The Book of Job

Retributive Punishment

Lesson #7 for November 12, 2016

Scriptures: [Job 8:1-22; 11:1-20; Isaiah 40:12-14; Genesis 6:5-8; 2 Peter 3:5-7][1].

1.    There are many things that have happened to our world that are impossible to explain logically without an understanding of the great controversy over God’s character and government. People have tried again and again to explain the causes of evil with little success. A famous book which came out recently was entitled, “Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?” It is just one example. The book of Job gives us an opportunity to look at that question. Much of the book of Job is focused on human suffering. But, is human suffering really the theme of the book of Job? What is God’s perspective on human suffering? How much of what is said in this book is actually the Devil’s perspective, showing what our lives would be like if he were in control?

2.    Read Job 8:1-22[2]. As if Eliphaz’s speech was not bad enough, Bildad and Zophar made it even worse-as we will see in this lesson. Bildad was certain that Job had done something really evil and, thus, that God would throw him onto the dung heap after he died and that no one would remember him for more than a short time!

Job 8:4 (GNB): “Your children must have sinned against God, and so he punished them as they deserved.”

3.    Would Bildad or Zophar have dared to make such a statement if they had known about Job 1&2? I hope they came back to Job and commended him for carefully following God’s will when he was prosperous again as in Job 42! They just assumed the worst about Job.

4.    These accusers of Job made a number of statements about God’s sovereignty that are correct. Satan always mixes truth with error. So, how can we distinguish what is truth and what is error? Bildad wanted us to believe that God always punishes evil and always rewards righteousness. Is that why Job’s children were destroyed? Bildad went on to say: “And when the wicked are punished, they will not long be remembered!” (Job 8:18)[3]

5.    What is retributive punishment? “Retribution: n 1 the act of punishing or taking vengeance for wrongdoing, sin, or injury. 2 punishment or vengeance.”—(2000). Collins English Dictionary (Fourth Edition Updated). Glasgow: HarperCollins Publishers. Does God ever do that? Does He do it in anger? When God “destroys a nation” like the northern kingdom of Israel, what does the Bible say about it?

6.    Hosea 4:17: The people of Israel are under the spell of idols. Let them go their own way.—American Bible Society. (1992). The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation (2nd ed., Hosea 4:17). New York: American Bible Society.

7.    How does God feel about letting His children go? Does He have to let us go if we keep on sinning? If so, why?

8.    Hosea 11:7-9 (GNB): [The Lord said:] 7 “They insist on turning away from me. They will cry out because of the yoke that is on them, but no one will lift it from them.

8 “How can I give you up, Israel?

How can I abandon you?

Could I ever destroy you as I did Admah,

or treat you as I did Zeboiim?

My heart will not let me do it!

My love for you is too strong.

9 I will not punish you in my anger;

I will not destroy Israel again.

For I am God and not a human being.

I, the Holy One, am with you.

I will not come to you in anger. [Content in brackets is added.]

9.    Our lives on this earth are very short relative to eternity. Many others, in addition to Bildad, have pointed that out. (James 4:14)[4]

10.    When dealing with sin, how can we balance justice, law, and obedience with forgiveness, grace, and substitution? Are these “ditches” on each side of the truth? If we are to follow the example of Jesus, we should always err on the side of grace and forgiveness.

11.    Read [Job 11:7-9 and Isaiah 40:12-14].[5] What was Zophar trying to say to us in these verses? The Bible writers did not question God’s sovereignty. They recognized that He is all-powerful. Does that fact justify the words of these critics of Job? We certainly must recognize that no matter how hard we search in this life and even in the future life, we will never be able to fully and completely comprehend God.

12.    Can you clearly point out what was right and what was wrong with Zophar’s speech? Was Job being punished less than he deserved? (Job 11:6-7[6]) Can you even imagine someone who claimed to be a child of God making such an accusation against someone who was suffering so terribly?

13.    As Seventh-day Adventists, we have more evidence about the character of God than any other group that has ever lived. Does that make us the best representatives of God who have ever lived? How did Christ respond when He was accused by others? How did He respond to sin in the city of Jerusalem?

Christ Himself did not suppress one word of truth, but He spoke it always in love. He exercised the greatest tact, and thoughtful, kind attention in His intercourse with the people. He was never rude, never needlessly spoke a severe word, never gave needless pain to a sensitive soul. He did not censure human weakness. He fearlessly denounced hypocrisy, unbelief, and iniquity, but tears were in His voice as He uttered His scathing rebukes. He wept over Jerusalem, the city He loved, that refused to receive Him, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. They rejected Him, the Saviour, but He regarded them with pitying tenderness, and sorrow so deep that it broke His heart. Every soul was precious in His eyes. While He always bore Himself with divine dignity, He bowed with tenderest regard to every member of the family of God. In all men He saw fallen souls whom it was His mission to save.—Ellen White, The Desire of Ages 353.1; GW92 391.3; SC 12.1; compare RH, December 16, 1884, par. 17. [Bold type is added.]

