Job 20 and 21: The Wicked Prosper

In these two chapters we have the second interchange between Zophar and Job, and the third interchange in the second round between Job and his friends. Both speeches differ somewhat from the earlier speeches in the book. Zophar, for the first time among the friends, indirectly accuses Job of specific sin—oppression of the poor. Job’s…

Job 16 and 17: O Earth, Do Not Cover My Blood

Chapters 15 to 17 in the book of Job record the second interchange between Eliphaz and Job. In chapter 15 Eliphaz is much more severe with Job than he had been in his first speech. After listening to Job’s protestations of innocence and complaints against God, he became convinced that Job had sinned and even…

Wisdom in the Book of Job (Part 3: Chapters 38-42)

Job has already taken one pounding from his young friend Elihu. In these chapters he takes another from the Lord himself. It is a severe mercy that the Lord shows him here. Job has acted wickedly and very foolishly in thinking that he could justify himself in God’s eyes. The Lord brings him back to…

Wisdom in the Book of Job (Part 2: Chapters 29-37)

In the first part of this short series, we saw that Job spoke truthfully and eloquently about wisdom in chapter 28. But in this part, it will be necessary for us to see that Job was not living according to the wisdom he had praised so highly. God said of him in chapter 1 that…

Wisdom in the Book of Job (Part 1: Chapter 28)

God willing, this post begins a series that will examine wisdom in the last part of the Book of Job. There are three books in the Old Testament that talk about wisdom more than any others. They are Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Job. In Job we have a practical demonstration of the truth that knowing what…