Total darkness is reserved for his treasures. A fire unfanned will consume him and devour what is left in his tent. Total darkness is reserved for his treasures.This phrase suggests a divine judgment where the wealth and possessions of the wicked are destined for destruction. In biblical context, "darkness" often symbolizes judgment or the absence of God's presence ( Exodus 10:21-23, Matthew 8:12). The treasures, which may have been gained through unjust means, are ultimately futile and will not provide security or salvation ( Proverbs 11:4). This reflects the broader theme in Job of the temporary nature of earthly wealth and the ultimate justice of God. A fire unfanned will consume him
The imagery of "a fire unfanned" indicates a supernatural or divine fire, one that does not require human effort to ignite or sustain. This can be seen as a metaphor for God's judgment, which is inevitable and all-consuming (Isaiah 30:33). The idea of fire as a tool of divine retribution is common in scripture, such as in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24) and the purifying fire described in Malachi 3:2-3. This fire represents the inescapable nature of divine justice. and devour what is left in his tent.
The "tent" symbolizes the dwelling place or the household of the wicked, encompassing all that he possesses and holds dear. The destruction of what remains in his tent signifies the totality of the judgment, leaving nothing untouched. This reflects the biblical principle that the consequences of sin affect not only the individual but also their household (Joshua 7:24-25). The imagery of devouring suggests complete consumption, leaving no remnant, similar to the fate of those who oppose God as seen in the fate of Korah's rebellion (Numbers 16:31-33). Persons / Places / Events 1. Zophar the NaamathiteOne of Job's three friends who comes to comfort him. In this chapter, Zophar is speaking, offering his perspective on the fate of the wicked. 2. JobThe central figure of the book, a man of great faith and integrity who undergoes severe trials and suffering. 3. The WickedAlthough not a specific person, Zophar's speech is directed at the general concept of the wicked, whom he believes will face divine retribution. 4. Darkness and FireSymbolic elements used to describe the judgment and destruction awaiting the wicked. 5. TentRepresents the dwelling or possessions of the wicked, which will be consumed by divine judgment. Teaching Points The Certainty of Divine JusticeGod's justice is inevitable and will ultimately prevail against the wicked. This should encourage believers to trust in God's timing and righteousness. The Futility of Earthly TreasuresEarthly possessions and wealth, especially those gained through unrighteous means, are temporary and can lead to destruction. Believers should focus on storing treasures in heaven. The Consequences of SinSin leads to spiritual darkness and destruction. This serves as a warning to live a life of righteousness and integrity. The Power of God's JudgmentGod's judgment is powerful and does not require human intervention ("a fire unfanned"). This reminds us of God's sovereignty and the seriousness of His judgment. The Importance of RepentanceThe fate of the wicked underscores the need for repentance and turning to God for forgiveness and salvation. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Zophar's description of the fate of the wicked in Job 20:26 reflect the broader biblical theme of divine justice? 2. In what ways can the imagery of "total darkness" and "a fire unfanned" serve as a warning for us today? 3. How do the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament about storing treasures in heaven relate to the message in Job 20:26? 4. What practical steps can we take to ensure that our lives are aligned with God's righteousness rather than the path of the wicked? 5. How can understanding the consequences of sin as described in Job 20:26 motivate us to seek repentance and live a life pleasing to God? Connections to Other Scriptures Psalm 11:6This verse speaks of God raining fiery coals and burning sulfur on the wicked, similar to the imagery of fire in Job 20:26. Proverbs 10:2Highlights the futility of ill-gotten treasures, which aligns with the idea of darkness being reserved for the treasures of the wicked. Matthew 6:19-21Jesus teaches about storing treasures in heaven rather than on earth, contrasting the temporary nature of earthly treasures with eternal ones. People Job, ZopharPlaces UzTopics Blown, Broken, Complete, Consume, Consumed, Dark, Darkness, Destruction, Devour, Feed, Fire, Held, Hid, Ill, Laid, Lies, Places, Remnant, Reserve, Secret, Sends, Stored, Survivor, Tabernacle, Tent, Treasures, Unfanned, Utter, Wait, WealthDictionary of Bible Themes Job 20:24-26 4812 darkness, God's judgment Library June 9 Evening
The triumphing of the wicked is short.--JOB 20:5. Thou shalt bruise his heel.--This is your hour, and the power of darkness.--As the children are partakers of flesh and blood he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.--Having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily PathThe Christian Urged To, and Assisted In, an Express Act of Self-Dedication to the Service of God.
1. The advantages of such a surrender are briefly suggested.-- 2, 3, 4. Advice for the manner of doing it; that it be deliberate, cheerful, entire, perpetual.--5. And that it be expressed with some affecting solemnity.--6. A written instrument to be signed and declared before God, at some season of extraordinary devotion, reposed. The chapter concludes with a specimen of such an instrument, together with an abstract of it, to be used with proper and requisite alterations. 1. AS I would hope, that, …
Philip Doddridge—The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul Whether the Ashes from which the Human Body Will be Restored have any Natural Inclination Towards the Soul which Will be United to Them?
