Job 20:16 says, He shall suck the poison of asps: the viper’s tongue shall slay him.  Zophar warns that what had seemed the sweetness of sin would turn into a bitter poison in the end.  No matter how sweet the fruit of sin may taste to a person, it is still deadly, not only to the body, but to the everlasting torment of the soul as well.  Verse seventeen says, He shall not see the rivers, the floods, the brooks of honey and butter.  This was another way of saying that the sinner and hypocrite would not prosper, but we know this is not always the truth in this life, though it is true in the life to come.  Verse eighteen says, That which he laboured for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down: according to his substance shall the restitution be, and he shall not rejoice therein.  Basically, Zophar was saying that the sinner would not long enjoy the rewards of his labor.  We may wish that those who profit by dealing unfairly with others would always have their wealth taken away and returned to those they cheated or abused, but it doesn't often happen.  Verse nineteen states, Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor; because he hath violently taken away an house which he builded not;  This is a continuation of the warning to the wicked, listing some of their sins against others. Zophar said they oppressed the poor and violently took away what the poor had.  Zophar was still applying this to Job and his situation.  Verse twenty says, Surely he shall not feel quietness in his belly, he shall not save of that which he desired.  I believe this was another way of saying that there could be no peace and contentment for the sinner.  If sin always left us dissatisfied, poor and suffering, it would be easy to avoid, but often it is just the opposite at least in worldly terms.  Verse twenty one says, There shall none of his meat be left; therefore shall no man look for his goods.  Once more, this is not always the fate of sinners, but would be if our relationship with God determined our material wealth.  Verse twenty two states, In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits: every hand of the wicked shall come upon him.  Now it is possible that Zophar was more accurate in this statement.  There will always be those who wish to take what belongs to someone else as their own, but it should not be God's people.  If we as followers of Christ are to have what belongs to another, there will be no doubt that God is giving it to us, and even then it is not to be because we covet what is someone else's.  Verse twenty three declares, When he is about to fill his belly, God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him, and shall rain it upon him while he is eating.  Zophar, still referring to Job's status really, said that when the sinner became wealthy and felt secure that God would strike him down.  In verse twenty four Zophar states, He shall flee from the iron weapon, and the bow of steel shall strike him through.   I believe he was basically saying there is no escaping the wrath of God, but we know that through Christ we can.  Even our relationship with Christ does not guarantee material success.  Verse twenty five says, It is drawn, and cometh out of the body; yea, the glittering sword cometh out of his gall: terrors are upon him.  Zophar continued to speak of the horror of God's punishment, and saw this as what was happening to Job.  Verse twenty six states, All darkness shall be hid in his secret places: a fire not blown shall consume him; it shall go ill with him that is left in his tabernacle.  I believe that Zophar was saying that even the descendants of sinners would suffer for the sins of a sinner, but we will each be judged for our sins alone.  Verse twenty seven says, The heaven shall reveal his iniquity; and the earth shall rise up against him.  Then, verse twenty eight says, The increase of his house shall depart, and his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath.  These verses continue Zophar's basing of material wealth on faithfulness to God.  He said those secret inequities, which he felt Job was guilty of, would ultimately lead to material destruction.  Verse twenty nine declares, This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed unto him by God.  Zophar was correct from a spiritual view, but not from just a material one. If we only serve God because we think that is going to bring us material wealth, the we will ultimately be disappointed.  As followers of Christ, we are called on to take up our cross daily.

