Zophar Rebukes Job (Ecclesiastes 1:1-11)
“Then Zophar the Naamathite replied: “Should this stream of words go unanswered and such a speaker be vindicated? Should your babbling put others to silence? Will you scoff without rebuke? You have said, ‘My doctrine is sound, and I am pure in Your sight.’ But if only God would speak and open His lips against you, and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know then that God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves.
Can you fathom the deep things of God or discover the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens—what can you do? They are deeper than Sheol—what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea. If He comes along to imprison you, or convenes a court, who can stop Him? Surely He knows the deceit of men. If He sees iniquity, does He not take note? But a witless man can no more become wise than the colt of a wild donkey can be born a man!
As for you, if you direct your heart and lift up your hands to Him, if you put away the iniquity in your hand, and allow no injustice to dwell in your tents, then indeed you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and unafraid. For you will forget your misery, recalling it only as waters gone by.
Your life will be brighter than noonday; its darkness will be like the morning. You will be secure, because there is hope, and you will look around and lie down in safety. You will lie down without fear, and many will court your favor. But the eyes of the wicked will fail, and escape will elude them; they will hope for their last breath.”
As if Job doesn’t have enough problems, now Zophar the Naamathite weighs in with his accusations. If Zophar’s remarks are an indication of friendship, then Job doesn’t need any enemies!
First, Zophar accuses Job of shooting off his mouth and babbling. “Will you scoff without rebuke?” But Job hasn’t been scoffing; if anything, Job has been extolling the virtues of God and lamenting the fact that God appears to have hidden Himself. “Know then that God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves.” How is Zophar so certain that Job has been a horrible sinner? Or is Zophar simply guessing, based on the idea that God is punishing Job for some secret wrong – doing?
“Can you fathom the deep things of God or discover the limits of the Almighty?” What a fine – sounding phrase! Too bad Zophar follows that up by implying that God is punishing Job. Zophar even goes so far as to compare a witless man to a donkey. While Zophar doesn’t come out plainly to accuse Job of stupidity, he certainly implies it.
Finally, Zophar attempts to redeem himself by mouthing platitudes about how wonderful Job’s life will be if Job will just repent. “Your life will be brighter than noonday; its darkness will be like the morning.” Zophar concludes by making a statement about the wicked in an attempt to appear sagacious. “But the eyes of the wicked will fail, and escape will elude them; they will hope for their last breath.”
APPLICATION: Zophar gives us a perfect example of a guy who hasn’t bothered to get his facts straight before putting his mouth in gear. Zophar alternates between accusations and pious pronouncements. But there’s a major problem: the mere fact that a statement about God is true does not mean it has to be used at this point.
Zophar appears to believe that God is sitting in heaven waiting to zap sinners with lightning bolts. Obviously, Job must have done something awful; look how he is suffering. One wonders which god Zophar worships and if it’s the kind of demon that demands continuous sacrifices.
Once more, Job’s afflictions include lacerating comments from self-styled friends. Yet another thing is also obvious: Job’s friends know nothing about God and very little about life. Zophar certainly has never suffered; otherwise, he would be wiser and more compassionate in his comments.
1 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” When we suffer, we generally focus all our attention on ourselves, never realizing that God has far more in mind than just giving us a tough time. Suffering can be very helpful, as long as we are willing to learn everything we can from it and not merely sink down in a morass of self – pity.
So we leave Job, still suffering from his boils, still scratching himself with a piece of pottery, and still listening to those who should be comforting him as they pontificate. One wonders if the lousy advice from so-called friends might not be the worst suffering of all! The worst part of the situation is that these friends who claim to be speaking for God are not. But ignorance is no obstacle when someone decides to sound off.
Perhaps you find yourself in the same position as Job. Don’t despair. The opinions of your friends do not necessarily reflect God’s opinion. Wait quietly and ask God to reveal Himself. God is far more compassionate than your friends!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help those of us who are trying to comfort others to be sensitive and to be Your hands and feet. And for those who are suffering, show them Your mercy, love, and grace. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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