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Zophar Speaks: You Deserve Worse
11 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:
“Should a multitude of words go unanswered,
and a man full of talk be judged right?
Should your babble silence men,
and when you mock, shall no one shame you?
For you say, ‘My doctrine is pure,
and I am clean in God’s eyes.’
But oh, that God would speak
and open his lips to you,
and that he would tell you the secrets of wisdom!
For he is manifold in understanding.
Know then that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves.
“Can you find out the deep things of God?
Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?
It is higher than heaven—what can you do?
Deeper than Sheol—what can you know?
Its measure is longer than the earth
and broader than the sea.
If he passes through and imprisons
and summons the court, who can turn him back?
For he knows worthless men;
when he sees iniquity, will he not consider it?
But a stupid man will get understanding
when a wild donkey’s colt is born a man!
“If you prepare your heart,
you will stretch out your hands toward him.
If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away,
and let not injustice dwell in your tents.
Surely then you will lift up your face without blemish;
you will be secure and will not fear.
You will forget your misery;
you will remember it as waters that have passed away.
And your life will be brighter than the noonday;
its darkness will be like the morning.
And you will feel secure, because there is hope;
you will look around and take your rest in security.
You will lie down, and none will make you afraid;
many will court your favor.
But the eyes of the wicked will fail;
all way of escape will be lost to them,
and their hope is to breathe their last.”
(ESV)
Job 11 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
I think Zophar is right on one thing; he understands the wisdom of God. It actually feels like he is trying to “impress” Job with his knowledge about God’s wisdom. Of course, his delivery makes him sound like an arrogant know-it-all.
Eliphaz focused more on the mysterious and supernatural. Bildad was all about tradition. Zophar focuses on sound doctrine based on the wisdom and the sovereignty of God. He reasons, like the others, that Job has no right to conclude he is innocent because he surely has a hidden sin that has caused this punishment. In the world of Zophar, everything is black and white. Those who suffer always deserve it.
Zophar is all truth and no grace, but there’s another part of his doctrine that is concerning. He aligns himself with Satan’s theology. If you remember back to Chapter 1, Satan accused Job of having “fair-weather faith.” He contested that the only reason Job loved God was because his life was so great.
Then Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 “Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 “But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.”
Job 1:9-11 NASB
According to Zophar, if you seek God, your life will be great, but when you go down the wrong path, He will make your life miserable. That may be true, but it’s not always true. With Zophar’s simple theology, Job must be in the wrong. Job had everything he wanted before, and now he has nothing. Zophar has successfully put God in a box. He has Him completely figured out. With friends like Zophar, there are no mysteries left to discover; he knows them all.
The irony of Zophar’s speech is that he glorifies God’s wisdom, knowledge, and power but then speaks to Job as if God is only a genie in a bottle waiting for him to correct his sins in order to grant him wealth and prosperity.
Zophar knew a lot about God but Job was beginning to really know God.
Job was experiencing the fiery furnace of God’s refining fire. He was developing trust, faith, and spiritual maturity. It was both the best and worst experience of his life. Unfortunately, there are a lot of Zophar’s in the church today. They know all about God, but have never been on a life-changing journey with Him. Zophar proves that when we limit God to a simple math equation, we produce a lot of spiritually-immature disciples.