Job 20:1 says, Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,  Job's friends could not just remain quiet.  Zophar felt that he knew the nature and the works of God better than Job did.  We, like Zophar, would be better off listening for God's understanding of a situation than attempting to apply our own understanding.  Verse two says, Therefore do my thoughts cause me to answer, and for this I make haste. Zophar said that his thoughts forced him as to not only answer, but to do quickly.  He was correct about them being his thoughts, and he wasn't even going to take the time to consider what Job had said.  When we judge without considering what God tells us in any situation, we are indeed in danger of sharing only our own thoughts, and not God's teachings.  In verse three Zophar continues, I have heard the check of my reproach, and the spirit of my understanding causeth me to answer.  Zophar was basically saying to Job that Job had reproached what he had said earlier, so now he felt compelled to set Job straight.  If someone questions what we feel to be the truth, we often cannot wait for them to be quiet so we can correct them.  Instead of waiting to declare Job wrong, Zophar would have been better off to wait and listen sincerely to what God had to say.  If our objective is to defend our belief about a particular situation, we may be too busy just waiting for the opportunity to respond to hear what God has to say.  We need to be certain that we, like Zophar, are not replying just on our own understanding.  In verse four Zophar asks, Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth,  Zophar questions Job's understanding of the way the world had worked throughout history.  If we are going to base our arguments on the history of people and their relationship to God since the beginning of time, we need to make sure that our understanding comes from God, and not just our own interpretation of events.  In verse five Zophar continues, That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?  Though what Zophar said was true from an everlasting prospective, that the triumph of evil over good is short, this did not apply to Job.  Even the truth can be used from a wrong understanding to attempt to justify our beliefs and dispute someone else's beliefs.  In verse six Zophar states, Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds;  Zophar implies that the sinner can become so proud of themselves that they feel that they are in heaven.  Then, verse eight warns, Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?  Though speaking of sinners in general being brought down to destruction, I believe that Zophar was attempting to apply this to Job in particular.  Job had been brought from his position of wealth and influence to suffering and abandonment by his friends.  We cannot assume that when a person suffers in life that they are being punished by God, nor does success mean that they are being blessed by God.  Verse eight says, He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night.  Zophar said that the sinners life would be as lasting as a dream.  Verse nine says, The eye also which saw him shall see him no more; neither shall his place any more behold him.  Zophar said that sinners would no longer be looked on with respect.  Verse ten says, His children shall seek to please the poor, and his hands shall restore their goods.  Often, the children of the rich, instead of seeking to help the poor simply continue to attempt to further enrich themselves.  Verse eleven says, His bones are full of the sin of his youth, which shall lie down with him in the dust.  Zophar was saying that the sinner would not give up on the sins of his youth, which I believe meant the lusts of youth.  As a rule, young people do tend to be more self centered.  I believe Zophar was saying this should change as a person matures, especially spiritually.  Verse twelve says, Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue;   Zophar said that wickedness tasted sweet to the sinner and they tried to hide it under their tongue to enjoy longer.  Verse thirteen states, Though he spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it still within his mouth:  I believe that Zophar was really referring to the hypocrite, who knew that certain things were wrong but continued to do them because they brought pleasure in life.  Verse fourteen says,  Yet his meat in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of asps within him.  I believe that Zophar was saying that deep within the hypocrite, there was no real peace.  If we are living life based on the lies of hypocrisy, we will never be at ease.  Verse fifteen declares, He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly.  Riches can never bring everlasting satisfaction to anyone.  Only following God's will can.  We may think we can live in the riches and sweetness of sin, but God will eventually cast them out.  It may not be in this life, but anything built on sin will ultimately be cast away by God.

Job 19:15 says, They that dwell in mine house, and my maids, count me for a stranger: I am an alien in their sight.  Job said that even those who lived in his house and had served him acted as though they didn't know who he was.  We may forget that even at this time at least some of Job's servants reminded.  Job had been a good master to his maids and servants, but now that he was in need of comfort, they did not even want to look on Him.  I believe it is safe to say that Job had treated his servants well, or God would not have held him up as an example of a truly righteous man.  Verse sixteen says, I called my servant, and he gave me no answer; I intreated him with my mouth.  Since Job was seemingly cast down by God, his servants no longer answered his call.  We need to acknowledge that if we see a person in great need, especially a fellow Christian, we are called to minister to them, and are not called to abandon them.  Then in verse seventeen Job states,  My breath is strange to my wife, though I intreated for the children’s sake of mine own body.  Job was abandoned by the person who should have been his greatest source of comfort in this life, his wife.  Job said he would have gladly died in his children's place, and his wife should have known this.  We have to understand that we cannot die for another person.  Only Christ was able to do that.  Still, we would like to believe that if we suffer a great loss, if we are married, that our spouse would truly be with us in sickness and in health.  Verse eighteen says, Yea, young children despised me; I arose, and they spake against me. Children tend to follow the example of adults, and since the adults around him despised Job, so did they.  I believe that we could use this as an example of why we need to set a good example for our children.  They may not always follow our good example, but we certainly do not want them following a bad one that we set for them.  Verse nineteen says, All my inward friends abhorred me: and they whom I loved are turned against me.  It is bad enough if our casual acquaintances abandon us in time of need, but Job said his closest friends, those that he had loved, had turned against him.  I believe that is what happens when people base friendship on material things.  Job could no longer offer his closest friends anything, so they abandoned him.  Verse twenty declares, My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.  Job said that he was still alive, but that he was barely holding on.  