Objection 1: It would seem that the ashes from which the human body will be restored will have a natural inclination towards the soul which will be united to them. For if they had no inclination towards the soul, they would stand in the same relation to that soul as other ashes. Therefore it would make no difference whether the body that is to be united to that soul were restored from those ashes or from others: and this is false. Objection 2: Further, the body is more dependent on the soul than …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica God.
GLORY OF GOD. God is the chief good--good so as nothing is but himself. He is in himself most happy; yea, all good and all true happiness are only to be found in God, as that which is essential to his nature; nor is there any good or any happiness in or with any creature or thing but what is communicated to it by God. God is the only desirable good; nothing without him is worthy of our hearts. Right thoughts of God are able to ravish the heart; how much more happy is the man that has interest in …
John Bunyan—The Riches of Bunyan The Hardening Operation of Love.
"Being grieved for the hardness of their heart."--Mark iii. 5. Love may also be reversed. Failing to cherish, to uplift, and to enrich, it consumes and destroys. This is a mystery which man can not fathom. It belongs to the unsearchable depths of the divine Being, of which we do not wish to know more than has been revealed. But this does not alter the fact. No creature can exclude itself from the divine control. No man can say that he has nothing to do with God; that he or any other creature exists …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit Tit. 2:06 Thoughts for Young Men
WHEN St. Paul wrote his Epistle to Titus about his duty as a minister, he mentioned young men as a class requiring peculiar attention. After speaking of aged men and aged women, and young women, he adds this pithy advice, "Young men likewise exhort to be sober-minded" (Tit. 2:6). I am going to follow the Apostle's advice. I propose to offer a few words of friendly exhortation to young men. I am growing old myself, but there are few things I remember so well as the days of my youth. I have a most …
John Charles Ryle—The Upper Room: Being a Few Truths for the Times The Barren Fig-Tree;
OR, THE DOOM AND DOWNFALL OF THE FRUITLESS PROFESSOR: SHOWING, THAT THE DAY OF GRACE MAY BE PAST WITH HIM LONG BEFORE HIS LIFE IS ENDED; THE SIGNS ALSO BY WHICH SUCH MISERABLE MORTALS MAY BE KNOWN. BY JOHN BUNYAN 'Who being dead, yet speaketh.'--Hebrews 11:4 London: Printed for J. Robinson, at the Golden Lion, in St. Paul's Churchyard, 1688. This Title has a broad Black Border. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. This solemn, searching, awful treatise, was published by Bunyan in 1682; but does not appear …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 A Few Sighs from Hell;
or, The Groans of the Damned Soul: or, An Exposition of those Words in the Sixteenth of Luke, Concerning the Rich Man and the Beggar WHEREIN IS DISCOVERED THE LAMENTABLE STATE OF THE DAMNED; THEIR CRIES, THEIR DESIRES IN THEIR DISTRESSES, WITH THE DETERMINATION OF GOD UPON THEM. A GOOD WARNING WORD TO SINNERS, BOTH OLD AND YOUNG, TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION BETIMES, AND TO SEEK, BY FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, TO AVOID, LEST THEY COME INTO THE SAME PLACE OF TORMENT. Also, a Brief Discourse touching the …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 An Exhortation to Love God
1. An exhortation. Let me earnestly persuade all who bear the name of Christians to become lovers of God. "O love the Lord, all ye his saints" (Psalm xxxi. 23). There are but few that love God: many give Him hypocritical kisses, but few love Him. It is not so easy to love God as most imagine. The affection of love is natural, but the grace is not. Men are by nature haters of God (Rom. i. 30). The wicked would flee from God; they would neither be under His rules, nor within His reach. They fear God, …
Thomas Watson—A Divine Cordial Man's Misery by the Fall
Q-19: WHAT IS THE MISERY OF THAT ESTATE WHEREINTO MAN FELL? A: All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all the miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell for ever. 'And were by nature children of wrath.' Eph 2:2. Adam left an unhappy portion to his posterity, Sin and Misery. Having considered the first of these, original sin, we shall now advert to the misery of that state. In the first, we have seen mankind offending; …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Job
The book of Job is one of the great masterpieces of the world's literature, if not indeed the greatest. The author was a man of superb literary genius, and of rich, daring, and original mind. The problem with which he deals is one of inexhaustible interest, and his treatment of it is everywhere characterized by a psychological insight, an intellectual courage, and a fertility and brilliance of resource which are nothing less than astonishing. Opinion has been divided as to how the book should be …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Job 20:26 NIVJob 20:26 NLTJob 20:26 ESVJob 20:26 NASBJob 20:26 KJV
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