Zophar's Three Accusations

11/3/2011 9:42:24 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                                    Focus:  Zophar’s Three Accusations

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                          Reference:  Job 11:1-20

                Message of the verses:  “1 ¶  Then Zophar the Naamathite answered, 2  "Shall a multitude of words go unanswered, And a talkative man be acquitted? 3  "Shall your boasts silence men? And shall you scoff and none rebuke? 4  "For you have said, ’My teaching is pure, And I am innocent in your eyes.’ 5  "But would that God might speak, And open His lips against you, 6  And show you the secrets of wisdom! For sound wisdom has two sides. Know then that God forgets a part of your iniquity.

    “7 ¶  "Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty? 8  "They are high as the heavens, 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 by or shuts up, Or calls an assembly, who can restrain Him? 11  "For He knows false men, And He sees iniquity without investigating. 12  "An idiot will become intelligent When the foal of a wild donkey is born a man.

    “13 ¶  "If you would direct your heart right And spread out your hand to Him, 14  If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, And do not let wickedness dwell in your tents; 15  "Then, indeed, you could lift up your face without moral defect, And you would be steadfast and not fear. 16  "For you would forget your trouble, As waters that have passed by, you would remember it. 17  "Your life would be brighter than noonday; Darkness would be like the morning. 18  "Then you would trust, because there is hope; And you would look around and rest securely. 19  "You would lie down and none would disturb you, And many would entreat your favor. 20  "But the eyes of the wicked will fail, And there will be no escape for them; And their hope is to breathe their last.’”

                We begin today looking at the fourth chapter of Dr. Wiersbe’s Commentary on Job which he entitles “An Angry “Younger” Man” and it will cover chapters eleven through fourteen of Job.  Zophar is probably the youngest of the three men who came to see Job, and that is why he spoke last.  His words to Job are short, but full of anger, and this was not the time of the place to be angry with Job.  Job was in great pain, and sitting on an ash heap, so sympathy would have been better.

                In his introduction to this chapter Dr. Wiersbe writes, “Zophar makes three accusations against Job:  Job is guilty of sin (Job 11:1-4); Job is ignorant of God (vv. 5-12); and Job is stubborn in his refusal to repent (vv. 13-20).  In his reply, Job answers all three accusations:  He affirms God’s greatness (Job 12) and his own innocence (Job 13), but he has not hope, so why should he repent? (Job 14)

                Here is a verse that all three of Job “friends” could have used that would have helped Job out “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15)

                “Job is guilty!”  (Job 11:1-4)  Zophar starts out his speech to Job the same way that Bildad did, saying that Job was a windbag.  These three friend of Job were focusing on the words that Job was speaking, and not the feelings that were behind the words.  Dr. Wiersbe quotes an old Chinese proverb which says “Through conversing face to face, their hearts have a thousand miles between them.”  Sidney J. Harris writes “Information is giving out; communication is getting through.”

            One can get the impression that Job is saying that he is completely innocent, even sinless, but this was not true, and I don’t think that Job thought it was true either, however because of the things his friends said to him and the pain that he was in, these things could have caused his thinking to be wrong.

                Job is ignorant of God (Job 11:5-12) Zophar says to Job in verse five “But would that God might speak, And open His lips against you,” and Job 38:1 says “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said.”  Zophar got his wish as well as Job, but I am not sure that they truly got what they wished for.  I think of Isaiah in his book when he was somehow transported to the throne room of God.  Isaiah was a believer but once he was in that throne room he could only say, “"Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.’”  As a believer Isaiah had his sinned forgiven, for salvation in the OT was putting your faith in the Messiah who would come and pay for your sins, while in the NT we look back at what Jesus Christ has accomplished on the cross for us, and put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive us of our sins.  The point of this Isaiah passage is that even though he was a believer he still felt dirty and unclean before God, and that is how Job would feel when God began to talk to him. 

            When God began to speak to Job from the whirlwind He rebuked Job’s friends, but not Job. 

                In verses Zophar was hinting that he knew the great and vast wisdom of God, and thought that he could teach it to Job.  Job did not want to hear this from Zophar.

                In verse six Zophar tells Job that God forgets a part of your iniquity, but that is not true, for when a person has been born into the family of God through the new birth God forgets all of their sins.  It seems that Zophar in saying this could be saying that God could punish you more, not a good thing to say to a man who has lost all of his family, wealth, and health.

                “Zophar closed this accusation by quoting a proverb (11:12).  It’s not easy to ascertain its meaning.  The proverb may be saying that no matter how stupid a man is when he is born, even as dumb as a wild donkey, there is still hope for him to become intelligent.  Or the proverb might be saying just the opposite, as in the NIV:  ‘But a witless man cannot more become wise than a wild donkey’s colt can be born a man.’  The NASB agrees ‘An idiot will become intelligent when the foal of a wild donkey is born a man.’  In view of Zophar’s anger and insulting language, it is likely that the NIV and NASB translations are correct.”

                Job is stubborn and should repent (Job 11:13-20).  Zophar tells Job in verse eighteen that there is hope, but that hope had to come the way that Zophar explained it to him, and this was the same way that Satan told God that the only reason that Job was worshiping God was because of all of his wealth and health.  Yes Satan has a mouth piece speaking to Job through these three friends of Job. 

            Dr. Wiersbe writes “Job did not have a ‘commercial faith’ that made bargains with God.  He had a confident faith that said, ‘Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him’ (13:15).  That doesn’t sound like a man looking for an easy way out of difficulties. ‘Job did not understand the Lord’s reasons,’ said C. H. Spurgeon, ‘but he continued to confide in His goodness.’  That is faith!”

                Spiritual meaning for my life today:  That is the kind of faith that I need and want, for things do not always go well, and there are times when I am tested and things go wrong, and I need to have that Job like faith.  There is much to be learned from the book of Job and I am so happy to be able to learn some of these great truths that are found in this book.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1.    Romans 12:1-2.

2.    Ephesians 6:10-18.

3.    Proverbs 3:5-6.

4.    Philippians 4:11b.

11/3/2011 10:59:43 AM