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Zophar the Mudslinger – Job 10-12

by • on 2:06 AM • in Job Commentary Notes, Job Study

“Zophar The Mudslinger”

Job 10-12

Group Discussion

  • Describe a time in your life when you weren’t given a chance to defend yourself to others
  • How easy is it to ‘turn the other cheek’ when you are falsely accused?

Outline

What makes human beings so interesting is the very fact that we are not robots. We are emotional creatures, and we respond and react to our given environments. And no matter how timid someone may be, there will always come a point where they will stand up for themselves in the midst of abuse. This is where we find Job after his third friend wounds him like the other two before; now it’s Job’s turn to respond to their accusations.*

Overview

             As we have moved through the story of Job’s suffering, we have observed his personal struggle with the underserved pain he is experiencing. The Book of Job could also be called “a grief observed,” for his family, wealth, status, and physical well-being have been taken from him without a word of explanation from God. (C. S. Lewis, 1940; A Grief Observed)

            Then came the counselors. Eliphaz elegantly questioned Job’s integrity. And Bildad told Job that his children’s death was due to their own sin. At first Job does not respond to the accusations of his friends, but as the story unfold, he begins to defend himself. In Job 10:1, he cries out, not to Bildad or Eliphaz, but to God: “I will give free course to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.” Job’s words to God in chapter ten are similar to his speeches in chapters six and seven.

Read Job 10

  • Job doesn’t understand why God would give him life and then not respect him as one of His creations (Job 10:3)
  • Job no longer wants an umpire; he wants a deliverer. (Job 10:7)
  • Job has a profound appreciation for the creative process that brought him into existence. (Job 10:8-12)
  • Job feels like a marked man, being watched every moment by God. (Job 10:14)
  • Job doesn’t understand why God would bring him out of his mother’s womb to live such a purposeless life. (Job 10:18)
  • Job is so desperate that he asks God for just a few moments of peace before he dies.       (Job 10:20-21)  

Job 11

Job now is about to meet Zophar. Zophar has obviously been chomping at the bit for a chance to put in his two cents’ worth, and right off the bat he shows himself to be the sort of fellow who shoots first and asks questions later. In his criticism of Job, he is not just blunt but insulting, calling his friend a scoffer and a windbag and broadly accusing him of arrogant self-righteousness. Mudslinging becomes the order of the day. (Gospel According to Job; Mike Mason)

            Zophar is a mudslinger. He throws everything he can think of at his friend without any concern or compassion about how it will affect him. After listening to Eliphaz and Bildad accuse Job, Zophar begins his tirade against Job by talking about – what else – Job’s sin.

Job’s “Iniquity” (Read Job 11:1-4)

According to Zophar, what Job said about God was not true, and what Job said about himself was an outright lie. Zophar tries to paint Job into a corner based upon a few misinterpretations.

            First of all, Job never claimed to be sinless. In Job 7:21, he claimed the complete opposite. And when God claimed that Job was “blameless and upright,” that was still true (Job 2:3). Having integrity before God is not the same as being flawlessly and sinlessly perfect. Zophar’s indictment is misleading and untruthful.

Job’s “Ignorance” (Read Job 11:5-12)

            Zophar considered Job to be ignorant of the wisdom of God. But what he did not understand was that both he and Job needed that wisdom. If Zophar and his friends had been the recipients of God’s wisdom, they would never have conducted themselves as they did. Finally there is Zophar’s statement in verse 6 that God was exacting from Job less than he deserved. This ranks right up there at the top of the most insensitive statements in this book. Can you imagine Job suffering more than he has? Zophar has no idea of what he speaks and to whom he is speaking. And a final shot at Job is found in verse 12 where he basically calls Job an idiot and tells him that he can no more become wise than a donkey can become a man. What a guy! What a great friend!

