and you can produce fruit as you do so. Well, the ungodly are not so, the psalmist said. They are like chaff, which the wind drives away. They don't have this fruit. They don't produce these things. And so they're like straw before the wind. They're like chaff that a storm cares away. There's no substance to them. Verse 19, they say God lays up one's iniquity for his children. Let him recompense him that he may know it. Let his eyes see his destruction. Let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty. For what does he care about his household after him when the number of his months is cut in half? And so you may think that not only is the wicked punished, but his children are too. You said it will go ill with them who is left in his tent. The increase of his house will decrease, but that's not always so. A better thought would be, let the wicked man suffer for his own sins. Why should children be penalized because a father doesn't have it together? Can anyone, verse 22, teach God knowledge since he judges those on high? Who can figure God out? Who can instruct? And when's the last time God sent you a text message asking for advice? You know, I'm considering doing something, but I'm not sure. Can you kind of advise? No, of course he doesn't do that. Who can figure him out? God's ways are deeper than our ways. If God didn't determine to reveal himself to us, keep this in mind, please, if God didn't determine to reveal himself to us, we would never find him. If God didn't choose to reveal himself, and he did so in the most full way through Jesus Christ, by searching, we would not find him. Because if God determines to hide himself, no one could find him. So what God has chosen to do is God has chosen to reveal himself. He took upon himself human flesh. In the Old Testament, God revealed himself in a variety of ways. He did it through prophets. He did it through signs and wonders. He did it through angelic visitation. He did it through the giving of the law. There were a variety of ways that God determined to make his ways known to men. He did it through signs. He did it in a variety of ways. And when you read the Old Testament, you'll see that God is disclosing himself. He's a God who discloses himself. And as he is doing so, you discover that God has given plenty for men to understand that there is a God. He has given to us a conscience. The conscience that we have can either accuse us or excuse us. All a conscience really is. It's a moral barometer. It's a way for us to choose what we think is right and wrong. But the problem with a conscience is the conscience can actually make excuse for evil. So your conscience may not accuse you if you're doing something wrong because you could make an excuse for that. And you can actually say it's a moral thing for you to do this because it's the right thing. Your conscience can excuse you. It also can accuse you. There are things that you may be free to do, but you think, no, I shouldn't do those things. And sometimes your conscience accuses you. So God has ways of revealing himself even through the natural things, like a conscience. He also has a way of showing himself through creation. So any man could look. Any person could look out and they can see the wonders of creation. And as they look and they consider the heavens and consider the miracle of a child being born. And these kinds of things can awaken them to the fact that there is a great design. There's somebody who has done this and somebody beyond us. And so your awareness of conscience. I'm a sinner and your awareness of creation. There's something greater than me. Like the writer of Hebrew says, every house is built by some man. He who built all things is God. There's a great architect. There's a great designer. There's a moral law within me. I violate it or I live with a clean conscience. These are things that God uses that are natural ways for us to know. But the greatest thing God has ever done is he's revealed himself. So he did through a variety of ways. But the New Testament says in these last days, he revealed himself by his son. So Jesus Christ, the Bible teaches, took upon himself human flesh and he dwelt amongst us. And John says, we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten Son of God. And so they saw God in human flesh. And so God in the Old Testament revealed himself in a variety of ways that Joe would be aware of. That there were things that spoke concerning the reality of a greater of an other. And in the New Testament, we have the joy of knowing who that one is. We know his name and it's Jesus Christ. And so as you come to realize that there's a God, there's another thing you begin to realize is that he's greater than you. And that's why the question in verse 22 is asked, can anyone teach God knowledge since he judges those on high? Who can instruct him? Who can teach him? In Romans 11, 33 and 34, Paul said it like this. He said, oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out who has known the mind of the Lord, who has been his counselor? Notice how he says in verse 22, he judges those on high. When he says he judges those on high, God judges righteously. God judges impartially. And God can judge angels and God can judge human beings. In the book of Jude verse 6, it says the angels who did not keep their proper domain but left their own abode, he's reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day. And God can judge, and God's righteous, he's perfect. There's nothing wrong