What is the meaning of Job 20:28? The possessions “‘The possessions …’” points first to material goods: money, livestock, fields, furnishings—everything a person can stockpile. Scripture never condemns wealth in itself, yet it repeatedly warns that earthly treasure is fragile (Proverbs 23:4-5; Matthew 6:19-20). Zophar is speaking about the wicked man’s hoard, stressing that what seems secure today is already under sentence. • The bigger the pile, the louder the false promise of safety (Luke 12:19-21). • True security lies only in “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:8). of his house “… of his house …” narrows the focus to personal territory—the sphere a man thinks he controls. Houses symbolize legacy, reputation, and family stability (Psalm 49:11). Yet even those walls cannot keep judgment out (Amos 6:11). • Ill-gotten gain endangers everyone under the same roof (Joshua 7:24-26). • Righteousness, not riches, guards a household (Proverbs 15:6). will be removed “… will be removed …” is blunt: loss is certain, not hypothetical. What is acquired without regard for God is already tagged for confiscation (Jeremiah 17:11). Whether by thieves, disease, market collapse, or death itself, the removal is sure. • “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked” (Galatians 6:7). • “There is a grievous evil… riches were lost in a bad venture” (Ecclesiastes 5:14). flowing away The image shifts from forced seizure to runaway current—“flowing away.” Picture floodwaters sweeping furniture out the door (Nahum 1:8). The pace is swift, unstoppable, and complete. • Psalm 58:7 likens the wicked to “water that flows away; they vanish.” • Job 27:20 says terror “carries them away like a flood in the night.” on the day of God’s wrath Timing matters: “… on the day of God’s wrath.” Judgment is personal—God Himself intervenes. While partial losses can occur in ordinary time, the final balancing of accounts comes when the Lord rises to act (Zephaniah 1:14-18; Romans 2:5). • Wealth cannot bribe the Judge (Proverbs 11:4; James 5:1-3). • For the believer, wrath has been borne by Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:10), but for the unrepentant, it remains “stored up.” summary Job 20:28 warns that all material security outside of God is temporary. Whatever a person treasures more than the Lord—no matter how tightly held—will be stripped away, even swept off like debris in a flood, when God’s righteous anger falls. The verse urges us to anchor our hope in eternal riches, walking in integrity so our houses stand, not in the shifting sand of earthly wealth, but on the solid Rock who cannot be moved. |
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