Do you think these words about Jesus would apply to the speeches of Job’s three friends?

14.    In light of what you know about the book of Job, do you think that Job’s three friends were true worshipers of the true God? Remember that in their day, there was no Bible, no pastors, no prophets that we know about! Of course, we do not know at what point in history these men actually lived. Surely, it must have been after the flood. Is it possible that it was after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah? Do you think Job’s three friends took the flood and perhaps the story of Sodom and Gomorrah as proof for their thinking that God destroys wicked people?

15.    Read Genesis 6:8[7]. Notice these words from Ellen White about the building of the ark:

Every [hammer] blow struck upon the ark was preaching to the people.—The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, 70.1; 3SG 65.1 (1864); SR 63.2; compare PP 95.1; ST, February 27, 1879, par. 11. [Content in brackets is added.]

16.    So, we must ask a question in light of the rest of Scriptures: Does God punish sinners in a form of retributive judgment? Read [Genesis 13:13; 18:20-33; and 19:24-26][8]. What was God’s role in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah? Do not forget Matthew 10:15 and 11:23-24[9]. Was Jesus’s second hometown really more wicked than Sodom and Gomorrah?

17.    If we are going to take the Scriptures as they read, we must admit that God put to death many people as recorded in the Old Testament. However, all of those deaths were the first death. Remember that from God’s point of view, the first death is nothing more than an extended sleep. Think of the people killed by God in the flood; Sodom and Gomorrah; the firstborn in Egypt; Nadab and Abihu; Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; Uzzah; the 185,000 Assyrians; etc. We must remember that God will resurrect every one of them either at the second coming or at the third coming. (John 5:28-29)[10] Ultimately, could some of those people be saved?

18.    So, why did God put all those people to sleep in the first death? Were there some young children destroyed in the flood or perhaps among the firstborn in Egypt who were not ardent sinners? Does every evil deed need to be punished? Is divine retribution essential to your understanding of the gospel? Why? Or, why not? What about people who believe in an eternally-burning hell?

19.    Read [Deuteronomy 6:24-25 and 1 Samuel 12:15].[11] There are also many other passages including whole sections in Deuteronomy suggesting that if you are good, God will reward you; but, if you are evil, God will punish you.

20.    Read Numbers 16:1-33[12]. Is it possible to explain the deaths of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram in any way except as a punishment by God? Their punishment is described as God “creating” a new thing! Did God destroy those men and their families-notice, however, that Korah’s family were not destroyed (Numbers 26:11)[13]-because He was angry? Or, because He needed to teach an important lesson? So, why were Achan’s children killed?

21.    Read [Revelation 20:14 and 1 Corinthians 15:26. Compare 2 Peter 3:5-7][14]. Consider also these words from Ellen White:

Fire comes down from God out of heaven. The earth is broken up. The weapons concealed in its depths are drawn forth. Devouring flames burst from every yawning chasm. The very rocks are on fire. The day has come that shall burn as an oven. The elements melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein are burned up. [Malachi 4:1; 2 Peter 3:10][15].

The earth’s surface seems one molten mass-a vast, seething lake of fire. It is the time of the judgment and perdition of ungodly men-“the day of the Lord’s vengeance, and the year of recom penses for the controversy of Zion.” Isaiah 34:8.—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy 672.2.

But, we must not forget Isaiah 66:23-24[16] (GNB):

23 “On every New Moon Festival and every Sabbath, people of every nation will come to worship me here in Jerusalem,” says the LORD. 24 “As they leave, they will see the dead bodies of those who have rebelled against me.

The worms that eat them will never die, and the fire that burns them will never be put out. The sight of them will be disgusting to the whole human race.” [Bold type is added.]

22.    If the fire that cleans up the world is so hot that it melts the elements, it would instantly consume human beings, whether alive or dead! When God destroys the wicked at the end, will He be using a blow torch to torture them? How do we explain Isaiah 66:23-24, suggesting that what is burned up will be dead bodies? While it is true that all suffering has come as a result of sin, it is not true that all suffering is a punishment from God. It certainly was not the case with Job unless you say that God was responsible because He allowed that suffering. To what degree does suffering in our world represent that fact?