with them. He can judge in a righteous way. He knows everything from the beginning to the end and the end to the beginning. He knows everything and thus he judges in righteousness. And no matter how important a person is and no matter how powerful on earth he may be, God still is the judge. In 2 Peter verse 29, it says the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment. So the ultimate judge is going to be Jesus Christ. What's the standard? The gospel. In Acts 1731, God is appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he's ordained. He's given assurance of this to all by raising him from the dead. In John 12.48, Jesus said, He who rejects me and does not receive my words, has that which judges him. The word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. I've said this before but it's true. The more I know, the more I owe. There is a time when I didn't know things of the Lord. I didn't know his gospel. I didn't know those things. I had little knowledge of it and by that standard I would have been judged. But the more I know, the more I'm responsible for. And so if I were raised in a church and I heard Bible study after Bible study, if I had a home where my mom or my dad gave me devotions, the more I know, the more I'm accountable for later on. And so in the end, that person will say who doesn't receive Christ has more to account for because he had a greater standard of accountability. And so Jesus is saying that the standard is his word. And so you've heard the Bible. What did you do with it? It's really the question. And Jesus said, He who rejects me and doesn't receive my words, well has that which judges him. And he says it. The word that I've spoken will judge him in the last day. And so the more I know about the things of the Lord, the more I'm held accountable for. And even one Bible study, even like this, there may be some watching right now who weren't saved. This Bible study, if you're still with us at this point, this Bible study is something that is giving you information about the ways of God that you later will be accountable for. In verse 23, he says, One dies in his full strength, being holy at ease and secure. His pales are full of milk. The marrow of his bones is moist. Another man dies in the bitterness of his soul, never having eaten with pleasure, while they lie down alike in the dust. And worms cover them. That's a nice picture, isn't it? In life, there are many inequities. The only thing that both rich and poor share in is the fact that both of them will die. He says in verse 23 and 24, One dies in the state of health. He dies in prosperity. He dies with strength. And he stays that way. He had advantages his whole life and he grew to be strong and remained strong until it was time for him to die. And he's pointing, he's saying, Well, this man dies without any pains in his body, without any brittleness in his bones. Well, in verse 25, another man dies and he dies in the bitterness of his soul. He never even had a meal with pleasure. He never had the advantages in life at all. He never had a measure, a meal that gave him pleasure. He never enjoyed the laughter that many of us have enjoyed around the table. You know, you have a Christmas meal with your family. You invite the ones you like and forget to invite the other ones. And you have a nice group of people around you and you laugh and you tease and you enjoy yourself. You tell stories on one another and it's just a lot of fun. There are a lot of people who've had that and then there are a lot of people who have never had anything like that. So he's comparing those two different kinds of lives. One person had a lot of meals, a lot of pleasure. Another person never enjoyed a single meal, never had any joy. But notice verse 26, They lie down alike. They both die. They lie down alike in the dust and worms cover them. It's just another way of speaking of the fact that that's what happens. So what is he saying? Well, you can die in the prime of life or you can die after living a miserable life. The fact is you're going to die. The writer Solomon in Ecclesiastes 2 verse 16 said it like this. He said, The wise man like the fool will not be long remembered. In days to come, both will be forgotten. Like the fool, the wise man too must die. Later on in Ecclesiastes in chapter 9 verse 2, he said, I'll share a common destiny, the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean. Those who offer sacrifices and those who don't. As it is with the good man, so with the sinner. As it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them. There's one thing that they both encounter. They both die. And that's what he's speaking about. They lie down verse 26, alike in the dust, worms cover them. So can anyone teach God? No. Well, look at this. One dies in full strength. The other dies in bitterness. What do they have in common? They die. And look, verse 27, I know your thoughts and the schemes with which you would wrong me. For you say where's the house of the prince and where's the tent, the dwelling place of the wicked? Have you not asked those who travel the road and do you not know their signs? And so I know your thoughts. Look, I know how you think and I see how you reason. And to be honest with you, I can see right through you. You're speaking of wicked men. You're speaking to me of hypocrites. And you're making your comments general. But in reality, I know who you're speaking to. You're speaking to me. And in speaking of me in the way that