Job 20:1  Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,
2  Therefore do my thoughts cause me to answer, and for this I make haste.
3  I have heard the check of my reproach, and the spirit of my understanding causeth me to answer.
4  Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth,
5  That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?
6  Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds;
7  Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?
8  He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night.
9  The eye also which saw him shall see him no more; neither shall his place any more behold him.
10  His children shall seek to please the poor, and his hands shall restore their goods.

Zophar now decided to take his second crack at Job. These men were in a bad place.

II Corinthians 10:12  For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

Paul was directed to remind us that it is not wise to limit ourselves to consulting with others who measure themselves by themselves. We have been told in the past that we need to think outside of the box. Of course those who make those statements are generally those who want to get away from following God’s Word.
We do need to think outside of the box if that box only includes human reasoning. Some time ago I was asked to have a discussion with a person regarding the Bible issue. I was told that we should discuss this matter from other sources than the Bible. I told this man that this type of a discussion would be pointless. God’s Word is our authority. I will use other sources in my studies, but I always try to go back to what God says and see if what others are saying is built upon the truth or if they are trying to dismiss the truth and replace it with their opinions.
Job’s three friends were discussing their next attack amongst themselves. They were not looking honestly at God’s Word. They were not willing to see any validity in what Job was saying. Thus their words were a waste of time and breath.
In verses 1-3, Zophar acknowledged that he had heard Job’s rejection of his previous words. He figured he better quickly get back into the situation and straighten Job out. He could not allow Job’s words to go by unanswered. I suppose Zophar felt threatened by Job’s words. He did not like being questioned. He may have been a consultant for our P.M. Our P.M. has invented several terms that he likes to use: “misinformation, disinformation”. He does not want to publicly accuse people of lying but that is what he is suggesting with these terms. He claims to be the master of truth and anyone that disagrees with him must be silenced. He loves the communist Chinese model and he has already demonstrated that he will bring this model more into Canada as quickly as he can. His party is made up of goons who love power more than honesty. The opposition parties are tripping over themselves to see how close to Trudeau they can be without actually being him. Our leaders are all corrupt and those who are saved need to understand that our hope is not found in man. It is found in God.
Zophar was not going to let Job get away with refuting their words with truth. He and his two friends believed they had the truth and they alone had the truth. They claimed to draw from accredited sources to develop their “heresies”.
Zophar began his rebuttal by suggesting that it was a well known fact that the triumphing of the wicked was short lived. If he would have had a mirror near him he could have looked in the mirror and seen that he was speaking of himself. Zophar was the hypocrite and he and his associates were living in relative ease right now but their end was in sight. Job would outlive them and he would have a testimony of how the mercy and grace of God had sustained him and blessed him. Zophar and his friends were attacking a righteous man who was struggling physically and also being attacked spiritually by them as they chose to be used as tools of the devil.
Zophar suggested that even if the wicked person manages to do well and gain respect in this world, yet his “glory” would not last. I suppose he looked at Job’s life and he likely knew that Job had been well respected earlier in his life. He had lost it all in a short period of time, and according to their false reasoning, Job lost it all was because he was obviously a wicked man. He was a hypocrite. He had been living a lie, according to these men’s reasoning.
Zophar claimed that the hypocrite would perish and people would look and ask: “where is he?” Zophar was trying to drive the point home and used some very vile words to describe the worthlessness of the person who gained respect through hypocrisy. He should have had that mirror handy to be able to look into it and see what a true hypocrite looked like.
Since the fall there have been many hypocrites. The Pharisees survived for generations and Jesus named them as hypocrites. A Biblical hypocrite is someone who claims to love the Lord, but chooses to redefine the Lord according to his own standards. They are under God’s wrath and their judgment is sure.
Dreams do not last long. A person may have quite a vivid dream. They may be able to speak of that dream in the morning. Most dreams vanish from memory quite quickly. They are just dreams and they do not come true. They usually have so many inconsistencies that they cannot be believed.
We know that God gave some people dreams that were quite important. The Pharaoh of Joseph’s days had two dreams that were very important. Earlier Joseph had some dreams that were also very important. Nebuchadnezzar had some very important dreams as well.
There are still false teachers like Joseph Smith or Charles Parham or Kenneth Copeland and many others. They make much of their dreams. They do not realize that the devil is deceiving them. They have quite large followings and those people are also quite impressed with these lies from the devil.
Zophar was correct that most dreams are not worth building on. They are not worth pursuing.
Zophar used these analogies to suggest that Job would soon die and be forgotten. All his words and his actions would be forgotten. Zophar did not know what he was talking about. God recorded Job’s words and God blessed Job with more children and he was also blessed with a good reputation that was respected by many in the future. This time of trouble was just a blip in the life of Job. It was real, but it did not define Job. It also did not implicate Job as the wicked person that these three men tried to suggest he was.
We continue to see these three men assuming to know more than God. They claimed to know what Job’s problem was and they insisted that he listen to them. They were not going to give up on their plot. God would change all of this and if it were not for God, their lies might well have stood. God does not allow wicked people to spread their lies unchecked. Many people will follow the liars, but they do so to their own destruction. We can know the truth. It is important to pursue the truth, rather than reject it. Millions have rejected it and they are suffering in torment today because of that. Millions more are still rejecting the truth today and are facing certain torment. A few have believed God and they are resting in heaven at this time. A few more are still alive and are seeking to glorify God with their lives. They have been promised a home in heaven as well. Which path are you pursuing?
Pastor Bartel