Job’s “Inflexibility” (Read Job 11:13-20)

            According to Zophar, Job’s unwillingness to repent and acknowledge his sin is the reason for his great suffering. Supposedly to motivate Job to repent, Zophar tells Job nine things he could experience if he would only confess:

  • He could life up his face without spot (v. 15)
  • He could be steadfast and not fear (v.15)
  • He could forget his misery (v. 16)
  • His life would be brighter (v. 17)
  • He would be like the morning (v. 17)
  • He would be secure (v. 18)
  • He would have hope (v. 18)
  • He would not be afraid (v. 19)
  • He would be courted by many (v. 19 )

In order for Job to experience those nine thing, Zophar says he must prepare his heart and confess his iniquities (vv. 13-14). But once again, if Job confesses to sins that are not committed just so that things will get better in his personal life, he will turn his faith into a commercial enterprise. He will fall into the trap of Satan and dishonor God.

There is an old Chinese proverb that says, “Though conversing face to face, their hearts have a thousand miles between them.”

            Job’s friends were physically present, but they weren’t there for him spiritually or emotionally. All they did was irritate Job and make things worse.

Questions

1. List the two synonyms Zophar uses to describe the knowledge of God. (Verse 7)

2. How high are the things of God? (Verse 8 ) How deep?

3. What thought do the questions posed in verse 8 imply?

4. How long and wide are the things of God? (Verse 9 )

5. God cannot be hindered if He does what three things? (Verse 10) Does God have the right to do this? Why or why not?

6. What does God know and see? (Verse 11)

Job 12

            Job’s words in the next three chapters are direct replies to Zophar’s attacks. But at the same time, his answers also affirm the holiness of God. Job begins his appeal by displaying how small and insignificant man is when compared to a great and holy God.

Job’s Rebuke (Read Job 12:1-6)

            In verse 2, Job says to his friends, “No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you!” We’ve been waiting for Job to finally stick up for himself, and here he finally does. He sarcastically tells his friends that when they die there will be no one left to tell anyone how to live. Of course this thought is absurd-which is exactly Job’s point. Only God is the source of all knowledge; only “God provides by His hand” (v. 6).

Job’s Ridicule (Read Job 12:7-12)

            Job gets even more pointed and sarcastic when he tells his friends to look for godly wisdom in three other places.

Ask the Animals (vv. 7-8). Zophar used a donkey to insult Job, so Job came right back and insinuated that fish and cattle are a lot wiser than his pious friends.

            Ask Anyone (vv. 9-11). It is essentially evident to everyone that Job’s plight is a result of God’s will; evident to everyone, that is, except his three friends.

            Ask the Aged (v. 12). No one really like growing older, but the Bible give us a direct benefit to the aging process right here. And Job tells his friends that if they asked the opinion of some of those who have seen a lot of life, their eyes and hearts might be opened to the truth.

Job’s Revenge (Read Job 12:13-25)

            Job was able to vent a little in the past few verses and to display his frustration to his friends. But he immediately comes back to God because he knows the only reality in his life and the only hope for his life is found in God. So Job offers up three attributes of God that he knows are true. God is shrewd (v. 13) God is Strong (vv. 14-15). God is Sovereign (vv. 16-25).

Questions

1. What does verse 4 indicate that Job’s friend did to him?

2. What did Job do? (V. 4) What two adjectives does Job use to describe himself? Is this appropriate? Why or why not?

3. What type of person despises a lamp? (V. 5) Who does this apply to in this story?

4. What do robbers and provokers of God enjoy? (V. 6) Why does this happen?

Did You Know?

            Many people do not realize that the great Christian writer C. S. Lewis was once an atheist. His conversion led him to write many wonderful books on faith like Mere Christianity, as well as a set of children’s’ stories written as an allegory of the faith that are now world famous-The Chronicles of Narnia. One of his closest friends and colleagues had a great influence on Lewis’ journey of faith. This man was also a writer, as well as a devout Christian. And he too wrote a famous series of novels that are still celebrated today. His name was J. R. R. Tolkien and he wrote The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  *Tried, Tested, & Triumphant, the book of Job. David Jeremiah

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“God Talk: How Not to be Spiritual Friends” – Job 6

by • on 9:32 PM • in Job Study

Purpose

 To understand some dimensions of spiritual friendship through concrete examples.

General Note

 The concept of “spiritual friend” may be a new one. Simply put, a spiritual friend is another person who walks with you on your spiritual journey, encouraging you in your life of faith, fanning the coals of your passion for God, listening to your heart, cultivating the life of prayer. Spiritual friendship is not counseling, not directing, not judging, not teaching. It is a side-by-side relationship of trust in which each can tell an unedited version of one’s inner life, and do so in the presence of God for mutual up-building. Tragically, most followers of Christ today do not have such relationships, even in the church!

