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The Bible Breakdown
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The Bible Breakdown
Job 20: Sin Has a Price Tag
What if the true cost of sin was like the unmarked prices at a yard sale—only discovered when it's too late? Join Pastor Brandon on the Bible Breakdown podcast as we unpack the profound insights found in Job, Chapter 20. In our episode titled "Sin Has a Price Tag," we unravel the hidden tolls of sinful choices through the lens of Zophar's second response to Job. Prepare to confront the sobering reality that the fleeting triumph of the wicked comes with a hefty price tag of inevitable suffering and loss.
But the journey doesn't stop there. In the chapter "Trusting God Through Suffering," we explore the path of self-reflection and responsibility in the face of hardship. Pastor Brandon challenges us to recognize our own roles in our suffering and to bring both our sins and struggles to the Lord. Discover the importance of trusting God's wisdom and love, even when enduring life's toughest seasons. We close with a powerful prayer for God's presence in our lives and a reflection on Job 1:21, encouraging everyone to embrace faith and humility. Tune in for a transformative discussion that invites you to engage deeply with these timeless lessons.
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The More You Dig. The More You Find.
Well, everybody, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon. Today, job, chapter 20, and today's title is Sin has a Price Tag. I don't know about you, but sometimes when I will go to yard sales and I do that very often I will go and I always get curious when you'll see all these things with price tags on them and then you'll have the one that doesn't have a price tag, and I know ultimately that means it's negotiable. Now, let's be honest, everything at a yard sale is negotiable because they're trying to get rid of the things, right. But the one that had the price tag on it usually is because they don't want you to automatically look away, because it's probably more money than you expected to pay, but they're willing to talk about it, right?
Speaker 1:I think sin's a lot like that. Many times, when we experience something that would be a sin, we don't always see the price tag right away, because if we could see the price tag, we could see the hurt, the pain, the suffering that goes along with sin. We probably think twice about doing it. But many times it's not until after the fact, till we have it in our hand. Then we go oh well, goodness, but we have it in our hand, then we go, oh well, goodness, but then we've already got it. Well, I wonder if that's what, maybe God could speak to us today. We're going to get all that in just a moment, but if always, if you like what we're doing here, make sure you like share, subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast, make sure you're leaving us a five-star review on the podcast and make sure that you are commenting on some of your takeaways in the YouTube channel. I love reading your takeaways and I love responding to them as well, so make sure you're doing that. And yes, it is me that's responding to those. And also, we all gather together at the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook. There's an amazing team of people who are putting devotions on there every day, and the more we dig, the more we find.
Speaker 1:And, speaking of that, if you want to open up your Bible with me to Job, chapter 20, we're going to get the second response today from a guy named Zophar. And the overall idea of Job, remember, is trusting God's wisdom in suffering, and I kind of hate to do this, but Zophar, he's going to respond to what Job was saying about how he knows that his Redeemer lives, all that wonderful stuff. And he's even going to say something in verse 12 through 14 that actually is true. And so Zophar is not doing a good job here. He's still wrapped up in his anger, like everybody else, but he's going to say something that I think maybe can give us kind of a thought process and something we can process through together. So let's jump into this. He's got a lot to say. So we're going to jump in and read this from Zophar the Nemethahite and do this together. You ready, here we go.
Speaker 1:Job, chapter 20.
Speaker 1:I must reply because I am greatly disturbed. I've had to endure your insults and now my spirit prompts me to reply. Don't you realize that from the beginning of time, ever since people were first placed on the earth, the triumph of the wicked has been short-lived and the joy of the godless has only been temporary? Though the pride of the godless reaches to the heavens and their heads touch the clouds, yet they will vanish forever, thrown away like their own dung. Those who knew them will ask when are they? And then they will fade like a dream that will not be found. They will vanish like a vision in the night. Those who once saw them will see them no more and their families will never see them again. Their children will beg from the poor, but they must give back their stolen riches. Though they are young, their bones will lie in the dust.
Speaker 1:They enjoyed the sweet taste of wickedness, letting it melt under their tongue. They savored it, holding it long under their mouths. But suddenly the food in their bellies turns sour and the poisonous venom in their stomachs. They will vomit the wealth they swallowed. God will not let them keep it down. They will vomit the wealth they swallowed. God will not let them keep it down. They will be struck with poison from cobras and the viper will kill them. They will never again enjoy streams of olive oil and rivers of milk and honey. They will give back everything they worked for and their wealth will bring them no joy, for they oppressed the poor and left them destitute.
