Job 11: 1 – 20
Insults
1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said: 2 “Should not the multitude of words be answered? And should a man full of talk be vindicated? 3 Should your empty talk make men hold their peace? And when you mock, should no one rebuke you? 4 For you have said, ‘my doctrine is pure, and I am clean in your eyes.’ 5 But oh, that God would speak, and open His lips against you, 6 that He would show you the secrets of wisdom! For they would double your prudence. Know therefore that God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves. 7 “Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty? 8 They are higher than heaven— what can you do? Deeper than Sheol— what can you know? 9 Their measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea. 10 “If He passes by, imprisons, and gathers to judgment, then who can hinder Him? 11 For He knows deceitful men; He sees wickedness also. Will He not then consider it? 12 For an empty-headed man will be wise, when a wild donkey’s colt is born a man. 13 “If you would prepare your heart, and stretch out your hands toward Him; 14 If iniquity were in your hand, and you put it far away, and would not let wickedness dwell in your tents; 15 Then surely you could lift up your face without spot; Yes, you could be steadfast, and not fear; 16 Because you would forget your misery, and remember it as waters that have passed away, 17 And your life would be brighter than noonday. Though you were dark, you would be like the morning. 18 And you would be secure, because there is hope; Yes, you would dig around you, and take your rest in safety. 19 You would also lie down, and no one would make you afraid; Yes, many would court your favor. 20 But the eyes of the wicked will fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope—loss of life!”
I have learned lessons in life very often through the school of hard knocks. When battling depression I went to a counselor and confessed that I felt that no one likes me. The counselor trying to be funny told me ‘what you said cannot be true because everyone has not met you yet.’
People are interested in knowing the different reasons to deal with insults. I know I surely want to know how to deal with them. We never accept the fact that insulting someone is actually a sign of insecurity, but it is true. Offending someone with simple words is to judge the other person in a bad light, which not only degrades the other person’s confidence but also shows the lack of peace of mind in the insulting person. There are different types of people in the world with a lot different kind of personalities. Some people try to work hard in a positive direction to make their place in the society whereas some try to play the social hierarchy game by maligning others. Anyways, the best way to deal with insult is silence; it is its best treatment. Any reply, whether verbal or physical is not worth the effort.
We are going to come across another one of the guys who showed up at Job’s door. This one is named Zophar. He jumps all over Job and beats him up verbally. He is the most inveterate of Job's accusers, and generally speaks without feeling or pity. We are going to find out that Zophar reproves Job severely for his attempts to justify himself. Zophar charges Job with secret iniquity, and contends that God inflicts less punishment on him than his iniquities deserves. Look at what he says to Job -‘For an empty-headed man will be wise, when a wild donkey’s colt is born a man. I want you to think about what he has just called job. We will discuss this shortly when we are on verse 12.
1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said: 2 “Should not the multitude of words be answered? And should a man full of talk be vindicated? 3 Should your empty talk make men hold their peace? And when you mock, should no one rebuke you? 4 For you have said, ‘my doctrine is pure, and I am clean in your eyes.’
One by one the attacks on Job by his friends are becoming more severe. The first one to speak as you remember back in chapter 4 was Eliphaz. He began with a very modest preface. Then the second so called friend Bildad started talking in chapter 8. He was a little rougher upon Job. But now we find Zophar. He falls upon Job without mercy
Zophar is a cold cynic. His tone is high and aloof, making him appear intellectual. He has no heart for Job. He delights in the witty jest that cuts to the bone. He exhibits a very high charge against Job, as proud and false in justifying himself. My thoughts regarding this guy is this ‘why did you ever bother to come and see Job?’ We will find out this answer – Satan sent him.
Zophar represents Job otherwise than what he was and what he had said. We have read and considered Job’s discourses in the previous chapters, and have found them full of good sense and much to the purpose, that his principles are right, his reasoning strong, many of his expressions weighty and very considerable, and that what there is in them of heat and passion - a little candor and charity will excuse and overlook. We like to say, ‘Cut the man some slack.’
Zophar says that Job is a man that never considers what he says, but utters whatever spews out of his mouth. His reasoning for this is that Job only makes noise with a multitude of words, hoping by that means to carry his cause and run down those who reprove him: Should not the multitude of words be answered?
