October 2
Reading: Job 11
1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:
2 “Should a multitude of words go unanswered,
and a man full of talk be judged right?
3 Should your babble silence men,
and when you mock, shall no one shame you?
4 For you say, ‘My doctrine is pure,
and I am clean in God’s eyes.’
5 But oh, that God would speak
and open his lips to you,
6 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.
7 “Can you find out the deep things of God?
Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?
8 It is higher than heaven– what can you do?
Deeper than Sheol– what can you know?
9 Its measure is longer than the earth
and broader than the sea.
10 If he passes through and imprisons
and summons the court, who can turn him back?
11 For he knows worthless men;
when he sees iniquity, will he not consider it?
12 But a stupid man will get understanding
when a wild donkey’s colt is born a man!
13 “If you prepare your heart,
you will stretch out your hands toward him.
14 If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away,
and let not injustice dwell in your tents.
15 Surely then you will lift up your face without blemish;
you will be secure and will not fear.
16 You will forget your misery;
you will remember it as waters that have passed away.
17 And your life will be brighter than the noonday;
its darkness will be like the morning.
18 And you will feel secure, because there is hope;
you will look around and take your rest in security.
19 You will lie down, and none will make you afraid;
many will court your favor.
20 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.”
Enter Zophar the Naamathite, the most aggressive and insensitive of Job’s friends. His counsel, in two messages, will be essentially that God is judging Job for his own arrogance.
We discover immediately that Zophar has been upset by Job’s many words and his pleading for his own righteousness. Zophar wishes that God would speak and show what wisdom really is like. In time God will grant Zophar’s request and say that all these friends of Job have not spoken right about God. (Job 42:7) Zophar will eat his words.
Verse 6 is terribly difficult to translate and then understand. Zophar seems to be saying that Job doesn’t understand everything and that there is no way that God has forgiven him everything.
In verses 7-11 he is explaining to Job that Job does not understand God, that Job is fake, secretly sinful, and speaking without intelligence.
In verses 12-20 he tells Job that if his heart were right Job would simply come before God in faith and repent. Then Job would forget his trouble. (vs. 16) Then his problems would be solved and “darkness would be like the morning.” (vs. 17) Then Job would trust and “rest securely” and everything would be great. (vs. 18-19) Zophar is saying that Job needs to shut up and humbly accept what God has done.
In another situation, to a different person, Zophar’s words may have been appropriate. But he does not understand this situation, nor does he understand the struggle that Job is having. Zophar helps us to see the worthlessness of simplistic answers and self-righteous rebukes. Zophar is offering a simple formula to Job, so that he can get through his struggle and grief to the sunny days on the other side. But there are no shortcuts through grief and darkness. One must walk the path through lament and discover that God is there with you along the way and that God is waiting at the end. It takes time. Sometimes it takes a long time. And it takes many words and many prayers.
There are no shortcuts through suffering and grief. Jesus shows us that this is so.