Prattling reveals foolishness, for true wisdom carries the dignity to know when silence is more powerful than words. Arguments apart from reverence for the Almighty are empty and futile. As Scripture teaches, "The awe of the Holy One is the beginning of wisdom." To honor the Lord is to give meaning to knowledge, for without Him, knowledge becomes hollow. The Israel Bible reminds us on Job 15:4:
“Without awe of God, knowledge is empty and can be twisted for any number of negative purposes. However, knowledge rooted in fear of Hashem leads to scrupulous attention to His word, for which one is rewarded in both this world and the world to come.”
Sin fuels the speech of fools, twisting even beauty into destruction. Rashi comments on Job 15:6, “Give me an answer to my question; the result will be that your own mouth will condemn you, for it is better for me that your mouth should condemn you and not I.” Sin not only deceives—it also makes us proud. Pride distances us from the Holy One, though God longs to bless His people. Yet, like stubborn children, we rebel against His mercy. John Calvin, in his sermon on Job 15, recognized this human tendency:
“Seeing that men have at all times been stubborn against God, and he could never yet make them to receive that which were for their behoof [advantage]: let us not think it strange that we also must part the same way, and then the authority of God and of his word is debased by our stubbornness and by the malice of men considering that their judgment is so awk and that they cannot give themselves to goodness.” (265–266, Arthur Golding 1574, Lucus Harris)
Our hearts condemn us when we sin, but through repentance, we encounter God’s peace. Even suffering cannot rob the children of God of this true peace. Rabbi Eliezer Parkoff explains in Fine Lines of Faith:
“Therefore, He unsettles the heart and thoughts of the wicked with fear and trembling. For real success is tranquility of spirit, peace of the soul, and joy of the heart.” (Pg. 93, Feldheim Publishers © 1994)
Yet pain defies counsel. Words, however eloquent, cannot erase grief. Both silence and speech seem inadequate before suffering. Still, the Lord’s righteous anger stands firm, and at times the innocent may be handed over to the unjust. Misfortune comes to all, for all must die. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, in his sermon Our Last Journey (Sept. 9, 1877), spoke with piercing clarity:
“We own ourselves mortal, but do not expect to die just now. Even the aged look forward to a continuance of life, and the consumptive dream of possible recovery… ‘I,’ the preacher; you, each one of you looking upon the preacher now,— ‘I shall go the way whence I shall not return.’ As surely as you live you will die.”
The righteous endure mockery, while the wicked seem to prosper. Yet human wisdom is empty—true hope is found only in Heaven. Hell is real, and though every person is given a Light to choose God, sin dims that Light. The one who fully rejects God extinguishes it entirely, falling into self-deceit and, ultimately, eternal ruin. At death, the sinner faces hell; at the end, those who rejected the Lord face the Lake of Fire.
Thus judgment belongs to God alone. Our sin is ours to bear, not another’s to condemn. Instead of exalting ourselves over the broken, we are called to compassion. John Calvin, in his sermon on Job 19, exhorts:
“But yet nevertheless we must still have pity of the miseries that we see him in, and if we be kindhearted, there will be some mitigation and gentleness, and we will use him after some quiet fashion.” (pg. 223, Arthur Golding 1574, Lucus Harris)
God, who creates and destroys, gives and takes away in mercy. As Deuteronomy 8:3 declares:
“He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.” (NASU)
To purge pride, God humbles us again and again. Though men scorn the destitute, hope rests in the Messiah. Job himself declared with confidence:
“As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,And at the last He will take His stand on the earth. Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall see God;” (Job 19:25–26, NASU)
This hope drives us to action. God rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked—not always in this life, but certainly in eternity. The joy of the hypocrite is fleeting; the word of God endures forever.
The wicked may live long and die with wealth, but their memory will rot, their riches fall to the poor, and their eternity be spent in torment. The oppressor will never know rest. On Judgment Day, all will stand naked before the Lord.
Therefore, let us not mock the suffering but learn from silence, for wisdom is born there. Though horror often engulfs the righteous while the wicked prosper, the final word belongs to God. As Job observes:
“They spend their days in prosperity, And suddenly they go down to Sheol.” (Job 21:13, NASU)
In the end, the righteous and wicked alike face death. One may die rich, another poor, but both stand before the same Judge. All men will die, and all men will be judged. Our only hope is to cling to the Redeemer who lives.
Application
What then shall we do with this sobering truth? First, we must learn humility—silence before God teaches us that wisdom begins with awe, not argument. Second, we must cling to repentance, for only in returning to the Lord do we find true peace of soul. Third, we are called to compassion: instead of judging the broken, we must be quick to comfort, slow to condemn, and eager to show mercy. Finally, we must live with eternity in view. The wicked may prosper now, but their joy is fleeting; the righteous may suffer now, but their hope is everlasting. Therefore, let us anchor our lives in Christ, our living Redeemer, so that even in suffering we may echo Job’s words: “I know that my Redeemer lives.”
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