you have, you haven't comforted me. You've only harmed me. You've injured me. He says in verse 28, he speaks of the house of the prince. Where is the house of the prince? Where is the tent, the dwelling place? Now, in that you have to understand that he may very well be speaking about Job's eldest son, the house of the prince. The tent of destruction that he speaks about would be Job's family dying. And so as he's speaking concerning this, he's making a place. He's making a point that I know you're speaking about my family and I know you're speaking of complete loss. But he goes on in verse 29 to say, have you not asked those who travel the road? And do you not know their signs? When he says, have you not asked those who travel? Travelers were respected because they went to other lands and they would gain experience. So if you ask the person who had traveled, he's saying, someone who has gone and learned wisdom in other places, you could ask them and they would would be able to defend the things I've been saying to you. And so you need to kind of broaden the way that you're attacking me. You need to understand that there are others who would see what I've gone through and would understand something you don't. But then he goes on and this is, I'm going to spend a few minutes as we're closing on this. But he goes on to say this in verse 30, the wicked are reserved for the day of doom. They shall be brought out on the day of wrath. Who condemns his way to his face? Who repays him for what he's done? Yet he shall be brought to the grave and a vigil kept over the tomb. The clods of the valley shall be sweet to him. Everyone shall follow him, as countless have gone before him. How then can you comfort me with empty words, since falsehood remains in your answers? We'll look at this and take some time. So here's what it is. The argument has been presented that evil people never prosper and that they reap what they sow even in this lifetime. That's one of the arguments. But Job is making it clear that sometimes evil people are not dealt with immediately. What happens is they're reserved. They're reserved for the day of doom. Evil people, while we know this is true, can live long lives and it's been said long lives can produce great sinners. The longer they live, the longer they sin unchecked, the more evil they produce. In Ecclesiastes chapter 8 verse 11 it says, when the sentence for a crime isn't quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong. These people never really repent. They never seek the Lord. These are the people he spoke earlier of who say, what profit would it be to me to pray for God? I've done all of this with the strength of my own hand and my own ingenuity and they can live a long time. They can become almost obscenely rich. They have nothing but advantages. They drive the nicest cars, they live in the nicest neighborhoods, they have the nicest homes, they eat the best meals and then somebody else doesn't get a break in their life at all and it could appear that God is unjust in allowing one person to seem to profit so much and the other to seem to go through so much. So you can't really judge that person by what they have and you can't say that the rich person is being blessed by God and the poor person isn't. You can't make that claim. He's saying, look at there are people who live long lives and in our day, even today, in some people's lifetimes, there are those who don't know the Lord and care about him and they can receive good things. But here's the key and this is basically what we'll look at for a moment. The things that they gain don't go into eternity. They don't last. People can see evil and get discouraged because sometimes guys, it's true, sometimes it seems that evil goes unchecked. Like they're not, they're not getting, there's no justice. Well, instead of discouragement, believers can be spurred on to love and good works. Instead of us thinking these, these sinners, they ought to get what they have coming to them. And sometimes I have to be honest with you. There are times when I think, Lord, how come you don't deal with them? How come you don't? And then I remember because he didn't with me either. And he gave me time to repent. He gave me space to repent. I'm just very grateful that the Lord had patience with me and I'm certain every saved person hearing this right now is also thankful that God had patience with you. And what the Lord would have me to do is to learn to pray for those people because they need him. But you know what, what happens is though they may not get judged immediately, they are reserved. Notice verse three again, 30 again, they are, they are reserved for the day of doom and they shall be brought out on the day of wrath. They may not get their judgment here on earth. They may not receive, you know, that kind of punishment while alive, but ultimately they don't get away with it. I'm trying to remember a conversation I had with somebody related to this. Sometimes people think that because God doesn't move to deal with them immediately, that he's given them permission to continue to do that. Sometimes they can be doing something they know is wrong, but because nothing has happened, they figure that God, there's either no God or God doesn't care. And they don't understand the patience of the Lord. They don't understand that God is patient. He's long suffering. He's not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. And he gives people opportunity after opportunity to get