Job: Tragedy, Repentance & Restoration – Part VIII

By the end of the tenth chapter of Job, we find Job going back to that dark place of wishing he had never been born.

Now it’s Zophar’s turn to have a word with job. Zophar is “the legalist” who presumes to know what God will do in a given circumstance. He acts as though he has all the answers. Like Bildad, he has a scientific mind. But whereas Bildad appeals to what happened in the past, Zophar appeals to the laws of the natural world, the universe, and ultimately his own intuition and common sense. In other words, he’s his own authority!

The Book of Job – Part VIII: Zophar’s first speech to Job

Then Zophar the Naamathite answered, “Shall a multitude of words go unanswered, and a talkative man be acquitted?” –Job 11:1-2.

Zophar accuses Job of trying to talk his way out of his problems. The thought likens to our modern day courtrooms where lawyers can talk endlessly and plead their cases using a large volume of words.

“Shall your boasts silence men? And shall you scoff and none rebuke?” –Job 11:3.

Zophar is calling Job a liar. Bildad may have called Job a hypocrite, but he never went so far as to call him a liar. Harsh.

“For you have said, ‘My teaching is pure, and I am innocent in your eyes.’ But would that God might speak, and open His lips against you.” –Job 11:4-5.

He is presuming to speak for God. As of now, God has not spoken to any of them, so Zophar will take it upon himself to speak for God and accuse Job.

“And show you the secrets of wisdom! For sound wisdom has two sides. Know then that God forgets a part of your iniquity.” –Job 11:6.

It’s amazing to see the friend of someone who is suffering extreme pain to tell that person: “God didn’t give you what you really deserve to suffer!” Can you imagine?

“Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?” –Job 11:7.

As wonderful as the statement is, Job will later tell Zophar that he already knows this. J. Vernon McGee has this to say of the verse:

No man can discover God; God is revealed. THe only way you can know about God is what He is pleased to reveal of Himself to us. –J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee.

“They are high as the heavens, what can you do? Deeper than Sheol, what can you know? Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea.” –Job 11:8-9.

True as these descriptions are about God, they do nothing to help Job in his plight.

“If He passes by or shuts up, or calls an assembly, who can restrain Him? For He knows false men, and He sees iniquity without investigating. An idiot will become intelligent when the foal of a wild donkey is born a man.” –Job 11:10-12.

In probably one of the biggest cuts yet, Zophar says to Job that there is a better chance of a donkey giving birth to a man than an idiot like Job of becoming wise! This is his friend talking to Job, after having all of his worldly possessions destroyed and all of his children being killed!

“If you would direct your heart right and spread out your hand to Him, if iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and do not let wickedness dwell in your tents.” –Job 11:13-14.

Zophar tells Job that if he would repent of his sin, God would forgive him. Job’s friends are sure there is sin in his life and that’s why he’s suffering. The problem is that Job is completely unaware of anything he should repent of, but we’ll soon discover what it is.

“Then, indeed, you could lift up your face without moral defect, and you would be steadfast and not fear. For you would forget your trouble, as waters that have passed by, you would remember it. Your life would be brighter than noonday; darkness would be like the morning.” –Job 11:15-17.

Again, Zophar is telling Job to repent. If he would just repent, everything would go back to being right again in his life.

“Then you would trust, because there is hope; and you would look around and rest securely. You would lie down and none would disturb you, and many would entreat your favor. But the eyes of the wicked will fail, and there will be no escape for them; and their hope is to breathe their last.” –Job 11:18-20.

Zophar concludes his first speech to Job by predicting his ultimate doom of the judgment of God, unless he reveals his secret sin. HIs “speech” to Job was almost entirely an attack upon him and his character.

Job will have a response and it will be one of the lengthier ones in the book.

May He Increase!