Page 111 - Reading Job to Know God

“He has lived in desolate cities, in houses no one would inhabit, which
are destined to become ruins. He will not become rich, nor will his
wealth endure; And his grain will not bend down to the ground. He will
not escape from darkness; The flame will wither his shoots.”
Take a look at your life, Job. That is what happens to the wicked. And then
in verse 32 through 34, he says the wicked always die a premature death,
and Job, you are a dying man. Verse 32,

“It will be accomplished before his time, and his palm branch will not be
green. He will drop off his unripe grape like the vine, and cast off his
flower like the olive tree. For the company of the godless is barren, and
fire consumes the tents of the corrupt.
They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity, and their mind prepares
deception.”
Well, Job responds to Bildad’s accusation – you are wicked, Job, you are
very wicked – in chapters 16 and 17. Since he has already answered that old
argument proposed by Eliphaz, he sort of ignores it this time. He thinks it is
useless listening to these guys. He is getting weary of empty speeches. He
reminds them of that in verse 2 and 3,
“I have heard many such things; Sorry comforters are you all. Is there

no limit to windy words? Or what plagues you that you answer?”
You see, Job is sort of on the spot now. Eliphaz says the wicked have a
guilty conscience. Job says my conscience is not guilty. Eliphaz said the
wicked lose all their wealth, and Job says I have lost my wealth. Eliphaz
says the wicked die. They are coming to a premature death, and Job is
dying. And so Job says it is senseless to try to reconcile before these fellows.
And besides, even if he could successfully answer Eliphaz’ argument, his
heart would still have empty spaces. He is not satisfied because his problem
is deeper than that. They are giving him theology, doctrine, creed. Job did
not need a dissertation on those things. His perplexity was that his best
friend, God, turned against him for no apparent reason. And this God,
whom he trusted, whom he served, and the fact is, whom he loved, had for
some reason placed Job between the hammer and the anvil, and Job did not
know why. Chapter 16: 7–16,
“But now He has exhausted me; You have laid waste all my company.”

You notice, this is a prayer now. He is not saying to Bildad, “He has”, he is
saying to God, “You have”. He is praying.
“You have shriveled me up, it has become a witness; And my leanness
111