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