Speaker 1:They foreclosed on their homes. They were always greedy and never satisfied. Nothing remains of all the things they dreamt about. Nothing is left after they finished gorging themselves. Therefore, their prosperity will not endure In the midst of plenty. They will run into trouble and they will be overcome by misery. May God give them a belly of trouble. May God give them a belly of trouble. May God rain down his anger upon them. No-transcript. They will be pierced with them. The arrow is pulled from their back and the arrowhead glistens with blood. That sounds terrible. The terrors of death are upon them and the treasures will be thrown into the deepest darkness. A wildflower will devour their goods, consuming all they have left. The heavens will reveal their guilt and the earth will testify against them. A flood will sweep away their house and God's anger will descend on them in torrents. This is the reward that God gives the wicked. It is the inheritance decreed by God.
Speaker 1:Now we haven't talked about this in a few chapters, but remember, this is ancient Hebrew poetry that has been translated into English and so it's very flowery in Hebrew and there's some meter and rhyme to it. It's kind of lost on us in English, and he's really taken a long time to say sin has a price tag, sin has a price tag. And here it goes again, where he's saying something, true, but he's saying it to the wrong person. What they're still trying to say is Job, the only reason why you're going through something bad is because you sinned, and so that's the way it works, job. If you hadn't sinned, you wouldn't be going through all this trouble. Well, that's true, if he'd done something wrong Like let's just be really honest about it, there's consequences for sin.
Speaker 1:If you sin, there are consequences. It's like the idea, I mean, we would talk about how silly, it would be right If someone robbed a bank and then, after they robbed the bank, before they got caught, they gave their life to Christ, and then afterward they got caught and had to go to jail. Well, god, if you love me, why am I going to jail? Well, joker, you're going to jail because you robbed a bank. Jesus washed away your sins, but there's earthly penalties for earthly sin. Right, and so they would have a point.
Speaker 1:If but they don't, there's a price tag for sin, and so it's important, when you're going through difficult times, to make an honest assessment. So what can we take away with this? Number one is this when you're going through a difficult time, it's important to be honest about what we're going through. You might be going through a difficult time because the consequences of sin and I want to say this to you with all the love that I have as your pastor Sin has a price tag. God will forgive you of your sin and sometimes, out of his mercy. He will not cause you to have to pay for the sin that you've committed Like sometimes, to pay for the sin that you've committed Like sometimes, but many times, god will allow you for a thousand reasons and not all of them we understand but he will allow you to pay the penalty for your sin. So if you're going through a difficult time, if you're suffering right now, it's important to be honest and say God, am I going through this because of sin I've committed? And if you have understand that God's not mad at you, hopefully that leads you to repentance. And if you've repented, then you understand where it's coming from and you're going to move forward and God's going to be with you.
Speaker 1:On the other side, take an honest assessment and say God, I'm going through this suffering. Have I sinned? And it is also extremely possible that you haven't done anything wrong. God's doing something completely different. That's why you can't automatically assume one way or the other. You have to take an honest assessment.
Speaker 1:I've known people that were innocent, like Job, but they were completely cast out from their friends because their friends thought well, if you're suffering, you must have sinned and it was completely wrong. It was very, very wrong and so you need to be honest, and if you haven't sinned against the Lord, say God. If I've sinned in any way, let me know what it is. But until you tell me otherwise, I just know that you're doing something I don't see. So I'm not going to feel shame by the suffering I go through. I'm going to know that you're working in my life On the other side.
Speaker 1:Be honest, and I've known people who have done terrible things, but then they get mad at God because they suffer the consequences for it. I go no, wait a minute. You brought this one on yourself, and so the lesson today is is to be honest, to take it to the Lord Either way. God loves you, no matter what it is. God loves you more than you can imagine, and if you have sinned and you are experiencing the consequences of your sin, take it to the Lord and say Jesus, I'm so sorry, I repent of this sin and I ask you to give me the strength to make it to the next step. If you haven't done anything, you'd still take it to the Lord and you say God, I don't know what you're doing, but I trust your wisdom and the suffering and have no shame and gather people around you and realize God is doing something, but be very careful to take an honest assessment.
Speaker 1:Don't automatically go one way or the other, but allow the Lord to speak into your life. Let's pray together, god. Thank you so much for today. Thank you, god, that you are with us through difficult seasons of suffering. God, it's not a binary. Every situation is different because you're doing different things in every one of us. I pray God, instead of automatically casting judgment one way or the other, we'll bring our suffering to you and allow you, god, to speak truth into our lives. We thank you in advance for all you're going to do. In Jesus' name, we pray Amen, amen. God's word says in Job 1, verse 21, naked I came from my mother's womb and naked I will be when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had and the Lord has taken it away. But praise the name of the Lord that's Job's way of saying. It all belongs to him and I trust him with it all. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow for Job, chapter 21.
