May the mumbling commence!
There are always at least two-sides to every story. So, there is always at least two ways to view
something… most of the time it is much more.
Compare the views of Zophar (from Job chapter twenty) with the views of
Job (from Job chapter twenty-one:
"He enjoyed
the taste of his wickedness, letting
it melt under his tongue.
He savored it,
holding it long in his mouth.
But
suddenly, the food he has eaten turns sour within him,
a poisonous
venom in his stomach.
He will vomit the wealth he swallowed.
God won't let him keep it down.
He will suck the poison of snakes. The
viper will kill him.
He will never again enjoy abundant streams
of olive oil
or rivers of
milk and honey.
His labors will not be rewarded. His
wealth will bring him no joy.
For he oppressed the poor and left them
destitute.
He foreclosed on their homes.
He was always greedy but never satisfied.
Of all the
things he dreamed about, nothing remains.
Nothing is left after he finishes
gorging himself;
therefore, his
prosperity will not endure.” (Chapter
20:12-21)
According to Zophar, the wicked may bask in the sun for
a moment, but they will get their just dessert.
The food in the wicked person’s stomach turns sour… it turns into poisonous
venom. The evil person will see the
fortunes come to naught, and even when he has wealth it will bring him no joy.
God will punish the wicked people because their greed
never let them be satisfied and led them down the path of oppressing the poor
and destitute. Well, it sounds much like
the rat race of today. Do I see some of
this dissatisfaction today? You
bet. But there’s more to the story. Read the views of Job on this subject:
"Yet the
wicked get away with it time and time again.
They rarely
have trouble,
and God
skips them when he distributes sorrows in his anger.
Are they driven before the wind like straw?
Are they carried away by the storm? Not at all!
'Well,' you say, 'at least God will
punish their children!'
But I say that God should punish the ones who sin, not
their children!
Let them feel their own penalty.
Let their own eyes see their destruction.
Let them drink deeply of the anger of the Almighty.
For when they are dead,
they will not
care what happens to their family.” (Chapter 21:17-21)
Job rails against the unfairness that he sees in
life. Good people get more than their
fair share of the suffering. Wicked
people wallow in the wickedness and see little repercussions in their own
lives.
Though some people claim that the wicked people’s
children will sow the consequences, Job thinks the wicked people themselves
need to taste the bitter fruit of the wickedness.
Who is right?
Both of them have instances where they’re right. So let us seek the wealth that we find only
in the Lord and not worry about these earthly things.
God, help us to keep a level head. Help us to stay on your path, so that our
lives will show the Good News of Christ’s transforming way in our lives. Read from Second Corinthians chapter twelve:
I don't want anyone to think more highly of me than what they can actually
see in my life and my message, even
though I have received wonderful revelations from God. (Verses 6b-7a)
Be the message.
What good advice!
Enough mumbling
for now…
Peace Out
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