Have you ever noticed how politicians never answer a question? They go off on some tangent and you really forget what you originally asked. In a way this is what Zophar is accusing Job of. He is saying, ‘shall all your excessive words Job pass for valid pleas?’
In verse 3 we see that in effect he is calling Job a liar and that his words mock his great friends. Zophar says to Job that he needs to be put in his place because of his claim that he is clean from sin.
Job had not exactly said, My doctrine and way of life are pure, and I am clean in their eyes; but he had vindicated himself from their charges of secret sins and hypocrisy, and appealed to God for his general uprightness and sincerity: but Zophar here begs the question, in order that he may have something to say, and room to give vent to his discourse.
5 But oh, that God would speak, and open His lips against you, 6 that He would show you the secrets of wisdom! For they would double your prudence. Know therefore that God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves.
Mr. ‘know it all’ will appeal to God for His conviction and begs that God would take Job to task. So very confident is he that Job is in the wrong that nothing will serve him but that God must immediately appear to silence and condemn him. He says to Job ‘I want God Himself to answer you Job. He Is being very kind to you and has given you really less than you deserve.
7 “Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty? 8 They are higher than heaven— what can you do? Deeper than Sheol— what can you know? 9 Their measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea. 10 “If He passes by, imprisons, and gathers to judgment, then who can hinder Him? 11 For He knows deceitful men; He sees wickedness also. Will He not then consider it? 12 For an empty-headed man will be wise, when a wild donkey’s colt is born a man.
When you point your fingers at someone always remember that 3 of the fingers are pointing back at you. Zophar despairs to convince Job, and therefore desires God would convince him of two things which it is good for every one of us to consider, and under all our afflictions confess: In these verses I want to point out three significant quotes;
1. What can you do?
2. What can you know?
3. Who can hinder Him?
We may, by searching find God, but we cannot find Him in anything He Is pleased to conceal; we may know, but cannot know fully, what God Is, nor find out His work from the beginning to the end. Our God Is unsearchable. He Was. He Is. He always shall ever Be.
It is quite out of our reach to comprehend our Holy God’s nature. We cannot fathom His designs, nor find out the reasons of His proceedings. His judgments are a great deep. The apostle Paul attributes such immeasurable dimensions to the divine love as Zophar here attributes to the divine wisdom, and yet recommends it to our acquaintance. We read in the book of Ephesians 3 verses 18 – 19, ‘That you may know the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, of the love of Christ.
Who can either change the sentence or oppose the judgment? Who can control His power or arraign His wisdom and justice? If He that made all out of nothing think fit to reduce all to nothing, or to their first chaos again,—if He that separated between light and darkness, dry land and sea, at first, please to gather them together again,—if He that made unmakes, who can turn Him away, alter His mind or stay His hand, impede or impeach His proceedings?
God Is a strict and just observer of the children of men. We know little of Him, but He knows us perfectly and He considers it in His dealings with them.
Almighty God also sees gross wickedness, though committed ever so secretly and ever so artfully disguised and done. All the wickedness of the wicked is naked and open before the all-seeing eye of God: Will He not then considers it? Yes, certainly He will, and will deal with it, though for a time He seems to overlook it.
Have you thought about what Zophar called Job? He called Job – a dumb [donkey- I refrain from using the other word]. He is accusing Job of being foolish, un-teachable and un-tamable. A wild donkey’s colt is like these.
13 “If you would prepare your heart, and stretch out your hands toward Him; 14 If iniquity were in your hand, and you put it far away, and would not let wickedness dwell in your tents; 15 Then surely you could lift up your face without spot; Yes, you could be steadfast, and not fear; 16 Because you would forget your misery, and remember it as waters that have passed away, 17 And your life would be brighter than noonday. Though you were dark, you would be like the morning. 18 And you would be secure, because there is hope; Yes, you would dig around you, and take your rest in safety. 19 You would also lie down, and no one would make you afraid; Yes, many would court your favor. 20 But the eyes of the wicked will fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope—loss of life!”
