Job 20 | MHM | STEP | Second Address of Zophar; Destruction of the Wicked. In this section, Zophar responds to Job with strong emotion. He is upset by Job’s words and feels challenged. Zophar wants to prove that wicked people always end up ruined, and he suggests that Job’s suffering shows he must have done something wrong. He ignores Job’s pleas for kindness and instead insists that the wicked, even if they seem happy for a while, will soon be destroyed. v. 1-2 : Zophar begins speaking very quickly and with anger. He says he must answer because of what Job has said: Therefore do my thoughts cause me to answer (Job 20:2 ). Zophar is upset that Job spoke so boldly, and he feels personally attacked. He does not try to comfort Job or understand his pain; instead, he reacts out of hurt pride.

‏ Job 20

Second Address of Zophar; Destruction of the Wicked.

In this section, Zophar responds to Job with strong emotion. He is upset by Job’s words and feels challenged. Zophar wants to prove that wicked people always end up ruined, and he suggests that Job’s suffering shows he must have done something wrong. He ignores Job’s pleas for kindness and instead insists that the wicked, even if they seem happy for a while, will soon be destroyed.

v. 1-2: Zophar begins speaking very quickly and with anger. He says he must answer because of what Job has said: Therefore do my thoughts cause me to answer (Job 20:2 ^a). Zophar is upset that Job spoke so boldly, and he feels personally attacked. He does not try to comfort Job or understand his pain; instead, he reacts out of hurt pride.

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v. 3: Zophar feels insulted by Job’s words and says, I have heard the check of my reproach . He cannot stand being corrected or challenged. Zophar says that his spirit makes him reply, but really he is speaking more from his feelings than from careful thought. Sometimes, people let their emotions guide their words instead of thinking calmly.

v. 4: Zophar asks Job if he knows an old truth: Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth? . He says that everyone knows wickedness leads to ruin. Zophar points to history and experience to support his idea. He believes that from the beginning, people have seen that evil brings punishment, as happened to Adam and Cain (Genesis 3:17; 4:11-12 ^b).

v. 5: Zophar states his main point: The triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment . He says that even if bad people or hypocrites seem happy, their happiness does not last. Those who pretend to be good but do evil will face even greater punishment (Matthew 24:51 ^c). Zophar now agrees that the wicked may prosper for a while, but insists that their good times will soon end in misery.

v. 6: Zophar describes how high the wicked may rise: Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds . He says that a wicked person might become very powerful or wealthy and look down on everyone else. But this pride will only make the fall worse.

v. 7: Zophar warns that the wicked will be completely destroyed: He shall perish forever like his own dung . Their end will be shameful, and people will not miss them. The world will quickly forget them, just as it does with something dirty or disgusting (Psalm 119:119 ^d).

v. 8: Zophar explains that the wicked will disappear quickly: He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found . Their life will vanish like a dream that is gone in the morning, leaving nothing behind. People will be surprised at how suddenly they are gone (Psalm 73:19 ^e).

v. 9: Zophar finishes by saying that those who once saw the wicked person will see them no more: The eye which saw him shall see him no more; neither shall his place behold him any more . They will be forgotten, and their place in the world will be taken by someone else (Acts 1:25 ^f). Their end is final and complete.

Misery of the Wicked.

This section describes how the wicked, even if they seem to succeed for a while, end up in misery. Their pleasures and gains do not last. Zophar lists the sins of wicked people and explains the punishments that follow. He says that sinful living, greed, and hurting others will always lead to disappointment, sickness, and loss.

v. 10: The children of the wicked person will beg the poor for mercy. His children shall seek to please the poor . Because of his injustices, his family will have to humble themselves to those he once hurt. They will try to make peace and restore what was taken.

v. 11: The wicked person’s body suffers because of his past sins. His bones are full of the sins of his youth, which shall lie down with him in the dust . The bad choices he made when he was young now cause him sickness and pain, and these troubles will follow him all the way to the grave (Proverbs 5:11 ^g).

v. 12-13: The wicked enjoy their sinful pleasures for a short time. Though wickedness is sweet in his mouth, though he hides it under his tongue... yet he spares it, and does not forsake it (Job 20:12-13 ^h). He tries to keep his favorite sin close and refuses to give it up, enjoying it in secret and remembering it with pleasure, even when he should let it go (Ezekiel 23:19 ⁱ).

