Zophar responds for the second time.

This vitriolic invective which comes from Zophar's mouth is actually directed at Job. He is suggesting that each of the accusations that he seems to be making generally is actually true of Job.

The popular saying: with friends like these who needs enemies rings true.  Now the accusations have become more bitter and caustic.  Zophar is talking about the wicked and their demise in general, but really it is a veiled accusation against Job. Zophar blames Job for becoming a rich man on the backs of the poor (v.19 see 1:3).  Job's friends, who have equated his punishment with sin, are now rubbing it in.  Their hypocritical self-justification will not be allowed to continue, as we will see.

I find it hard to imagine that Zophar really believed Job was so bad. In almost every verse of this chapter he describes the thoughts and the actions of wicked, and says how God will punish such a man. But at the end of the book God reveals His Own view of these three friends, and asks Job to pray for them, for "ye have not spoken of Me the thing which is right, like My servant Job." (Job 42:8).  This leads us therefore to realise that God does not always punish the wicked "when he is about to fill his belly" (Job 20:23), as Zophar says.

20:4-5  Zophar accuses Job of being wicked and implies that Job should have understood that his prosperity would be short lived. He tells Job that he should have expected to loose all his goods because he was wicked.

20:10  The mention here of ‘children’ may well be a snide comment to Job about his own children whoa re all now dead.

20:5-7  It is no comfort, even if it is true which is often is not, to say that the wicked do not prosper for ever when one is in deep despair. This is tantamount to saying ‘don’t worry, things will get better’.   

The friends of Job are eloquent in their rhetoric, and some of the things they point out are true.  However, they miss two very important points.  The first is that God is the only judge of man - man has no authority to judge another.  God will determine with absolute accuracy if man has been faithful to Him.  God knows that man is not perfect, as all men sin and are worthy of death (Rom 5:12).  But, He is willing to forgive man if his heart and spirit are right (Psa 34:18).  And so, the second point is that God is merciful to sinners.  The scriptures abundantly show the mercy of the LORD, for example (Psa 118:2,3,4,29) The friends of Job accuse him of wickedness and have condemned him to eternal death.  First they have no right, or capacity, to determine the spiritual quality of a man (Rom 2:1). Paul tells us that we cannot even judge ourselves (1Cor 4:3). And then, they certainly have no mandate to pass the sentence of death on an individual (Luke 6:37).  Job and his friends are under the watchful eye of the LORD.  Divine justice will prevail (Psa 37:32,33).

20:27 Zophar has, whilst speaking in the third person – that is generally – has, in fact, been directing all his venom at Job. And now he appeals to God! God will judge! But his inference is that God will judge because Zophar knows that he is right in his assessment!

20:3  Zophar’s arrogance is that he claims that he cannot but answer because of his wisdom! How often do we think that we know the answer and open our mouths without thought.

2:13 Josiah reigned when the Assyrians were in the decline and Babylon was in the ascendancy. The prophecy of the overthrow of Assyria was fulfilled shortly after the time of the prophet. However he also predicts the overthrow of Babylon – Zeph 2:15 – using language similar to the contemporary prophet Jeremiah.

2:15 In saying ‘I am and there is none else’ echoes the language that Isaiah spoke about Babylon – Isa 47:7

2:4-9   The judgement upon the surrounding nations is echoed by the later prophet  – Jer 46, Jer 47 - 49 which was fulfilled by the Chaldeans over running the middle east.

Vs.1-3 Zephaniah has pronounced the judgments that will befall his people.  Nevertheless, he exhorts the people to repent and turn to the LORD.  As was pointed out in the Job comment, the LORD is merciful.  If one repents of his sin, the LORD is willing to forgive.  He is not anxious to declare judgment (2Pet 3:9).  We are told to emulate the LORD (Matt 5:48).  Perfect in the KJV means complete in moral character.

2:9 To anyone who was aware of what had happened to Sodom and Gomorrah the way in which God spoke of Moab and Ammon would have been terrifying. The faithless Jew maybe would have rejoiced but the faithful Jew would have been saddened that things had got to such a state in those contrived that God was going to bring judgement upon them. How would we respond if we heard such pronouncement against countries in the world?

2:10 Moab and Ammon’s problem? Simply put is was a lack of compassion for Israel. God had said – Gen 12:3 that he would bless those that cared for Israel and curse those who did not. Here we see God keeping His word.

1:4 In saying 'that your joy may be full' John is reminding his audience of things that he had already recorded of what Jesus had said on the night he was taken captive. John 15:11 16:24 Look for other language from John's gospel - particularly chapter 13-17 in the rest of the letter.

