Job 20-21 “The Wicked Do Prosper”

READ: Job 20-21

Verses chosen for meditation: Job 21:7-9

⁷ Why do the wicked live,

    reach old age, and grow mighty in power?

⁸ Their offspring are established in their presence,

    and their descendants before their eyes.

⁹ Their houses are safe from fear,

    and no rod of God is upon them.

REFLECT

Job started his reply to Zophar’s stinging words by requesting for his three friends to listen carefully. So far, they were not listening intently and were more concerned with interjecting with their rebuttals. He sarcastically added that if they were to do him this favour, by waiting for him to finish, then they could continue mocking him thereafter.

Job then listed why he could not accept their theology that linked his suffering to sin. Not only did Job suffer in his innocence, but the wicked have quite a good time! Often, they lived with great wealth, security and into old age. Their children prosper. They die in peace. Furthermore, they saw no need to serve God. They were prospering, so they deliberately rejected God, not wanting to know Him (Job 21:14-15).

The Psalmist was greatly troubled by this too, whose feet almost stumbled when he saw the prosperity of the wicked (Psalm 73:3). So many wicked people have such an easy life! Why does God allow this? The psalmist lamented:

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
    and have washed my hands in innocence. (Psalm 73:13, NIV)

Then came a turning point in the psalmist’s thoughts:

When I tried to understand all this,
    it troubled me deeply
till I entered the sanctuary of God;
    then I understood their final destiny. (Psalm 73:16-17, NIV)

Job did not quite reach such confidence at this point, but he was clear that his friends’ simple equation was nothing but falsehood, and not helpful at all (Job 21:34).

RELATE

I used to stumble a lot with this unfairness that Job called out. Some of the worst people I know, still reveling in the comforts of their lives, and some of the best I know, still reeling from the pains of their good work. Honest people whose integrity only brought them injustice under unscrupulous schemes, much less rewards.

Evil people do prosper. It can even be systemic. Some who started pure got pulled to the dark side when they saw how being good may not be rewarded, while following the norm (sometimes evil) could get them a share of the pie. They see incentives to wickedness, and being good is discouraged because it rocks the boat of the powerful.

What Job pointed out is indeed a reality, unlike the naïve doctrines of his friends who conveniently box God’s ways. The attractive (but not in line with life’s facts) doctrine that God always rewards the committed and righteous and always destroys evil is something we must be careful with. I sometimes hear Christians say this when pulling others into the faith. They packaged the faith like this: “Come to church. Be more involved and you’ll be blessed. All your problems will go away.”

When convenient, they point out the rich in the church as evidence of faithful service, and point out the poverty of non-Christians as evidence of not being in the faith. What about the rich and powerful non-believers? What about the righteous believers in anguish, worrying about their next meal? There was no mention of the suffering that comes with taking up the cross for Christ. No wonder we see many flock to churches with illusions of expected prosperity, but turn away as quickly at the first sign of tribulation. Again, we ask, what is the basis of our faith?

We may also question why God created the world if it’s going to be like that. The universe God created is essentially good and God intended for it to be good. But the presence of evil means that something has gone wrong. A sign of a fallen world. Evil is not God’s will, nor did He create it, but that does not mean it is unreal and can be disregarded. We can be optimistic, even with evil prevalent, as it shows even more our need for grace from God to redeem and restore this world.

We are still left with uncertainties about the problem of suffering. It is a problem as for many, it calls into question the character, power and wisdom of the God we believe in. But God comes to us in Christ, not to solve our intellectual problems, but as a crucified man on the cross, bearing our griefs and sorrows. We may not find answers, but we discover in our deep pain and questions, God is there beside us, in the person of Christ. It is this communion with Him which gives us the grace to live with questions and uncertainties.

REST

Father. Give us this peace in Christ, even amidst life’s toughest questions. Help us not to measure life by gains and losses, or determine one’s character by the lot he has. Set our eyes on things eternal, to seek first the kingdom of God. Amen.

Chris Chong