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v. 14: But this pleasure quickly turns bitter. His food in his stomach turns sour, it becomes the venom of asps within him . What once seemed sweet now brings deep pain and regret, like being poisoned (Revelation 10:10 ^j).

v. 15: The wicked person’s wealth will not last. He has swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again; God shall cast them out of his belly . Even though he greedily takes as much as he can, he will be forced to give it all back, often in a painful and shameful way.

v. 16: The things he thought would make him happy will destroy him. He shall suck the poison of asps; the viper's tongue shall slay him . Sin is deadly, and what seemed good at first becomes his ruin.

v. 17: He will not enjoy the good things he hoped for. He shall not see the rivers, the floods, the brooks of honey and butter . The wicked person expects a life of luxury, but all these pleasures are only a dream and will not come true.

v. 18: He will have to give back everything he gained through injustice. That which he labored for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down . What he took by force or trickery will be returned. He will not enjoy the wealth he worked so hard to get.

v. 19: This person is punished for hurting others. He has oppressed and forsaken the poor; he has violently taken away a house he did not build . He did not care for the needy, but instead cheated them and took what was not his, like Ahab taking Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21:15-16 ^k).

v. 20: The wicked person is never satisfied. Surely he shall not feel quietness in his belly; he shall not save of that which he desired . No matter how much he gets, he is restless and anxious. He finds no peace inside himself.

v. 21: He will lose everything he gained. There shall none of his food be left; therefore no one will look for his goods . When he dies, no one expects to inherit anything from him because all his wealth is gone.

v. 22: Even when he feels most successful, trouble will come. In the fullness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits . When he thinks he has everything, he will suddenly face anxiety and trouble, like the rich man who worried, What shall I do? (Luke 12:17 ^l).

The Final Ruin of the Wicked

This section explains how the wicked, after living in sin and causing trouble for others, will finally face complete destruction. Zophar says that this ruin comes directly from God’s anger. He describes how the wicked cannot escape God’s judgment, no matter how hard they try. Their punishment will be obvious to everyone and will affect not only themselves but also their families. Zophar ends by saying this is the fate God has decided for all wicked people.

v. 23: Zophar says that when the wicked are about to enjoy their riches, God’s anger will suddenly strike them. When he is about to fill his belly, God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him, and shall rain it upon him while he is eating . Just when they feel safe and satisfied, disaster will come, like fire and brimstone falling from heaven (Psalm 11:6; Luke 17:26-31 ^m).

v. 24: The wicked will try to escape, but they cannot. He shall flee from the iron weapon, and the bow of steel shall strike him through . Even if they avoid one danger, another will catch them. God has many ways to punish, and there is no way to hide from Him (Psalm 7:12-13 ⁿ).

v. 25: When God’s judgment hits, it is terrifying. It is drawn, and comes out of the body; yea, the glittering sword comes out of his gall: terrors are upon him . The wicked person will be filled with fear and pain when God’s punishment comes, and there is no escape.

v. 26: Sometimes, the ruin of the wicked comes quietly and secretly. All darkness shall be hidden in his secret places: a fire not blown shall consume him . He will be destroyed by a fire that no one sees coming, and he will be left in total darkness. This is like a slow, hidden punishment that cannot be stopped (Malachi 4:1 ^o).

v. 27: God will make sure everyone knows about the wicked person’s sins. The heaven shall reveal his iniquity; and the earth shall rise up against him . Even if he tries to hide his evil, God will expose it, and the world will see that his punishment is fair (Isaiah 26:21 ^p).

v. 28: The wicked person’s family and wealth will also suffer. The increase of his house shall depart, and his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath . His children and possessions will be lost, and everything he worked for will disappear.

v. 29: Zophar ends by saying, This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed to him by God (Job 20:29 ^q). This is what God has decided for those who do evil. Even if they do not always suffer in this life, God’s judgment will come, and it will be just and final (Ezekiel 33:8 ^r).