23.    Is it possible to distinguish between a punishment that God sends as a form of retribution and calamity which God allows? Can we be sure that we have judged correctly?

24.    Once again, we should remember that the best way to understand biblical stories is to put one’s self back in that situation, as far as possible. Could you possibly feel like Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar did if you were watching Job apparently dying?

It is very natural for human beings to think that great calamities are a sure index of great crimes and enormous sins; but men often make a mistake in thus measuring character. We are not living in the time of retributive judgment. Good and evil are mingled, and calamities come upon all. Sometimes men do pass the boundary line beyond God’s protecting care, and then Satan exercises his power upon them, and God does not interpose. Job was sorely afflicted, and his friends sought to make him acknowledge that his suffering was the result of sin, and cause him to feel under condemnation. They represented his case as that of a great sinner; but the Lord rebuked them for their judgment of His faithful servant.—Ellen G. White Comments, The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 3, 1140.5. [Bold type is added.]

25.    There are many cases in which it seems like someone suffers or even dies as a direct result of his/her own behavior. We think of smokers who die of lung cancer or heart disease. We think of drunks who kill themselves in automobile accidents, etc. But, there are a lot of times when we do not know exactly why things happen. And there are many apparently good people-as in the case of Job-who suffer terribly. There are even good people who have never smoked but who get lung cancer!

26.    So, how should we regard the retributive judgments of God? Are we correct if we think that God is acting out of anger? That certainly does not seem to be the case in light of Hosea 11:7-9. And even if someone is suffering terribly and even if it is his/her own fault, is it right for us to stand and condemn him/her?

27.    So, what will happen in the final day of judgment at the third coming of Christ? Is God going to destroy all the wicked in some form of retributive punishment?

28.    Read Philippians 2:10-11 (GNB):

And so, in honor of the name of Jesus

all beings in heaven, on earth, and in the world below

will fall on their knees,

and all will openly proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

How does this fit? Does that include Satan? What would cause Satan to bow on his knees and admit that God is right in everything He has done? There must be some very compelling evidence presented. See The Great Controversy pages 666-668. There will be a panorama showing the full story of sin and rebellion and God’s response; it will be so compelling that even Satan will have to admit the truth as he falls down on his knees.

29.    Where do you think Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar got their understanding of God? Remember that, as we have already noted, in their day there was no Bible, there were no pastors, and no prophets. Did they get their understanding from their parents? If they knew about the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, did they think that perhaps Job was as wicked as those people? Did Job’s friends make any attempt to ask Job’s neighbors what Job or even his children had done to deserve what happened?

30.    If you have not done so yet, read again [Job 8:1-22 and 11:1-20][17] where the speeches of Bildad and Zophar are recorded.

Bildad’s speech, as recorded in Job 8:1-20[18], responds to Job’s passionate plea in defense of his innocence, in chapters 6 and 7. He delivers his response in a calm and analytical way. Nevertheless, it contains almost scathing words, dismissing Job’s words as “blustering wind” (Job 8:2[19], NIV).

For Bildad, there is no doubt that God (a) always punishes the wicked (Job 8:13) and (b) always prospers the righteous (Job 8:20). In order to support his argument he draws on logic (Job 8:3-7) and tradition (Job 8:8-10) and analogies from nature (Job 9:5-9). As a side note: his imagery of the papyrus plant that wilts without moisture is interesting (Job 8:11, 12), given that Moses, who wrote the book of Job, was very familiar with this plant, which grew profusely in the Nile delta in Egypt from whence he fled. Bildad’s logic and acid analysis desensitized him to the suffering of Job, reducing God to a mechanical executioner of His own justice.-.Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide 95.

31.    Zophar went even beyond Bildad, suggesting that God was punishing Job even less than he deserved!

Job 11:5-6 (GNB): 5 How I wish God would answer you! 6 He would tell you there are many sides to wisdom; there are things too deep for human knowledge. God is punishing you less than you deserve.

32.    Job’s three friends must have felt very strongly about their opinions. Somehow, they were convinced that it was their responsibility to defend God! Does God need our feeble attempts to defend Him? How often do we do it correctly? Think how proudly God spoke about Enoch, Joseph, Abraham, Moses, and Job.

33.    Read Mark 15:3-5[20]. How did Jesus respond when accused by the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and even Pilate? He said nothing. But don’t forget His words in John 8!

34.    Is it ever our responsibility to defend God’s reputation? If we are truly God’s friends, shouldn’t we try to defend Him whenever we have an opportunity? Can we find good reasons why God has put to death some people, especially in the Old Testament?

