The increase of his house shall depart, and his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath.
Job 20:28 belongs to Zophar's second speech within the extended debate and closing discussion between Job and his three friends in chapters 3-31 concerning the cause and object of human suffering and affliction. That debate centered on Job's afflictions, with the friends contending that suffering implied sin and God's disfavor while prosperity signaled righteousness and God's favor. Having never known a thoroughly good man to be so afflicted, they reasoned from their own wisdom and observation and condemned Job for seeming self-righteousness, while he maintained that they were condemning him unjustly.
As the utterance of misguided men, what the friends offered is not to be treated as reliable truth about God and Job unless supported by inspired declarations elsewhere in Scripture. What they said was generally true but misapplied in Job's case, for evil is ultimately punished and good is ultimately rewarded. Yet adversity, affliction, or suffering does not prove a man is under God's displeasure nor give cause for discouragement.
The verse describes the portion and final doom of the wicked, that their household wealth, increase, and possessions will depart, be swept away, and flow away in the day of God's wrath. Applied to stewardship, it shows that those who have abundance with which to aid God's cause but make all their calculations only to accumulate more, being unable or unwilling to withdraw means from their business to help, will either become poor or go down with their treasure in the day of destruction. To keep encumbering property that brings only trouble, care, and taxation with no return until the time of trouble is folly, because then possessions become useless and flow away.
Job 20:28 belongs to Zophar's second speech within the extended debate and closing discussion between Job and his three friends in chapters 3-31 concerning the cause and object of human suffering and affliction. That debate centered on Job's afflictions, with the friends contending that suffering implied sin and God's disfavor while prosperity signaled righteousness and God's favor. Having never known a thoroughly good man to be so afflicted, they reasoned from their own wisdom and observation and condemned Job for seeming self-righteousness, while he maintained that they were condemning him unjustly.
As the utterance of misguided men, what the friends offered is not to be treated as reliable truth about God and Job unless supported by inspired declarations elsewhere in Scripture. What they said was generally true but misapplied in Job's case, for evil is ultimately punished and good is ultimately rewarded. Yet adversity, affliction, or suffering does not prove a man is under God's displeasure nor give cause for discouragement.
The verse describes the portion and final doom of the wicked, that their household wealth, increase, and possessions will depart, be swept away, and flow away in the day of God's wrath. Applied to stewardship, it shows that those who have abundance with which to aid God's cause but make all their calculations only to accumulate more, being unable or unwilling to withdraw means from their business to help, will either become poor or go down with their treasure in the day of destruction. To keep encumbering property that brings only trouble, care, and taxation with no return until the time of trouble is folly, because then possessions become useless and flow away.