There are people today, even Christians, who are barely holding on to hope in life, and we as followers of Christ need to be there with them to offer comfort in their hour of need.  In verse twenty one Job cries out, Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me.  Job was pleading with his friends to show him compassion, even though he felt that Go d was punishing him.  If we feel that God has indeed punished us for whatever reason, then this is the time we need the comfort of friends the most. Verse twenty two asks,  Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh?  Job believed that he was being punished by God, and asked his friends why they weren't satisfied with God's punishment but felt the need to punish him more.  We need to be satisfied with the way God deals with each person, and if we feel that He is punishing them, then they need our comfort even more.  Verse twenty three says, Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!  Fortunately for us they were, so we can learn from what happened to Job and his friends.  Verse twenty four says, That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!  They were preserved even better than by being chiseled in stone.  Job's words were preserved by God Himself.  In verse twenty five, Job declares, For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:  We, like Job, have to know that our Redeemer lives and will return for us.  Verse twenty six says, And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Like Job, we need to declare that even if this body returns to dust, we will one day see God not only in the spirit, but in the flesh as well.  Job continues in verse twenty seven, Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.  We like Job need to stand firm in our faith that we will see God.  If the spirit alone were saved, there would be no reason for Christ to return.  Verse twenty eight says,  But ye should say, Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me?  Job asked if the root of his persecution was found in him, why did his friends feel the need to persecute him.  If we feel that someone is being punished by God, it is not our role to add to persecute them.  We should pray for their restoration and not condemn them for their condition.  Verse twenty nine warns, Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment.  I believe that Job was warning his friends that they were setting themselves up for God's judgment.  If we attempt to judge others today as though we are morally superior, then we too will face God's judgment of our actions.

Job 19:1 says, Then Job answered and said,  After Bildad stopped speaking, Job answered him.  Job did not interrupt or get in a shouting match with Bildad, but listened to him before answering.  Verse two asks, How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words?  Job had already asked his friends to just be quiet if they could offer him no hope or understanding of why he was in this situation.  If we can offer no help or any solution to a person's current suffering we are better off simply sitting with them and praying for them.  Job's friends came to him with preconceived ideas about why he was suffering and would not listen to his reasoning, nor did they ask God for a better understanding so they could really comfort Job.  We cannot go into any situation and attempt to make it confirm our belief about that situation.  We must first seek God's guidance and then listen to what the person who is suffering has to say with compassion and not judgment.   Verse three says, These ten times have ye reproached me: ye are not ashamed that ye make yourselves strange to me.  We only know of five times that Job's friends spoke to him, but that does not mean that they hadn't spoken more often.  Matthew Henry says that this indicated that those five times they spoke were double in their condemnation of Job.  Either way, Job said that even though they weren't, they should be ashamed of their treatment of him.  Verse four states, And be it indeed that I have erred, mine error remaineth with myself.  Job said that if he had erred, or sinned, that was a matter between God and himself.  We cannot determine the relationship between God and any other person. We can only account for our own sins.  Verse five says, If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me, and plead against me my reproach:  Job said that his friends were magnifying themselves and condemning him.  We must be careful to never view ourselves as above others.  If we are followers of Christ, we are still simply sinners saved by grace.  We should not magnify our relationship to God as being superior to anyone else's.  In verse six Job states,  Know now that God hath overthrown me, and hath compassed me with his net.  Though Job was mistaken in thinking that God was directly responsible for his current situation, he still saw it as being between God and himself.  We will each answer for our own sins and that alone should keep us from trying to judge others.  We all have enough to answer for.  Verse seven says, Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry aloud, but there is no judgment.  Job still felt that God did not hear him.  If we feel isolated from God, we need to remember that He has not abandoned us.  Verse eight says, He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths.  I believe that Job felt since he thought that God was the source of his suffering that there was no way out.  We need to remember that if God allows us to suffer, He will also provide a way out of that suffering if we remain true to Him.  In verse nine Job says,  He hath stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head.  I believe that Job thought that his success in life was a reward for his serving God faithfully, and that had been stripped away.  The truth is that we serve God for His glory and not our own.  That is one problem with a prosperity gospel.  If we suddenly face a material failure, then we have to blame God.  Verse ten states, He hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone: and mine hope hath he removed like a tree.  Job saw no way to turn.  He felt that God had surrounded him with misery.  Verse eleven says, He hath also kindled his wrath against me, and he counteth me unto him as one of his enemies.  Though Job felt that God counted him as an enemy to be tormented and then destroyed, we know this was not the case.  As followers of Christ, God will never seek to destroy us, though our possessions may be destroyed.  God was still with Job, even if Job didn't feel God's presence.  We should never allow any situation to make us feel abandoned by God.  Verse twelve says, His troops come together, and raise up their way against me, and encamp round about my tabernacle.  Job thought the whole army of God was against him.  Verse thirteen states, He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me.  Job felt God was against him and his friends no longer wanted to be around him.  In verse fourteen Job declares, My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me.  Job felt very alone in the world, abandoned by friends, family, and most importantly by God.  Even if our friends desert us, we would hope that our family would not.  If friends and family desert us, we need to know that God will not.  Just because we may not understand what is happening in life and may not feel the presence of God, as His followers we can be certain that He is always with us.

