Thursday, February 13, 2020

The heritage appointed for them by God

Job 20:1-29
Then Zophar the Naamathite replied: Surely you know how it has been from of old,  ever since mankind was placed on the earth, that the mirth of the wicked is brief the joy of the godless lasts but a moment.
Though the pride of the godless person reaches to the heavens and his head touches the clouds, he will perish forever, like his own dung; those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?
A fire unfanned will consume him and devour what is left in his tent. The heavens will expose his guilt; the earth will rise up against him. A flood will carry off his house, rushing waters on the day of God’s wrath. Such is the fate God allots the wicked, the heritage appointed for them by God.”
Zophar, like Bildad, is upset by Job, and he takes up Bildad's theme: the fate of the wicked. Their prosperity is short-lived, their punishment certain. But this is not the point. They are not hearing Job because his case does not fit their general rule.
We hear no more from Zophar after this: either he has nothing further to add, or a section of the third round of speeches has been lost. It is possible that 27:12-23, which sounds so strange coming from Job, belongs in fact to Zophar.
Why?
Once against like Bildad, Zophar criticized Job for his situation are because he did evil things so his heritage lost and his property gone.
The heritage appointed for them by God. God is the sovereign Lord, everything is under the permission of the Lord. Grace and suffering are coming from the Lord, God's love endures forever, even the testament is good to us to increase our faith to the Lord.
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頊法惱羞成怒,用人盡皆知的事來指責約伯。說明惡人的惡的結局,以此結局來指責約伯,卻完全無法答覆約伯
v1-11: 如飛去的夢,一下子就是不見了。無論過去如何風光,如何一無所有。
惡人的發達、誇勝是暫時的,義人的受苦難道不是暫時嗎?義人不能受苦嗎?瑣法以偏蓋全。我們也會常常一點想法,看見而擴大,當作普世原則,不這樣做就不討神喜悅,這樣絕對化就是偏見了。
v12;22: 人常常怎麼努力,也沒有好處,無福消受。惡人努力是沒有享受到的。其實就是在講約伯。
v23-29: 為何享受不到,因為這是神的刑罰。想躲避也無處可逃。把約伯的遭遇來說惡人的遭遇。此三人是愚蠢的人說不出新意!第一回說不出約伯的罪,第二回以約伯的苦,指出約伯的罪。當我們自己在當中,卻說不出理由,更會顯出自己的愚昧,無知。我們讀很多聖經,卻常常不知如何解釋時,要承認自己不知道,否則更顯出自己的無名、愚昧。義人的受苦也是暫時的。願主幫助我們在見主面時,我們不明白的就都明白了。
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How?
The Lord is my shepherd, my rock, and my savior. He is my way and my hope!

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