35.    Review [Exodus 15:7; 22:22; 32:10; Numbers 16; Revelation 18:8; and 19:15][21]. How do you feel about these verses? There are some who try to explain these deaths, suggesting that there was some impersonal, inevitable consequence of sin. Is there some law that forces even God to punish evil?

This model begs a set of questions: Who alone could have established such an impersonal, universal law of punishment, if not God Himself? And more important: What about the consistently active descriptions of God’s wrath in the Bible that He personally enacts upon the punished? Within the great controversy, sin has originated on a personal level with Satan. The end of sin-whether it be through the direct punishments in the Bible that foreshadow the final judgment or the final resolution of sin at the end of time-is also brought about by a personal being, a God who is actively involved in the work of salvation. And lest we forget: God’s judgment always is inextricably connected to His mercy.-Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide 97.

36.    For those who would like to look at this question in more depth, go to www.theox.org and look at the lengthy handout entitled The Final End of Sin and Sinners. https://www.theox.org/images/images_A2115/KHART-EGW-PDF_SIN_&_SINNERS-FINAL_END.pdf

37.    So, how do you feel about God’s destroying Satan and all sinners at the end? If God were actively punishing evil, wouldn’t he have destroyed Satan first? But, Satan is the last sinner to die!

Some are destroyed as in a moment, while others suffer many days. All are punished “according to their deeds.” The sins of the righteous having been transferred to Satan, he is made to suffer not only for his own rebellion, but for all the sins which he has caused God’s people to commit. His punishment is to be far greater than that of those whom he has deceived.

After all have perished who fell by his deceptions, he is still to live and suffer on. In the cleansing flames the wicked are at last destroyed, root and branch-Satan the root, his followers the branches. The full penalty of the law has been visited; the demands of justice have been met; and heaven and earth, beholding, declare the righteousness of Jehovah.—Ellen White, The Great Controversy 673.1. [Bold type is added.]

38.    Can you put all these pieces together? Can we do so in a way that supports our belief in a God who is love?

1-Job 8:1,2 Are you finally through with your windy speech?

3 God never twists justice;

he never fails to do what is right.

4 Your children must have sinned against God,

and so he punished them as they deserved.

5 But turn now and plead with Almighty God;

6     if you are so honest and pure,

then God will come and help you

and restore your household as your reward.

7 All the wealth you lost will be nothing

compared with what God will give you then.

8 Look for a moment at ancient wisdom;

consider the truths our ancestors learned.

9 Our life is short, we know nothing at all;

we pass like shadows across the earth.

10 But let the ancient wise people teach you;

listen to what they had to say:

11 “Reeds can't grow where there is no water;

they are never found outside a swamp.

12 If the water dries up, they are the first to wither,

while still too small to be cut and used.

13 Godless people are like those reeds;

their hope is gone, once God is forgotten.

14 They trust a thread—a spider's web.

15     If they lean on a web, will it hold them up?

If they grab for a thread, will it help them stand?”

16 Evil people sprout like weeds in the sun,

like weeds that spread all through the garden.

17 Their roots wrap around the stones

and hold fast to[a] every rock.

18 But then pull them up—

no one will ever know they were there.

19 Yes, that's all the joy evil people have;

others now come and take their places.

20 But God will never abandon the faithful

or ever give help to evil people.

21 He will let you laugh and shout again,

22     but he will bring disgrace on those who hate you,

and the homes of the wicked will vanish.

11:11-2 Will no one answer all this nonsense?

Does talking so much put you in the right?

3 Job, do you think we can't answer you?

That your mocking words will leave us speechless?

4 You claim that what you say is true;

you claim you are pure in the sight of God.

5 How I wish God would answer you!

6 He would tell you there are many sides to wisdom;

there are things too deep for human knowledge.

God is punishing you less than you deserve.

7 Can you discover the limits and bounds

of the greatness and power of God?

8 The sky is no limit for God,

but it lies beyond your reach.

God knows the world of the dead,

but you do not know it.

9 God's greatness is broader than the earth,

wider than the sea.

10 If God arrests you and brings you to trial,

who is there to stop him?

11 God knows which people are worthless;

he sees all their evil deeds.

12 Stupid people will start being wise

when wild donkeys are born tame.

13 Put your heart right, Job. Reach out to God.

14 Put away evil and wrong from your home.

15 Then face the world again, firm and courageous.

16 Then all your troubles will fade from your memory,

like floods that are past and remembered no more.

17 Your life will be brighter than sunshine at noon,

and life's darkest hours will shine like the dawn.