Job 18:11 says, Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, and shall drive him to his feet.  Bildad is still speaking of the fate of the wicked, but again he is applying this to what was happening with Job.  He said that the wicked would be so afraid that they could not rest.  I am not sure that the lost people in the world all have trouble resting in this world, but if they acknowledge the fact that the soul of man never dies, they should have trouble resting.  In this life they may have comfort, but this life is but temporary.  Verse twelve says, His strength shall be hungerbitten, and destruction shall be ready at his side.   We need to remember that Bildad was still attempting to prove to Job that sin had led Job to his current condition.  Bildad was saying that sin always brought pain and suffering to a person, but again we know this is not always true.  We cannot attempt to claim that if a person, especially a Christian, is suffering that it is a punishment from God.  Verse thirteen says, It shall devour the strength of his skin: even the firstborn of death shall devour his strength.  Since Job was suffering such a fate, Bildad was saying that Job should expect this due to the sin in his life and his refusal to acknowledge it.  When we see a person suffering today, we cannot attribute this to God's punishment of sin.  They may be like Job and be having their faith put to the test.  If God always materially rewarded those who follow Him, and materially punished those who do not, it would be much easier to get people to follow Him.  We cannot put our faith in God only for those material blessings, but must remain true to Him, no matter what, just as Job did.  Verse fourteen says, His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle, and it shall bring him to the king of terrors.  This is the ultimate fate of those who do not accept Christ as their Savior and Lord, but it does not equate to material blessings in this world.  When a person stands before God unforgiven, that person will indeed face the king of terrors.  Verse fifteen says, It shall dwell in his tabernacle, because it is none of his: brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation.  I believe that Bildad was saying that there was no place for the sinner to be safe from God's judgment.  Bildad was still thinking about material things being a sign of God's blessings, and saying that God would tear down all that sinners did.  Though it is true that ultimately, at the end of this world, no unsaved sinner, those not redeemed by personal faith in Christ, can find a place to be safe from God's judgment, that does not mean that they will always be punished materially or physically in life.  Verse sixteen says, His roots shall be dried up beneath, and above shall his branch be cut off.  Bildad was still attempting to apply the punishment of sinners to this world, and especially to Job.  Verse seventeen adds, His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name in the street.  Job had indeed been cut down and was already forgotten by all his friends for all practical purposes.  Verse eighteen states, He shall be driven from light into darkness, and chased out of the world.  Job's world was indeed full of darkness and he was close to death.  Bildad was telling Job that these things were proof that Job was being punished by God.  We cannot apply eternal truths to temporary situations just to support our beliefs.  Had Bildad and his two friends been praying for the understanding of God's will in what was happening to Job, they would have seen the truth of the situation.  We can never just assume to know God's will, but must always ask His guidance in understanding it.  Verse nineteen says, He shall neither have son nor nephew among his people, nor any remaining in his dwellings.  Once more, I believe that Bildad was attempting to apply his beliefs to Job's situation.  We don't know about nephews, but Job's sons had died.  I believe that among other things that are wrong with Bidad's reasoning is the fact that he assumes that children and relatives will be punished for the sins of some else.  Each person is responsible for their own relationship with God.  Verse twenty states, They that come after him shall be astonied at his day, as they that went before were affrighted.  Those who saw Job were certainly astonished by his current state, even as before the had viewed him as a powerful man, whom they respected or even feared.  Verse twenty one concludes, Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him that knoweth not God.  I believe that Bildad was telling Job that Job knew that this was what he should have expected due to his sins and hypocrisy.  We can never claim that other people are deserving of suffering in this world due to their material or physical status in life.  Suffering and a lack of material wealth do not equate to punishment from God.