right with God. And sometimes they don't realize that. Now people like myself, I might see them doing something wrong. And it's not that I want harm to come upon them. I just wonder, Lord, I wonder at his patience sometimes. And I wonder why they're, they haven't been dealt with. They know better, but they still continue to do that. Well, the fact is, is they can live a lifetime without repentance, but they're being drawn ultimately to the day of reckoning. It says in verse 30, they shall be brought out to the day of wrath. When he uses the term, they shall be brought out. That brought out is a picture of a criminal that's being brought out of a cell and being led to execution. They're going to be brought out on the day of wrath. They seem to get away with it, but the day of reckoning ultimately comes. Job knew that there would be a day of reckoning. He didn't know exactly how it would work, but as you read different verses in scripture, it gives us more insight. You see Daniel in chapter 12, verse two said, many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. They are going to be resurrected. Some are going to have life, but others will be judged. Jesus in John 5, 28 and 29 said, don't marvel at this. The hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth. Those who've done good to the resurrection of life. Those who've done evil to the resurrection of condemnation. Ultimately, they're going to be drawn to the place of judgment. The wicked are reserved for the day of doom. They shall be brought out on the day of wrath. Verse 31, who condemns his way to his face? Who repays him for what he has done? And there's some people that are so rich and powerful that they're not confronted. They're not openly dealt with. Sometimes I watch the news and I see a powerful politician and they've done things that are wrong, and nobody seems to question them to their face. They're not confronted openly. Who condemns his way to his face? Who repays him for what he's done? Because of his power, no one holds him accountable for what he's done. Yet, verse 32, he shall be brought to the grave in a vigil kept over the tomb. He's brought to the grave with great pomp and circumstance. He's buried. And it says the vigil kept over the tomb. He's resting in the grave quietly. He goes on in verse 33, and he says, the clouds of the valley shall be sweet to him. Everyone shall follow him. Countless have gone before him. When you say that the evil die and the heavens reveal his iniquity. But in fact, many times the evil is buried and they appear to rest in peace sweetly. But in verse 33 also says everyone shall follow him. Everybody who's alive, whether he's good or whether he's evil, ultimately follows him in death. That's what takes place. In Genesis 319, God said to Adam, in the sweat of your face, you shall eat bread till you return to the ground. For out of it you were taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return. Ecclesiastes 1214 says God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. Hebrews 927, it is a point in it to mean to die once and after this judgment. You don't get second chances and third chances once you've died. You die and sin, you remain in that condition. There's no second chance. And so everyone follows him. An ultimate judgment takes place. Everyone shall follow him. Countless have gone before him. Verse 34, how then can you comfort me with empty words since falsehood remains in your answers? You've tried to comfort me, but you've brought accusations, false accusations. You say I need to repent and your arguments are all resting on me sinning, but the fact of the matter is that's not true. You haven't understood me and therefore you've judged me. Your words are empty because you have not considered my situation. How can you comfort me with empty words since falsehood remains in your answers? How can you comfort me with these empty words when the premise of your words are all built on the fact that you believe I've sinned and I'm a hypocrite? How can I be comforted by things that aren't true? Why do you insist that I confess the sins that you imagine I've committed? Why? Your words are not true and thus they will bring me no comfort. See, the thing that brings you comfort is the truth. And because his friends had in their mind already judged him, Job has taken their argument apart one piece at a time. And he's saying no. He's saying you say that evil people are judged here on earth quickly. I say there are plenty who have lived long lives, they die, they even leave things behind for the children and it never appears that they ever paid at all. But ultimately that person comes to judgment, stands before God, and God is the righteous judge who judges them for what they've done. So it may not appear that they have been dealt with here on earth, but there is a judgment coming in the future. Nobody gets away with the life that they've lived without speaking to the Lord about it. Everyone stands and gives an account of himself to God. So in the fact that you're telling me that I'm a sinner and reaping what I've sown, you're giving me false words because I haven't sinned in the way that you're saying. And ultimately the fact is God is my judge, he knows my case, and I'll continue presenting my case to him. And so what does that do? Does that speak to them and make them say, yeah, you're right, no, but we'll see next week. Alaphaz, the Timonite answers and says, and goes off again. Boy, what good friends Job had.