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The Bible Breakdown
Job 21: It Really is About Us and God
Ever wondered why the wicked seem to prosper while the righteous suffer? In this thought-provoking episode of the Bible Breakdown podcast, Pastor Brandon dives into Job's intense dialogue with his friend Zophar in Job chapter 21. We'll walk through Job's heartfelt plea and frustration with the unhelpful advice of his friends, dissecting his struggle to understand why divine justice seems so elusive. You'll gain a deeper appreciation for Job's yearning for a direct conversation with God and the personal nature of his suffering, offering a mirror to our own experiences of grappling with life's complexities.
Moving into the second part of our conversation, we'll confront the deceptive nature of outward appearances and the ultimate justice that comes from God. Discover Job's perspective on the seeming prosperity of the wicked and the universal truth that everyone, regardless of their circumstances, faces death and divine judgment. We'll encourage you to shift your focus from comparing your life to others to deepening your relationship with God. Join us in finding inspiration from Job's unwavering trust amidst his trials and reaffirm your faith in God's unseen plans through prayer and reflection.
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The More You Dig. The More You Find.
Well, hello everybody. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today, job, chapter 21. Today's title is it Really Is About Us and God. Ultimately, it really is about us and God. We're going to see today how Job is responding to good old Zophar, the guy who just basically said hey, listen, if you just quit sinning, everything will be all right. And Job is like dude. Ultimately, this is between me and God. Not only do you not understand what I'm going through, but I don't know if you've ever been there before. We're going to talk about it and it's going to be fun, it's going to be awesome.
Speaker 1:But before we do any of that, while you're getting your Bibles open to John chapter excuse me, joe chapter 21. Make sure you like, share and subscribe to YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure you are liking and sharing the videos. Make sure you are giving us a five-star review on the podcast and also sharing with other people. Man, it is awesome to see we had someone respond on the podcast the other day and said that they were from Malaysia and they said thank you for helping me make it through the book of Leviticus. Man, if you've been with us for very long, you know, that blessed my heart because it was the book of Leviticus that got us into this podcast to begin with. So, yes, we made it together. Please stay with us. I love it so much. Also, make sure you are joining us at the Bible Breakdown Discussion Group on Facebook.
Speaker 1:The more we dig, the more we find, and there are some amazing devotions coming out every day from an awesome team. Make sure you're reading those every day, okay? Well, job, chapter 21,. Job is responding to Zophar, and remember, the overall idea of Job is trusting God's wisdom in suffering. Also, don't forget, because some of these chapters get a little long, this was originally written in ancient Hebrew poetry and so there's a lot of rhyme, a lot of meter, a lot of different things. It's kind of lost on us in English and the translators are trying to translate it in a way that makes it work, but that's why it's so flowery, like yesterday, reading Job, chapter 21, excuse me, job, chapter 20, we could have summed the whole thing up in sin has a price tag, right. Well, today we could kind of do the same thing. We kind of just sum it all up in hey, listen, buddy, this is really about me and God, not me and you. You don't know what's going on really, and I don't know if you've ever been there before. I have. I've been there when people are trying to help and they're trying to somehow insert them into my problem and I just want to say, hey, thank you so much for being extremely unhelpful, but this is really not about you. This is between me and God, and that's what Job is going to tell Zophar from yesterday. So if you're ready, I'm going to read Job, chapter 21, starting in verse 1, and see if you can kind of relate to some of Job's frustration. You ready? Here we go.
Speaker 1:Verse 1 says this. Then Job spoke again. Listen closely to what I'm saying. That's his way of saying listen, linda, listen right, listen closely to what I'm saying. That's one consolation that you can give me. Just please listen.
Speaker 1:Verse three bear with me and let me speak. After I have spoken, you may resume mocking me. I'm so bad, poor Job. Verse four my complaint is with God, not with people. I have good reason to be so impatient. Look at me and be stunned. Put your hand over my mouth, over your mouth, in shock. When I think about what I'm saying, I shudder, my body trembles.
Speaker 1:Why do the wicked prosper, growing old and powerful. They live to see their children grow up and settle down, and they enjoy their grandchildren. Their homes are safe from fear and God does not punish them. Their bulls never fail to breed, their cows bear calves and never miscarry. Yet, excuse me, they let their children frisk like a lamb, in other words play around and their little ones skip and dance. They sing with tambourines and harps, they celebrate to the sound of the flute and they spend their days in prosperity, then go down to the grave in peace. And yet they say to God go away, we want no part of you and your ways. Who is the Almighty and why should we obey him? What good will it do for us to pray? They think their prosperity is of their own doing, but I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking.
