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First Reading: Job Chapter 20 and 21
Job 20
20:1 Zophar's Sermon on the Wicked Man
Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:
2 "Therefore my anxious thoughts make me answer,Because of the turmoil
within me. 3 I have heard the rebuke that reproaches me,And the spirit of my
understanding causes me to answer.
4 "Do you not know this of old,Since man was placed on earth, 5 That the
triumphing of the wicked is short,And the joy of the hypocrite is but for a
moment? 6 Though his haughtiness mounts up to the heavens,And his head reaches
to the clouds, 7 Yet he will perish forever like his own refuse;Those who have
seen him will say, 'Where is he?' 8 He will fly away like a dream, and not be
found;Yes, he will be chased away like a vision of the night. 9 The eye that
saw him will see him no more,Nor will his place behold him anymore. 10 His children
will seek the favor of the poor,And his hands will restore his wealth. 11 His
bones are full of his youthful vigor,But it will lie down with him in the dust.
12 "Though evil is sweet in his mouth,And he hides it under his tongue,
13 Though he spares it and does not forsake it,But still keeps it in his mouth,
14 Yet his food in his stomach turns sour;It becomes cobra venom within him.
15 He swallows down riches And vomits them up again;God casts them out of his
belly. 16 He will suck the poison of cobras;The viper's tongue will slay him.
17 He will not see the streams,The rivers flowing with honey and cream. 18 He
will restore that for which he labored,And will not swallow it down;From the
proceeds of business He will get no enjoyment. 19 For he has oppressed and forsaken
the poor,He has violently seized a house which he did not build.
20 "Because he knows no quietness in his heart, He will not save anything
he desires. 21 Nothing is left for him to eat;Therefore his well-being will
not last. 22 In his self-sufficiency he will be in distress;Every hand of misery
will come against him. 23 When he is about to fill his stomach,God will cast
on him the fury of His wrath,And will rain it on him while he is eating. 24
He will flee from the iron weapon;A bronze bow will pierce him through. 25 It
is drawn, and comes out of the body;Yes, the glittering point comes out of his
gall.Terrors come upon him; 26 Total darkness is reserved for his treasures.An
unfanned fire will consume him;It shall go ill with him who is left in his tent.
27 The heavens will reveal his iniquity,And the earth will rise up against him.
28 The increase of his house will depart,And his goods will flow away in the
day of His wrath. 29 This is the portion from God for a wicked man,The heritage
appointed to him by God."
Job 21
21:1 Job's Discourse on the Wicked
Then Job answered and said:
2 "Listen carefully to my speech,And let this be your consolation. 3 Bear
with me that I may speak,And after I have spoken, keep mocking.
4 "As for me, is my complaint against man?And if it were, why should I
not be impatient? 5 Look at me and be astonished;Put your hand over your mouth.
6 Even when I remember I am terrified,And trembling takes hold of my flesh.
7 Why do the wicked live and become old,Yes, become mighty in power? 8 Their
descendants are established with them in their sight,And their offspring before
their eyes. 9 Their houses are safe from fear,Neither is the rod of God upon
them. 10 Their bull breeds without failure;Their cow calves without miscarriage.
11 They send forth their little ones like a flock,And their children dance.
12 They sing to the tambourine and harp,And rejoice to the sound of the flute.
13 They spend their days in wealth,And in a moment go down to the grave. 14
Yet they say to God, 'Depart from us,For we do not desire the knowledge of Your
ways. 15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him?And what profit do we
have if we pray to Him?' 16 Indeed their prosperity is not in their hand;The
counsel of the wicked is far from me.
17 "How often is the lamp of the wicked put out?How often does their destruction
come upon them,The sorrows God distributes in His anger? 18 They are like straw
before the wind,And like chaff that a storm carries away. 19 They say, 'God
lays up one's iniquity for his children';Let Him recompense him, that he may
know it. 20 Let his eyes see his destruction,And let him drink of the wrath
of the Almighty. 21 For what does he care about his household after him,When
the number of his months is cut in half?
22 "Can anyone teach God knowledge,Since He judges those on high? 23 One
dies in his full strength,Being wholly at ease and secure; 24 His pails are
full of milk,And the marrow of his bones is moist. 25 Another man dies in the
bitterness of his soul,Never having eaten with pleasure. 26 They lie down alike
in the dust,And worms cover them.
27 "Look, I know your thoughts,And the schemes with which you would wrong
me. 28 For you say,'Where is the house of the prince?And where is the tent,
The dwelling place of the wicked?' 29 Have you not asked those who travel the
road?And do you not know their signs? 30 For the wicked are reserved for the
day of doom;They shall be brought out on the day of wrath. 31 Who condemns his
way to his face?And who repays him for what he has done? 32 Yet he shall be
brought to the grave,And a vigil kept over the tomb. 33 The clods of the valley
shall be sweet to him;Everyone shall follow him,As countless have gone before
him. 34 How then can you comfort me with empty words,Since falsehood remains
in your answers?"
Second Reading: Luke Chapter 10
Luke 10
10:1 The Seventy Sent Out
After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two
by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about
to go. 2 Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers
are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His
harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Carry
neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. 5
But whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house.' 6 And if a son
of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you.
7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give,
for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. 8 Whatever
city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.
9 And heal the sick there, and say to them,'The kingdom of God has come near
to you.' 10 But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out
into its streets and say, 11'The very dust of your city which clings to us we
wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come
near you.' 12 But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for
Sodom than for that city.
13 Woe to the Impenitent Cities
(Matt 11:20-24)
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which
were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long
ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre
and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted
to heaven, will be brought down to Hades. 16 He who hears you hears Me, he who
rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me."
17 The Seventy Return with Joy
Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are
subject to us in Your name."
18 And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19
Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over
all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless
do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice
because your names are written in heaven."
21 Jesus Rejoices in the Spirit
(Matt 11:25-27)
In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and
prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in
Your sight. 22 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one
knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son,
and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."
23 Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the
eyes which see the things you see; 24 for I tell you that many prophets and
kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what
you hear, and have not heard it."
25 The Parable of the Good Samaritan
(Matt 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34)
And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying,"Teacher,
what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
26 He said to him, "What is written in the law? What is your reading of
it?"
27 So he answered and said,"'You shall love the LORD your God with all
your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,'
and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"
28 And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will
live."
29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
30 Then Jesus answered and said: "A certain man went down from Jerusalem
to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded
him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest
came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32
Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed
by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where
he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged
his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought
him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he
took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care
of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.' 36
So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the
thieves?"
37 And he said, "He who showed mercy on him."
Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
38 Mary and Martha Worship and Serve
Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain
woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called
Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted
with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care
that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me."
41 And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried
and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen
that good part, which will not be taken away from her."
GOOD VS. EVIL
Part 5 of 7
According to the dictionary "evil" is defined as:
We have seen several verses showing that the heart of man is evil. Another word for this evil is sin. This is referring to the first definition of evil: morally bad or wrong, wicked.
The next two meanings of "evil" are harmful, injurious, unlucky, disastrous. In the Bible there are references to God bringing "evil" on people. This evil refers to these secondary meanings of "evil." Look at these verses:
God does bring punishment on the wicked. He also allows suffering to those who love Him. There are many purposes to these actions of God. From the beginning we are told that there is one God and only one God. There is no other god whether good or evil.
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