Zophar encourages Job to repent and return to God. He tells Job that he must look within, and get his mind changed. He must prepare his heart; there the work of conversion and reformation must begin. The heart that wandered from God must be reduced—that was defiled with sin and put into disorder must be cleansed and put in order again.
He went on to say that Job must look up, and stretch out his hands towards God, that is, must stir up himself to take hold on God, must pray to him with earnestness and importunity, striving in prayer, and with expectation to receive mercy and grace from Him.
Job is challenged that if there be any sin going on then he must put it far away and make restitution if necessary. Job is told that he must do his utmost to reform his family too: Zophar suspected that Job’s household had been ill-governed, and that, where there were many, there were many wicked, and the ruin of his family was the punishment of the wickedness of it; and therefore, if he expected God should return to him, he must reform what had gone wrong there.
Zophar tells Job to trust him. Can you imagine the gall of this guy? He assures Job of comfort if he took his counsel. If he would repent and reform, he should, without doubt, be easy and happy, and all would be well.
We do see a great truth conveyed here, that, all who sincerely turn to God may expect one thing – A holy confidence towards God: "Then shall you lift up your face towards heaven without spot; that you may come boldly to the throne of grace, and not with fear’’
We learn in the book of 1 John chapter 3 verse 21 that ‘Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God’ If our hearts condemn us not for hypocrisy and impenitency, then have we confidence in our approaches to God and expectations from Him. If we are looked upon in the face of the anointed, our faces, that were dejected, may be lifted up—that were polluted, being washed with the blood of Christ, may be lifted up without spot. We may draw near in full assurance of faith when we are sprinkled from an evil conscience as taught to us in the book of Hebrews chapter 10 verse 22.
Job was now full of confusion, but Zophar assures him that, if he would submit and humble himself, his mind would be composed, and he would be freed from those frightful apprehensions he had of God, which put him into such an uneasy state. The less we are frightened the more we are fixed, and consequently the more fit we are for our services and for our sufferings.
Back in chapter 9 verse 27 we learned that Job had endeavored to forget his complaint, but found he could not; his soul had still in remembrance the wormwood and the gall: but here Zophar challenges him to bring through faith and prayer his grief’s and cares to God, and leave them with Him, and then he shall forget them. The prophet Isaiah reports in chapter 33 verse 24 of his book ‘And the inhabitant will not say, “I am sick”; The people who dwell in it will be forgiven their iniquity.’
After a torturing diatribe Zophar now closes by throwing out some nice remarks. Here he thinks to please Job with, in answer to the many despairing expressions he had used, for Job to hope that he will see good days again in this world. That though now his light was eclipsed it should shine out again, and more brightly than ever,—that even his setting sun should out-shine his noon-day sun, and his evening be fair and clear as the morning, in respect both of honor and pleasure—that it should shine even in old age, and those evil days should be good days to him.
Although now Job was in a continual fear and terror, he was encouraged that he should live out his days in rest and security, and find himself continually safe and easy. "Thou shalt dig about thee,’’ that is, "You shall be as safe as an army in its entrenchments. ‘He that walks uprightly may thus walk surely, because, though there are trouble and danger, yet there is hope that all will be well at last. Hope is an anchor of the soul
You shall take your rest (and the sleep of the laboring man is sweet ) in safety, notwithstanding the dangers of the darkness. It is a great mercy to have quiet nights and undisturbed sleep. Is it not?
Zophar suggest to Job that no matter how low his present issues were, if once the tide turned, it would flow as high as ever; and he would be again the darling of his country.
Lastly Zophar concludes with a brief account of the doom of wicked people. It seems to be that he suspected that Job would not take his counsel, and so he here tells him what would then come of it, setting death as well as life before him. See what will become of those who persist in their wickedness, and will not be reformed.
He wants Job to know what will happen to him if he did not heed his advice. Disappointment will be his doom, his shame, and his endless torment. Jobs eyes shall fail with expecting that which will never come. Job’s hope shall be as a puff of breath, vanished and gone past recall. He shall not avoid the evil which sometimes frightens them with the apprehensions of. Then ultimately Job shall not escape the execution of the sentence passed upon him. He can neither out-brave it nor outrun it.
