Job 20:11  His bones are full of the sin of his youth, which shall lie down with him in the dust.
12  Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue;
13  Though he spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it still within his mouth:
14  Yet his meat in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of asps within him.
15  He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly.
16  He shall suck the poison of asps: the viper’s tongue shall slay him.
17  He shall not see the rivers, the floods, the brooks of honey and butter.
18  That which he laboured for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down: according to his substance shall the restitution be, and he shall not rejoice therein.
19  Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor; because he hath violently taken away an house which he builded not;
20  Surely he shall not feel quietness in his belly, he shall not save of that which he desired.

Zophar continued his claims against the wicked, and by extension, of Job. According to him, Job was still full of the sins of his youth. I suppose Zophar had some thinking that young people need to “sow their wild oats” to get it out of their system. However, he also stated that some, like Job never get it out of their system.
It is true that many young people live wicked lives. It is also true that many lost people mellow out with age. Mellowing out is not salvation. It is just a change that happens for some. Others seem to love the wild life for most of their adult life. Zophar claimed that Job would die with his sins.
Zophar did not seem to have any understanding of God’s salvation. A person does not get rid of the sin nature by indulging in sin. A person does not grow out of the sin nature either. Repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation. It is good when a young person gets saved. They can avoid so much grief if they get saved and serve the Lord.
Zophar stated that the wicked think that sin is sweet. We know there are advertisements that suggest that you need some liquor in order to have a “good” party. There used to be ads depicting cigarettes as a good thing. We know that the casinos and bars seem to do quite a good business. Many lost people like to frequent places of sin to join others in that lifestyle. Zophar stated that eventually the effects of wickedness catch up with them and it turns to misery in their lives. With age comes aches that are not there in younger years. Those who live wicked lives tend to end up with more trouble in old age than others do. There are consequences to ungodly living.
Zophar was wrong in his assessment of Job. Job’s troubles were not the result of wicked living. God was not punishing him. The devil was trying to prove a point to God. Satan was losing the battle, but he is delusional. He thinks if he keeps banging his head against the wall, eventually he will get the results he wants to get. That is the mark of insanity. The devil is a fool and he will spend eternity in the lake of fire. Zophar and his friends were echoing the foolishness of the devil and it was not helping them nor was it helping Job.
In verse 15 Zophar stated that even though the wicked person prospered, that would not bring him the desired results. He would not find joy in the wealth he had gained. We know that men like Bill Gates cannot be happy. His marriage is broken and he has evil deeds that follow him around. He has enough money to pay off those who want to dig too deeply into his life. He is not a happy man. He is still plotting his next evil move. It is obvious when observing him, that he is not satisfied with his life. There are many like that in our world.
In verse 16 Zophar stated that the wicked will drink poison and it would eventually kill him. Of course all of this was directed toward Job. Zophar insisted that the ungodly would not see the good things in life. He might enjoy them for a short time, but even with his wealth, he would not know the blessings that Zophar believed should come with wealth.
Zophar was very materialistically minded. God-fearing people do not live for wealth. Some of them have wealth, but wealth does not define them. God-fearing people seek to glorify God. They have a different goal than the lost. Job was suffering at this present time. God tells us that prior to his suffering, he had been concerned about the spiritual well-being of his children. He was not preoccupied with his possessions. He was blessed with them, but he could let them go. The loss of his children was more of a hit to him than his possessions. Then after that was taken away, the loss of his health affected him deeply.
Job assumed that God was punishing him, but he did not know for what. He was seeking to talk to God and find out what was going on. He was not willing to accept the foolish counsel of these three men. Zophar thought he had it all figured out and he was sure he knew what Job’s end would be.
In verses 18-20 Zophar accused Job of being a crook. He would have to pay back all that he took from others by unjust means. Zophar did not understand that man can never pay for his sins. Even if Job were this wicked person that Zophar claimed he was, he could never pay for his sins. God’s salvation is the only way to remove the stain of sin from a soul. Only God can change the nature of the sinner.

Jeremiah 13:23  Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.

Zophar certainly had a problem with arrogance. Without having any facts, he assumed that he had figured out what Job’s problem was. In his mind, Job’s problems were of his own making. Had Job been more generous and more honest, he would never be facing what he was experiencing. There was no evidence to back up what Zophar was accusing Job of. God had described Job in a much different way than Zophar and his friends were suggesting.
As we study the Bible, we see that godly people can sometimes face severe difficulties at the hands of ungodly people. Job had lost his possessions and his family in part due to enemies that had taken advantage of him. All of his troubles were brought about by the devil. The devil has a large army of people that he can manipulate for his evil purposes. The ungodly are puppets at his disposal.
Ungodly people cannot blame the devil and think they get off the hook with that. Ungodly people need to get saved and thus come under God’s care and direction, rather than the devil’s.
Today is the Lord’s day. Once again it is the day that God has given us to take the time to go to a good church and learn of Him. It is an important day. For those who are saved, it helps us to keep a right perspective on life. For the lost attending a good church gives you another opportunity to listen to God and turn to Him in repentance and be saved. God wants to bless all people.
Several banks in the U.S. have collapsed this week. Many people will be out their savings. This is not the case with God. His blessings are always there. He is not affected by foolish plans of man. God is wise and He knows how to give good gifts to those who know Him and serve Him. Job would discover this yet. Zophar and his two friends would be shocked to find that they were wrong. That is how it is with those who develop their own theology in a vacuum. They could have known the truth, but they chose to try to develop their own. That never works out well.
Find a good church and go there and get some good teaching that will help you to make wise choices.
Pastor Bartel