18 You will live secure and full of hope;

God will protect you and give you rest.

19 You won't be afraid of your enemies;

many people will ask you for help.

20 But the wicked will look around in despair

and find that there is no way to escape.

Their one hope is that death will come.

Isaiah 40:12 Can anyone measure the ocean by handfuls

or measure the sky with his hands?

Can anyone hold the soil of the earth in a cup

or weigh the mountains and hills on scales?

13 Can anyone tell the LORD what to do?

Who can teach him or give him advice?

14 With whom does God consult

in order to know and understand

and to learn how things should be done?

Genesis 6:5 When the LORD saw how wicked everyone on earth was and how evil their thoughts were all the time, 6 he was sorry that he had ever made them and put them on the earth. He was so filled with regret 7 that he said, “I will wipe out these people I have created, and also the animals and the birds, because I am sorry that I made any of them.” 8 But the LORD was pleased with Noah.

2 Peter 3:5 They purposely ignore the fact that long ago God gave a command, and the heavens and earth were created. The earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 and it was also by water, the water of the flood, that the old world was destroyed. 7 But the heavens and the earth that now exist are being preserved by the same command of God, in order to be destroyed by fire. They are being kept for the day when godless people will be judged and destroyed.

2-Job 8:1,2 Are you finally through with your windy speech?

3 God never twists justice;

he never fails to do what is right.

4 Your children must have sinned against God,

and so he punished them as they deserved.

5 But turn now and plead with Almighty God;

6     if you are so honest and pure,

then God will come and help you

and restore your household as your reward.

7 All the wealth you lost will be nothing

compared with what God will give you then.

8 Look for a moment at ancient wisdom;

consider the truths our ancestors learned.

9 Our life is short, we know nothing at all;

we pass like shadows across the earth.

10 But let the ancient wise people teach you;

listen to what they had to say:

11 “Reeds can't grow where there is no water;

they are never found outside a swamp.

12 If the water dries up, they are the first to wither,

while still too small to be cut and used.

13 Godless people are like those reeds;

their hope is gone, once God is forgotten.

14 They trust a thread—a spider's web.

15     If they lean on a web, will it hold them up?

If they grab for a thread, will it help them stand?”

16 Evil people sprout like weeds in the sun,

like weeds that spread all through the garden.

17 Their roots wrap around the stones

and hold fast to[a] every rock.

18 But then pull them up—

no one will ever know they were there.

19 Yes, that's all the joy evil people have;

others now come and take their places.

20 But God will never abandon the faithful

or ever give help to evil people.

21 He will let you laugh and shout again,

22     but he will bring disgrace on those who hate you,

and the homes of the wicked will vanish.

3-Job 8:18 But then pull them up—

no one will ever know they were there.

4-James 4:14 You don't even know what your life tomorrow will be! You are like a puff of smoke, which appears for a moment and then disappears.

5-Job 11:7 Can you discover the limits and bounds

of the greatness and power of God?

8 The sky is no limit for God,

but it lies beyond your reach.

God knows the world of the dead,

but you do not know it.

9 God's greatness is broader than the earth,

wider than the sea.

Isaiah 40:12 Can anyone measure the ocean by handfuls

or measure the sky with his hands?

Can anyone hold the soil of the earth in a cup

or weigh the mountains and hills on scales?

13 Can anyone tell the LORD what to do?

Who can teach him or give him advice?

14 With whom does God consult

in order to know and understand

and to learn how things should be done?

6-Job 11:6 He would tell you there are many sides to wisdom;

there are things too deep for human knowledge.

God is punishing you less than you deserve.

7 Can you discover the limits and bounds

of the greatness and power of God?

7-Genesis 6:8 But the LORD was pleased with Noah.

8-Genesis 13:13 whose people were wicked and sinned against the LORD.

18:20 Then the LORD said to Abraham, “There are terrible accusations against Sodom and Gomorrah, and their sin is very great. 21 I must go down to find out whether or not the accusations which I have heard are true.”

22 Then the two men left and went on toward Sodom, but the LORD remained with Abraham. 23 Abraham approached the LORD and asked, “Are you really going to destroy the innocent with the guilty? 24 If there are fifty innocent people in the city, will you destroy the whole city? Won't you spare it in order to save the fifty? 25 Surely you won't kill the innocent with the guilty. That's impossible! You can't do that. If you did, the innocent would be punished along with the guilty. That is impossible. The judge of all the earth has to act justly.”