2:4 The threefold phrase 'he that saith' 1 John 2:4,6,9 shows that there is a direct relationship between what we claim what we actually do and what we are. It is what we do, not what we say, which actually speaks of how we are.

1:4 Many times in his letters John quotes the words of Jesus as recorded in John's own gospel 'that your joy may be full' quotes John 16:24 - words of comfort from Jesus on the last night of his life.

2:19 In saying that they 'went out' John likens those who left the ecclesia to Judas who 'went out' (John 13:30)

1:8 'walk in darkness' quotes John 8:12. The contrast is being drawn between those who follow their beliefs and those who do not. Consider :6-10 where John contrasts what we might say with what we might do.

2:1 'Advocate' is the Greek word 3875 translated 'comforter' four times John 14:16, 26, 15:26, 16:7 So we see again John is developing what he has written in his gospel.

Jesus' sacrifice is a representative one and does not cover the world's sin by way of substitution (2:2).  He does not love the world at large (2:15-17; John 17:9).  He came to save those who would turn to him from the world (Gal 1:4; Titus 2:11-14).  Christ is only interested in those who will do what He asks (John 15:14).  To be accepted by Him demands three stages of obedience: belief; baptism; and walk (continued acceptable conduct). 

(1:5) In saying ‘God is light’ John develops a theme which he has in his gospel(John 1:4,9, 8:12, 9:5, 12:35,36) The light of God was manifest in the ‘face of Jesus Christ’ (2Cor 4:6)

(2:19) Continuing last year’s comment on ‘went out’ Cain ‘went out’ from the presence of the Lord (Gen 4:16) showing that sin separates from God which is one of the themes of this letter.

2:1 Christ is a comforter to His brethren (advocate means comforter).  Advocate in the modern sense means one who pleads your cause to someone else.  A lawyer, for example in a legal setting, pleads your case before a judge or jury.  But that is not the role of Christ.  He is not sitting at the right hand of His Father pleading our case to Him.  True believers have direct access to Yahweh if we approach Him in the Name of Christ.

1:5 -  God is - Light - Strongs #5457 - absolute & underived, Greek word Phos, were we get the english word phosphorous from (something that shines in the dark)

- so God is absolute, without beginning or end

- interesting that when Jesus was spoken of in John 1:9 - that was the true light, this is the same greek word phos, so perfectly did he manifest God's character

v.7 - 'if we walk in the light...we have fellowship, fellowship is predicated upon walking in the light

- this would now be the 1st of 7 tests of true discipleship

v.8 - 2nd test - false sanctity produces self-deception

v.10 - 3rd test - false righteousness

2:4 - 4th test - false allegiance

v.6 - 5th test - false association

v.9 - 6th test - false love

4:20-21 - 7th - the test of genuine discipleship

We cannot divorce doing the truth - from just believing the truth!phosphorous

1:6-10  A progression ‘if we …’ these are not unrelated issues. They all relate to each other. Having assented to the first four we need to recgonise that ‘the motions of sin’ still work in us. To deny this is to lose our understanding of the sacrifice of Jesus.

2:3 John emphasises ‘seeing’ as we saw when commenting upon chapter 1. Now he tells us that keeping  his commandments is the evidence that one ‘knows’ him. So it is not simply a matter of knowing facts about Jesus. It is a matter of knowing how he responded to situations and emulating that behaviour.

2:9-10 The contrast between attitudes towards our ‘brother’ shows how simple it is to measure our love for God.

2:8      Jesus gave the ‘new commandment’ in John 13:34

1:8,10 We are sinners, and yet we can have fellowship with the Father and the Son (1:13).  This is only possible if we confess our sins (1:9).  And so, the theme of mercy and forgiveness that we have seen in the Job and Zephaniah readings continues.

2:9-11 We shall be judged on how well we treat our brothers and sisters. If we willingly separate ourselves from the community of Christ, we cannot hope for mercy at the judgment seat.  We are in equal danger if we remain in the community but do not take an interest in the physical or spiritual welfare of our brothers and sisters.

2:15,16 The factors involved in loving the world are enunciated here.  Pride of life in the KJV really means pride in possessions, and is translated that way in the ESV.

2:22 There are those who outright deny that God or Jesus exist.  But there are those who do not recognize God and Jesus as separate persons. They lump them together as a trinity, with the Holy Spirit, as being one person who has three parts.  This idea is both ridiculous and blasphemous.  Both atheists and Trinitarians are both qualified to be called the antichrist.

1:11 The one who first hated his brother was Cain. When he had killed Abel he went out, that language of Gen 4:16 is picked up in ‘knoweth not whither he goeth’.

2:11 Whilst we might think it is light that ‘blindeth’ our eyes John says it is ‘darkness’ which has that effect.