Job 18:1 says, Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,  Job had asked his friends to just be quiet if all they could do was condemn him, but Bildad, like Eliphaz felt that he had to continue to try to correct what he saw was Job's lack of understanding.  In verse two, Bildad says, How long will it be ere ye make an end of words? mark, and afterwards we will speak.  Bildad wondered how long Job was going to continue to speak what he saw as empty words.  As we saw with Eliphaz, Bildad now becomes even stronger in his condemnation of Job.  I don't believe that either one had really listened to Job.  They had their minds made up that Job was a sinner and a hypocrite, so they were basically just waiting for Job to quit talking so they could point out how wrong he was.  When we are confronted with someone expressing an opinion we do not agree with, we too often fail to hear what they are saying.  We may hear their words, but often have dismissed them even before they are spoken.  Verse three asks, Wherefore are we counted as beasts, and reputed vile in your sight?  Bildad was basically accusing Job of calling his friends beasts, but he never had.  Job may have said that he felt that their reasoning was faulty, but he never said that they were as incapable of rational thought as were beasts, or animals.  We should not be surprised if someone who believes that we are wrong distort our words when they respond to what we have said.  Verse four says, He teareth himself in his anger: shall the earth be forsaken for thee? and shall the rock be removed out of his place?  Bildad may have been referring to Job's statement about tearing his flesh, but he was not referring to it with any understanding of what Job was saying.  We may repeat what someone said and use it out of context to prove our point, but we should listen to really understand what someone else is saying, especially if we disagree with them and want to correct the errors in their understanding.  Verse five says, Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine.  Bildad now begins to try to show Job why he was wrong in what he had said.  There is a lot of truth in what Bildad tells Job, but it did not apply to Job.  We must be careful to never take general truths and claim that they apply in every situation, especially if we are using them to justify ourselves and condemn others.  Verse six says, The light shall be dark in his tabernacle, and his candle shall be put out with him.  Bildad was not speaking of a building, but of a person.  He was still saying that the wicked would die from their iniquity.  Yet, we know many very evil people who live long and prosperous lives.  Both good and evil people will die physically, but their spirits will live on.  Verse seven states, The steps of his strength shall be straitened, and his own counsel shall cast him down.  Bildad said that the steps of the wicked would ultimately be made straight and that they would be cast down by their own beliefs.  It is true that all sin will ultimately be done away with and that those who believe in anything other than God will be cast away, it doesn't mean that it will happen in this life.  Verses eight through ten continue to state the fate of the wicked for relying on their own strength and wisdom instead of God.  Verse eight says, For he is cast into a net by his own feet, and he walketh upon a snare.  Then verse nine, The gin shall take him by the heel, and the robber shall prevail against him. Finally, verse ten, The snare is laid for him in the ground, and a trap for him in the way.  I believe that Bildad was saying that the sinner would be ensnared in his own trap.  We can be certain that sin does entrap people in its own net if they do not allow God to set them free by putting their faith in Him, but that does not mean that they will always be brought to destruction in this life.

Job 17:10 says, But as for you all, do ye return, and come now: for I cannot find one wise man among you.  Job asked why his friends were returning to him again, since he could find no wisdom in what they were saying.   He said that they should be listening to him instead of speaking foolishly against Him.  If we see someone suffering and can only speak to them in judgment, we are better off remaining quiet, or may need instead to listen to what they have to say.  Though the truth of God will never change, our understanding of God may, or we might say even should.  We are called on to grow in knowledge and truth about God.  If we approach our relationship to God feeling that we already know everything that there is to know, we are indeed fooling ourselves.  In verse eleven Job states, My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart.  Job felt no hope of restoration in this life.  He felt that his usefulness was past and had no more hope in his heart.  It is impossible to say how we would feel if we were in Job's place, but we should always acknowledge that all things are possible with God, and if we remain faithful, He will never leave us without hope.  Verse twelve says, They change the night into day: the light is short because of darkness.  Job said he could find no rest at night, and that his suffering would soon end in his death, where there would be no light.  Verse thirteen says, If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness.  Job felt that his only hope for release from his physical suffering was to make the grave his home.  He would rest, or sleep, there in darkness.  The grave, or death, is the only thing that we can be certain of for this mortal body if Christ does not return in our lifetime.   Verse fourteen says, I have said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister.  I believe that Job was saying that he had accepted that suffering was all that was left for him in life.  Everyone else had abandoned or condemned him, so his suffering was all he had left in his life.  If we do find ourselves suffering in life, hopefully we will have better family and friends than Job did.  In verse fifteen Job asked, And where is now my hope? as for my hope, who shall see it?  In this life, Job had no hope, but I believe that he still had faith in God, as evidenced by the question who would see his faith.  We know that no one can see our faith, except by our actions.  So, if we were to find ourselves in perpetual torment, who could see even evidence of our faith.  Verse sixteen says, They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust.  I believe that Job was saying that his friends would come to his grave thinking that he suffered the ultimate punishment for his sins.  We must remember that his friends, and his wife, thought that material possessions and life itself was a reward for serving God faithfully, and that suffering, and even such a horrible death, were punishment from God.  They saw the grave as the end for Job, as they had no hope of his redemption due to his perceived lack of faith.