Have you ever found yourself watching a movie or reading a book in which you wonder if this is finally the story where the bad guy wins in the end? A good storyteller will make you wonder and even doubt that good will triumph over evil, that the hero will come out victorious. Sure, there are some stories that end with such tragedy, but then it makes you question whether the good character was actually good after all. We seem to be hardwired to believe that evil always loses. Last week, I touched on the idea that the lives of the wicked always end in destruction. This was the view of Bildad, and we see in chapter 20 that it is also the view of Zophar. We have been exploring the principle of divine retribution throughout the series and we are starting to move from it being merely theoretical. It is becoming increasingly raw and personal. In chapters 20-21 two worldviews collide. Zophar’s moral certainties vs. Job’s anguished experiences. Tucked in this emotional battle is a crucial lesson for us today. It is a lesson that will increase our wisdom, shape our discernment, and anchor our hope in something more solid than our experiences and more helpful than mere theory or doctrine.