Introduction

 Mike mason comments: “The greatest mystery in the book of Job is not why Job suffers, but why a man crippled by suffering is forced to fight a long, drawn-out theological battle with people who are supposed to be his friends.” Sometimes people are presented in the Bible-often without editorial comment-simply to show us what not to do! Even our worst experiences of friendship do not quench our desire for soul friends, people who will walk with us through life’s hardest moments and who will point us to God without preaching at us or judging our spirituality.

Group Discussion

 Reflect on the fiend who has been most encouraging in your spiritual journey. Use single words to characterize your relationship with that person.

Personal Reflection

 Spend some time reviewing your faith journey from the beginning. As you do this, note the influences-good and unhelpful-that friends and mentors have had on you.

Job’s Comforters

 “Job’s comforters” is the cynical title given to Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar-and later the young man Elihu. But they started well. Hearing about their friends’ disaster, they came to him wept and sat with him in silence (2:11-13). Unfortunately, the rest of the story is less exemplary, as we shall soon see. In the last study we discovered that Eliphaz’s approach to Job was “you are suffering because of your sin or your children’s sin (Job 4, 5).”

Job 6

 Job is now going to show and tell his friends the things they have not yet picked up on. He is going to try to help Eliphaz understand what it’s like to be in his shoes. Job begins the 6th chapter by taking us through the cycle of despair that has been his experience. If you have ever been where Job is, you will understand his words completely. Read Job 6.

Questions

 

1. When, if ever, have you felt that “the arrows of the Almighty are in me” (6:4)?

What help would you have appreciated from others?

2. Do you agree with Job that “a despairing man should have the devotion of his friends, even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty” (6:14)? Why or why not?

3. Is it right to maintain a friendship even if your friend “loses” faith or goes through a period of rebellion? Explain.

4. What does Job need from his friends in this time of suffering?

Why are his friends apparently unable to help him?

5. What have you learned about how not to be a friend?

How to be a friend?

Prayer

 

Ask God to show you how to be a friend, to express God’s heart, especially with those struggling with affliction. Pray for friends who especially need God’s strength.

Now or Later

 

Scripture give us some illuminating examples of spiritual friendship, including Barnabas and Paul (Barnabas twice saved Paul for the work of ministry – Acts 9:27; 11:25-26). Explore a positive Old Testament example in Jonathan and David by reading 1 Samuel 18:1-4; 19:1-7; 20:1-42; 23:15-18 and 2 Samuel 1:17-27. Note especially that Jonathan helped David “find strength in God”

(1 Samuel 23:16) rather than simply in their friendship.

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“Getting the Most out of Job”

by • on 6:31 PM • in Job Study, Sermon Notes

“Getting the Most Out of Job”

One thing we can count on in this life is trouble! Becoming a Christian, contrary to what some say, does not so much deliver us from problems as deliver us in them. We still get sick, lose jobs, worry about our children and struggle with loneliness. On a deeper level a personal encounter with God brings, at the same time, exquisite joy and a new set of questions. Sometimes, like Job, we are led through a dark valley without seeing the path out, why we are suffering, whether God has a redeeming purpose in it all and how we are to respond. Are we to just patiently take it all?

            Mention the name Job and one immediately thinks of patience, partly because of one misunderstood New Testament reference to this Old Testament saint (James 5:11). Job did suffer, but not patiently. He rebelled. Jobs’ saintly friends tried to “explain” his problems by appealing to the logic of good orthodox theology. In the end, Job’s almost irreverent appeal to God for an explanation led to his justification and approval by God. While Job’s orthodox churchgoing friends were rejected (Job 42:7), he persevered; that is the real point of the New Testament reference. Perhaps, among other things, this surprising reversal can be explained by the fact that Job spoke to God about his suffering, while Job’s friends spoke about God to Job. But this is not the only mystery encompassed by this fascinating Old Testament book.