26 The LORD answered, “If I find fifty innocent people in Sodom, I will spare the whole city for their sake.”

27 Abraham spoke again: “Please forgive my boldness in continuing to speak to you, Lord. I am only a man and have no right to say anything. 28 But perhaps there will be only forty-five innocent people instead of fifty. Will you destroy the whole city because there are five too few?”

The LORD answered, “I will not destroy the city if I find forty-five innocent people.”

29 Abraham spoke again: “Perhaps there will be only forty.”

He replied, “I will not destroy it if there are forty.”

30 Abraham said, “Please don't be angry, Lord, but I must speak again. What if there are only thirty?”

He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty.”

31 Abraham said, “Please forgive my boldness in continuing to speak to you, Lord. Suppose that only twenty are found?”

He said, “I will not destroy the city if I find twenty.”

32 Abraham said, “Please don't be angry, Lord, and I will speak only once more. What if only ten are found?”

He said, “I will not destroy it if there are ten.” 33 After he had finished speaking with Abraham, the LORD went away, and Abraham returned home.

19:24 Suddenly the LORD rained burning sulfur on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah 25 and destroyed them and the whole valley, along with all the people there and everything that grew on the land. 26 But Lot's wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt.

9-Matthew 10:15 I assure you that on the Judgment Day God will show more mercy to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah than to the people of that town!

11:23 And as for you, Capernaum! Did you want to lift yourself up to heaven? You will be thrown down to hell! If the miracles which were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would still be in existence today! 24 You can be sure that on the Judgment Day God will show more mercy to Sodom than to you!”

10-John 5:28 Do not be surprised at this; the time is coming when all the dead will hear his voice 29 and come out of their graves: those who have done good will rise and live, and those who have done evil will rise and be condemned.

11-Deuteronomy 6:24 Then the LORD our God commanded us to obey all these laws and to honor him. If we do, he will always watch over our nation and keep it prosperous. 25 If we faithfully obey everything that God has commanded us, he will be pleased with us.’

1 Samuel 12:15 But if you do not listen to the LORD but disobey his commands, he will be against you and your king.

12-Numbers 16:1,2 Korah son of Izhar, from the Levite clan of Kohath, rebelled against the leadership of Moses. He was joined by three members of the tribe of Reuben—Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—and by 250 other Israelites, well-known leaders chosen by the community. 3 They assembled before Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! All the members of the community belong to the LORD, and the LORD is with all of us. Why, then, Moses, do you set yourself above the LORD's community?”

4 When Moses heard this, he threw himself on the ground and prayed. 5 Then he said to Korah and his followers, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will show us who belongs to him; he will let the one who belongs to him, that is, the one he has chosen, approach him at the altar. 6-7 Tomorrow morning you and your followers take fire pans, put live coals and incense on them, and take them to the altar. Then we will see which of us the LORD has chosen. You Levites are the ones who have gone too far!”

8 Moses continued to speak to Korah. “Listen, you Levites! 9 Do you consider it a small matter that the God of Israel has set you apart from the rest of the community, so that you can approach him, perform your service in the LORD's Tent, and minister to the community and serve them? 10 He has let you and all the other Levites have this honor—and now you are trying to get the priesthood too! 11 When you complain against Aaron, it is really against the LORD that you and your followers are rebelling.”

12 Then Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, but they said, “We will not come! 13 Isn't it enough that you have brought us out of the fertile land of Egypt to kill us here in the wilderness? Do you also have to lord it over us? 14 You certainly have not brought us into a fertile land or given us fields and vineyards as our possession, and now you are trying to deceive us. We will not come!”

15 Moses became angry and said to the LORD, “Do not accept any offerings these men bring. I have not wronged any of them; I have not even taken one of their donkeys.”

16 Moses said to Korah, “Tomorrow you and your 250 followers must come to the Tent of the LORD's presence; Aaron will also be there. 17 Each of you will take his fire pan, put incense on it, and then present it at the altar.” 18 So they each took their fire pans, put live coals and incense on them, and stood at the entrance of the Tent with Moses and Aaron. 19 Then Korah gathered the whole community, and they stood facing Moses and Aaron at the entrance of the Tent. Suddenly the dazzling light of the LORD's presence appeared to the whole community, 20 and the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 21 “Move back from these people, and I will destroy them immediately.”

22 But Moses and Aaron bowed down with their faces to the ground and said, “O God, you are the source of all life. When one of us sins, do you become angry with the whole community?”