Speaker 1:Yet the light of the wicked never seems to be extinguished. Do they even have? Do they ever have trouble? Does God distribute sorrows to them in anger? Are they driven before the wind like straw? Are they carried away by the storm like chaff? Not at all.
Speaker 1:Well, you say at least God will punish their children. But I say he should punish the ones who sin, so that they will understand his judgment. Let them see their destruction with their own eyes. Let them drink deeply of the anger of the Almighty, for they will not care what happens to their family after they're dead. But who can teach a lesson to God, since he judges even the most powerful?
Speaker 1:One person dies in prosperity, completely comfortable and secure, the picture of good health, vigorous and fit. Another person dies in bitter poverty, never having tasted the good life, but both are buried in the same dust, both eaten by the same maggots. That's disgusting, verse 27. Look, I know what you're thinking. I know the schemes you plot against me. You will tell me of rich and wicked people whose houses have vanished because of their sins. But ask those who have been around and they will tell you the truth. Evil people are spared in times of calamity and are allowed to escape disaster. No one not one citizen, excuse me. No one criticizes them openly or pays them back for what they have done. When they are carried to the grave, an honor guard keeps watch at their tomb. A great funeral procession goes to the grave and honor guard keeps watch at their tomb. A great funeral procession goes to the cemetery. Many pay their respects as the body is laid to rest and the earth gives sweet repose.
Speaker 1:How can your empty cliches comfort me? All your explanations are lies. To be honest with you, I could sit here, sit back in my chair, and we could have a long conversation about this one, couldn't we? I don't know about you, but as a pastor, I have sat with more people who have said pastor, it's unfair. When I'm doing the best I can and I'm struggling, and I see people who are not living for God and they're doing great, it's not fair. It is simply not fair To be really just next level honest with you.
Speaker 1:I've asked myself that question sometimes. I've asked how I see godly people suffer, have cancer, have difficulties, lose their marriages, do all these things, and these horrible people seem to be doing well. You ever been there? I've been there Well. You know what God's Word teaches us. God's Word teaches us ultimately, our life is not between us and them. Our life is between us and God.
Speaker 1:I've lived long enough and had the opportunity to talk to some of those people that seem to have everything going for them, and you know what I found out Is, on the outside it might look like they've got everything going for them. On the inside they're empty, they're hollow, they're miserable. Many times what you see is their very best mask, so you think they're doing well, but the reality is is they're hollow, they're suffering, they're miserable. Now, let's be honest. It's easy to be miserable with silk sheets, but they still are.
Speaker 1:But here's the next thing. You know what Job says. He says no matter whether they are rich or whether they suffer, all of us die. And here's the thing. There are some people who experience moments of joy and an eternity of suffering, and there are people who experience moments of suffering and an eternity of joy. We don't see that on this side, because we live within reality, within the finites, the finitude of time, but in the expanse of the infinite. God has ultimate justice. Now, that's a small comfort on this side, but we're going to be dead a whole lot longer than we're going to be alive.
Speaker 1:So, as hard as it is, I want to encourage you to not let what you see in front of you in this life cause you to ever get bitter toward God, because God is ultimately just. He has to be, it's his nature. He doesn't just have the characteristic of serving justice, he is just. Everything is ultimately just in the presence of God. And so I'll say again there are some people who experience a short season of joy in this life and then experience an eternity of suffering, and there are people who experience seasons of suffering in this life who experience an eternity of joy. Ultimately, our job is not to compare our lives with theirs. Ultimately, it really is between us and God. So don't get weary because of what you see in the lives of others. No one truly knows what's going on in someone else's life except for them and God. You keep your focus on you and God and allow Him to bring justice at the right time.
Speaker 1:Let's pray together. God, thank you so much for today. Thank you, god, that you're with us more than we realize. You walk with us through difficulties. I pray, god, that you will encourage everyone who is listening or watching this podcast that they'll never allow themselves to be wrapped up in the lives of others, but they'll realize that ultimately, god, it's between you and us and you're always doing more than we can see. Help us to trust you more every day. In Jesus' name we pray Amen, amen. God's Word says in Job 1, verse 21,. I came naked from my mother's womb. I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had and the Lord has taken it away, but praise the name of the Lord. He's saying no matter what I have, it all belongs to God, so I trust him with it all. I love you. No-transcript.