            Job raises as many questions as it answers. Indeed, when God finally speaks to Job in the whirlwind (chapters 38-41), God himself asks questions! Traditionally theology has wrestled with how a good and all powerful God could allow or even cause (as Job claims) suffering and evil in the world. Not only are the usual abstract arguments-spoken smoothly by Job’s three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar-rejected by God and his beloved Job, but they are not even the point of the book.

            This is not a book of rational, systematic theology. This is the story of one human being-one very human and very righteous being-who loses his possessions, his family and his health. But it is a story that takes place within the household of faith. And it is faith that rebels and a God who loves the rebel that is the surprise of the story.

            In a closed universe (the view assumed by the ancient Greeks and modern secularized people) human beings are tragic victims of fate. In a dualistic universe where God and Satan are equal opponents in the battle of good and evil, one can blame all adversity on the devil. But in the book of Job, as elsewhere in the Bible, God shares His ultimate sovereignty with no one, not even Satan.

            Job-and we –have problems with innocent suffering precisely because we have faith in God, whose goodness is known in the land of the living. There is no answer either in jettisoning belief in the goodness of God or in rejecting the hope that in this life there should be both satisfaction and justice. In the end, and only in the end, Job finds peace with God through his sufferings, and not in spite of them. Ultimately, Job’s passion points to the death, resurrection and vindication of Jesus as God’s final answer to the problem of the innocent suffering.

            The gospel-bearing quality of Job is all the more remarkable because the book may be very ancient. There is no mention of temple, monarchy or prophets. We do not know who wrote the book, when or where the author lived, though there is no adequate reason to deny the unity of the book.

            The book contains an astonishing mixture of riddles, hymns, curses, proverbs, and nature poems. The introduction (1:1-2:13) and conclusion (42:7-17) are in prose, while the speeches of Job, the three friends, the young man Elihu and God Himself (3:1-42-6) are in poetry. No wonder the Jewish rabbis were unsure where to place Job in Scripture. Though they eventually chose the “writings” section, this book fits just as well alongside the great exodus, David and Ruth.

            Like all biblical stories, this one catches us in its plot and invites us in its mysterious and ironic way to find God, not in talking about God, but in talking to Him; not in the familiar rhythms of safe theological discussion but at the point of our deepest questions about the meaning of life and God himself; not in leisure-time spirituality but in the middle of life where it is hardest. “The book takes its place in the testimony of the ages that there is a blank in the human heart which Jesus alone can fill.                      (Paul Stevens; ‘Job, Wrestling with God’; IVP 1995; 2003)

Our Goals as we study the book of Job together

  • As you begin each study, pray that God will speak to you through His Word.
  • Come to the study prepared. You will find that careful preparation will greatly enrich your time spent in group discussion. Write you answers in the space provided. Writing can bring clarity and deeper understanding of yourself & of God’s Word.
  • This is an inductive Bible Study, designed to help you discover for yourself what Scripture is saying. The study includes three types of questions.
    • Observation questions ask about the basic facts: who, what, when, where and how
    • Interpretation questions delve into the meaning of the passage.
    • Application questions help you discover the implications of the text for growing in Christ. These three keys unlock the treasures of Scripture
  • Be willing to participate in the discussion
    • This is not a lecture, but rather a time of discussion
    • Stick to the topic being discussed
    • Our responses should be based on the verses which are the focus of the discussion, not on outside authorities such as commentaries or speakers
    • These studies focus on a particular passage of Scripture
  • Be sensitive to the other members in our study
    • Listen attentively when others share what they have learned, you may be surprised by their insights!
    • Each question assumes a variety of answers. Many questions do not have “right” answers, particularly questions that aim at meaning or application
    • Instead, questions push us to explore the passage more thoroughly
    • When possible, link what you say to the comments of others. Also be affirming whenever you can. This will encourage one another to share.
  • Be careful not to dominate the discussion
    • We are sometimes so eager to express our thoughts that we lave too little opportunity for others to respond.
    • By all means participate, but allow others to also
  • Expect God to teach you through the passage being discussed and through the other members of the group. Pray that you will have an enjoyable and profitable time together, but that as a result of the study you will find ways to take action individually, or as a group
  • Remember that anything said in the group is considered confidential and should not be discussed outside the group unless specific permission is given to you to do so
  • Pray for the other members of our Job study
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