Job 21:14-16 (ESV Strong's)
They say to God, ‘Depart from us!
We do not desire the knowledge of your ways.
What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
And what profit do we get if we pray to him?’
Behold, is not their prosperity in their hand?
The counsel of the wicked is far from me.
Subject: False Teaching
In the previous chapter, one of Job's friends, Zophar, has told Job that the wicked are the ones who are punished in life. And, since Job's experience falls in line with that type of punishment, he, too, must be wicked. Job counters his argument, however, with a different set of evidence. Job states that when he views the wicked he seems many who are never punished. The prosper in their ways. In the above text they even go to the extent of boasting that they do not need God. Their self-sufficient and self-powered prosperity is a reflection that God does not exist or is not in control of life. In the large scheme of this book, Zophar is trying to tell Job his situation is a result of wickedness. Job is saying it is true that many wicked are punished on this earth, but also, many are not. So, Zophar's argument is not consistent. However, in Job's explanation of his counter argument, he states something that is very important for all of us in the midst of suffering. In the above verses Job states, "the counsel of the wicked is far from me." The wicked person who is not experiencing pain and suffering as a result of their wickedness has come to the conclusion that God is dead. They believe it is their own power that makes them prosper. Job, in his pain and suffering, refuses to listen to the counsel of the wicked. His situation is NOT going to drive him to false doctrine and belief. Job, like David in Psalm 1, refuses to "walk in the counsel of the ungodly." Even those circumstances don't demonstrate it, Job is in the midst of God's hands. He refuses to follow Zophar's argument or wicked men who deny God. He will remain faithful, despite his confusion about his pain and suffering.
No comments:
Post a Comment