23 The LORD said to Moses, 24 “Tell the people to move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”

25 Then Moses, accompanied by the leaders of Israel, went to Dathan and Abiram. 26 He said to the people, “Get away from the tents of these wicked men and don't touch anything that belongs to them. Otherwise, you will be wiped out with them for all their sins.” 27 So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing at the entrance of their tents, with their wives and children. 28 Moses said to the people, “This is how you will know that the LORD has sent me to do all these things and that it is not by my own choice that I have done them. 29 If these men die a natural death without some punishment from God, then the LORD did not send me. 30 But if the LORD does something unheard of, and the earth opens up and swallows them with all they own, so that they go down alive to the world of the dead, you will know that these men have rejected the LORD.”

31 As soon as he had finished speaking, the ground under Dathan and Abiram split open 32 and swallowed them and their families, together with all of Korah's followers and their possessions. 33 So they went down alive to the world of the dead, with their possessions. The earth closed over them, and they vanished.

13-Numbers 26:11 But the sons of Korah were not killed.)

14-Revelation 20:14 Then death and the world of the dead were thrown into the lake of fire. (This lake of fire is the second death.

1 Corinthians 15:26 The last enemy to be defeated will be death.

2 Peter 3:5 They purposely ignore the fact that long ago God gave a command, and the heavens and earth were created. The earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 and it was also by water, the water of the flood, that the old world was destroyed. 7 But the heavens and the earth that now exist are being preserved by the same command of God, in order to be destroyed by fire. They are being kept for the day when godless people will be judged and destroyed.

15-Malachi 4:1The LORD Almighty says, “The day is coming when all proud and evil people will burn like straw. On that day they will burn up, and there will be nothing left of them.

2 Peter 3:10 But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that Day the heavens will disappear with a shrill noise, the heavenly bodies will burn up and be destroyed, and the earth with everything in it will vanish.

16-Isaiah 66:23 On every New Moon Festival and every Sabbath people of every nation will come to worship me here in Jerusalem,” says the LORD. 24 “As they leave, they will see the dead bodies of those who have rebelled against me. The worms that eat them will never die, and the fire that burns them will never be put out. The sight of them will be disgusting to all people.”

17-Job 8:1-2 Are you finally through with your windy speech?

3 God never twists justice;

he never fails to do what is right.

4 Your children must have sinned against God,

and so he punished them as they deserved.

5 But turn now and plead with Almighty God;

6     if you are so honest and pure,

then God will come and help you

and restore your household as your reward.

7 All the wealth you lost will be nothing

compared with what God will give you then.

8 Look for a moment at ancient wisdom;

consider the truths our ancestors learned.

9 Our life is short, we know nothing at all;

we pass like shadows across the earth.

10 But let the ancient wise people teach you;

listen to what they had to say:

11 “Reeds can't grow where there is no water;

they are never found outside a swamp.

12 If the water dries up, they are the first to wither,

while still too small to be cut and used.

13 Godless people are like those reeds;

their hope is gone, once God is forgotten.

14 They trust a thread—a spider's web.

15     If they lean on a web, will it hold them up?

If they grab for a thread, will it help them stand?”

16 Evil people sprout like weeds in the sun,

like weeds that spread all through the garden.

17 Their roots wrap around the stones

and hold fast to[a] every rock.

18 But then pull them up—

no one will ever know they were there.

19 Yes, that's all the joy evil people have;

others now come and take their places.

20 But God will never abandon the faithful

or ever give help to evil people.

21 He will let you laugh and shout again,

22     but he will bring disgrace on those who hate you,

and the homes of the wicked will vanish.

11:1-2 Will no one answer all this nonsense?

Does talking so much put you in the right?

3 Job, do you think we can't answer you?

That your mocking words will leave us speechless?

4 You claim that what you say is true;

you claim you are pure in the sight of God.

5 How I wish God would answer you!

6 He would tell you there are many sides to wisdom;

there are things too deep for human knowledge.

God is punishing you less than you deserve.

7 Can you discover the limits and bounds

of the greatness and power of God?

8 The sky is no limit for God,

but it lies beyond your reach.

God knows the world of the dead,

but you do not know it.

9 God's greatness is broader than the earth,

wider than the sea.

10 If God arrests you and brings you to trial,

who is there to stop him?

11 God knows which people are worthless;

he sees all their evil deeds.

12 Stupid people will start being wise

when wild donkeys are born tame.

13 Put your heart right, Job. Reach out to God.

14 Put away evil and wrong from your home.

15 Then face the world again, firm and courageous.

16 Then all your troubles will fade from your memory,

like floods that are past and remembered no more.

17 Your life will be brighter than sunshine at noon,

and life's darkest hours will shine like the dawn.

18 You will live secure and full of hope;

God will protect you and give you rest.

19 You won't be afraid of your enemies;

many people will ask you for help.

20 But the wicked will look around in despair

and find that there is no way to escape.

Their one hope is that death will come.

18-Job 8:1-2 Are you finally through with your windy speech?

3 God never twists justice;

he never fails to do what is right.

4 Your children must have sinned against God,

and so he punished them as they deserved.

5 But turn now and plead with Almighty God;

6     if you are so honest and pure,

then God will come and help you

and restore your household as your reward.

7 All the wealth you lost will be nothing

compared with what God will give you then.

8 Look for a moment at ancient wisdom;

consider the truths our ancestors learned.

9 Our life is short, we know nothing at all;

we pass like shadows across the earth.

10 But let the ancient wise people teach you;

listen to what they had to say:

11 “Reeds can't grow where there is no water;

they are never found outside a swamp.

12 If the water dries up, they are the first to wither,

while still too small to be cut and used.

13 Godless people are like those reeds;

their hope is gone, once God is forgotten.

14 They trust a thread—a spider's web.

15     If they lean on a web, will it hold them up?

If they grab for a thread, will it help them stand?”

16 Evil people sprout like weeds in the sun,

like weeds that spread all through the garden.

17 Their roots wrap around the stones

and hold fast to[a] every rock.

18 But then pull them up—

no one will ever know they were there.

19 Yes, that's all the joy evil people have;

others now come and take their places.

20 But God will never abandon the faithful

or ever give help to evil people.

19-Job 8:2 “How long will you say such things?

Your words are a blustering wind.

20-Mark 15:3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.”

5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.

21-Exodus 15:7 “In the greatness of your majesty

you threw down those who opposed you.

You unleashed your burning anger;

it consumed them like stubble.

22:22 “Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless.

32:10 Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”

Numbers 16:1Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—became insolent[a] 2 and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. 3 They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the LORD’s assembly?”

4 When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. 5 Then he said to Korah and all his followers: “In the morning the LORD will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him. 6 You, Korah, and all your followers are to do this: Take censers 7 and tomorrow put burning coals and incense in them before the LORD. The man the LORD chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!”

8 Moses also said to Korah, “Now listen, you Levites! 9 Isn’t it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the LORD’s tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them? 10 He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too. 11 It is against the LORD that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble against him?”

12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But they said, “We will not come! 13 Isn’t it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? And now you also want to lord it over us! 14 Moreover, you haven’t brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Do you want to treat these men like slaves[b]? No, we will not come!”

15 Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, “Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I wronged any of them.”

16 Moses said to Korah, “You and all your followers are to appear before the LORD tomorrow—you and they and Aaron. 17 Each man is to take his censer and put incense in it—250 censers in all—and present it before the LORD. You and Aaron are to present your censers also.” 18 So each of them took his censer, put burning coals and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 19 When Korah had gathered all his followers in opposition to them at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the glory of the LORD appeared to the entire assembly. 20 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 21 “Separate yourselves from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.”

22 But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, “O God, the God who gives breath to all living things, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?”

23 Then the LORD said to Moses, 24 “Say to the assembly, ‘Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.’”

25 Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. 26 He warned the assembly, “Move back from the tents of these wicked men! Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins.” 27 So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children and little ones at the entrances to their tents.

28 Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that the LORD has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea: 29 If these men die a natural death and suffer the fate of all mankind, then the LORD has not sent me. 30 But if the LORD brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the realm of the dead, then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt.”

31 As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. 33 They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. 34 At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, “The earth is going to swallow us too!”

35 And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.

36 The LORD said to Moses, 37 “Tell Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, to remove the censers from the charred remains and scatter the coals some distance away, for the censers are holy— 38 the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives. Hammer the censers into sheets to overlay the altar, for they were presented before the LORD and have become holy. Let them be a sign to the Israelites.”

39 So Eleazar the priest collected the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned to death, and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar, 40 as the LORD directed him through Moses. This was to remind the Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense before the LORD, or he would become like Korah and his followers.

41 The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. “You have killed the LORD’s people,” they said.

42 But when the assembly gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the tent of meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the LORD appeared. 43 Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the tent of meeting, 44 and the LORD said to Moses, 45 “Get away from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.” And they fell facedown.

46 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer and put incense in it, along with burning coals from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague has started.” 47 So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. 48 He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped. 49 But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah. 50 Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the tent of meeting, for the plague had stopped.[c]

Revelation 18: Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her:

death, mourning and famine.

She will be consumed by fire,

for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

19:15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”[a] He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.

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