Zophar’s First Speech, and Job’s Venture of Faith

“The proof of your faith, being more precious than gold that perisheth, though it is proved by fire.” — 1 Pet. i. 7. “Then answered Zophar ... and said... Should a man full of talk be justified?”’ — Chap. xi. 1, 2.

/ peas the third friend, is thought to be the oldest of the three men, and to speak with the tone of extreme age. This may account for his blunt — almost rough — language to a man of Job’s position and character.

Eliphaz had only hinted to Job the conclusions they had come to, and Bildad had gently echoed his words by saying, ‘* Jf thou wert pure and upright ’’ God would surely ‘‘ awake for thee ’’.

Zophar now roughly and bluntly breaks out, ‘‘ Should a man full of talk be justified?’ His indignation has been growing as he listens to Job pleading with God, and saying that he knows of no cause for his affliction, but longs for an umpire to stand as judge between Jehovah and himself. °

Zophar does not mince his words. He considers it is time that Job was spoken to a little more plainly. Gentle dealing evidently is in vain, for he thinks that Job is ‘“‘ full of talk” and “boasting”. It is only mockery for him to appeal to God in the way he has done, and to persist in saying that his conscience is clear before Him (v. 2-4).

Zophar feels indignant on God’s behalf; he wishes that God would open His lips against such mockery, and show Job that He was exacting of him even less than his iniquity deserved (4. 5, 6)!

How a man should speak so boldly to Jehovah was beyond his comprehension. Did Job realize the greatness of the God he was appealing to so freely?

Was Job, as a man, able to know the deep things of God (4. 7, m.)? Could he find out El-Shaddai to perfection? His infinitude was as the heights of heaven, and the depth of the grave; longer than the earth, and broader than the sea (v. 8,9, m.). But El-Shaddai knew vain men; He could see iniquity, even though a man considered it not (v. 11, m.).

What use, though, to talk to Job? ‘‘ An empty man will get understanding,’ Zophar contemptuously says, only ‘‘ when a wild ass’s colt is born a man!” (v. 12, m.).

Kophar’s exhortation

“If thou set thine heart aright, and stretch out thine hands toward Him; If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away ... Surely then....” — Chap. xi. 13-15.

“If thou wert pure and upright, surely He would awake for thee,”’ said Bildad, and Zophar continues on the same text. If thou wouldest set thine heart right. Jf thou wouldest but truly cry to Jehovah, and put iniquity away from thee (v. 13, 14), surely then, Job — then thou couldest lift up thy head, and be without fear (v. 15).

If thou wilt but put things right, Job, then thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that are passed away (v. 16); thy life shall arise above the noonday; the darkness shall be changed into the light of morning (v. 17); thou shalt take thy rest in safety (v. 18) without these terrible dreams thou speakest of; thou shalt le down without fear; yea, thou shalt be restored to thy place of dignity and authority, and many shall make suit unto thee (v. 19).

But refuge is perished from the wicked, there is no hope for them but death (v. 20, m.)!

Job’s reply to Kophar “Then Job answered... No doubt but ye are the people, And

wisdom shall die with you.’’ — Chap. xii. 1, 2.

The blunt friend is often a blessing! Job had only winced under the reproachful sarcasm, and assumed spiritual authority of Eliphaz. In answer he had expressed bitter disappointment at his lack of kindness and sympathy with him in his affliction, and then poured out a pathetic account of his pitiable condition, as a man manifestly drawing nigh to the grave.

Under Bildad’s gentle reasoning and evident desire to encourage him, Job had almost sunk into despair, as he dwelt upon the omnipotence of God, and faced out the question of how to be counted just before Him. He had nevertheless poured out his heart in pleading with this great Jehovah, but had sunk again into the wail that his days were but few, and that he was a dying man.

But the rough language of Zophar acts like a tonic, stirs him to a vigorous reply, awakens the faith that is lying dormant in him, and rouses it to a tenacious hold on God that will carry him through his trial.

The ‘‘ dying man” has more vigour in his soul than he knows. He answers Zophar. as bluntly as he had spoken to him. Sarcastically he says, ‘*‘ No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you but I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you:... who knoweth not such things as these?” (v. 3) Zophar, you are making mea “laughing-stock’ to talk to me like this! J, who have in the past called upon God, and received His answer. The ‘‘ just man ’’ — the man that has walked with God, and known that he was accepted of Him — is being laughed at by his neighbour (v. 4)!

But — ‘‘ In the thought of him that is at ease there is contempt for misfortune’? (v. 5), cries the stricken man.

Job is as blunt as Zophar when he says, “* Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee!’ Who knoweth not that in the hand is the life of every living thing (v. 7-10)?

Zophar had spoken of the greatness of God, but all nature bore witness to this. The ear could test words, even as the palate tasted meat, and Job could not discern any extraordinary light in Zophar’s language (v. 11).

““With aged men, ye say, 1s wisdom”’ (v. 12, 8.), but I say that “* wisdom and might’ is with God (v. 13), continues Job. The God that he had pleaded with was the One Who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will, it was He alone Who had understanding.

He breaketh down so effectually that all that He breaks cannot be built up again. He shuts up a man, and none can open the doors for him, when God holds the key (v. 14).

He holds back the floods of water, and again He sends them out so that they overturn the earth; ‘‘ With Him is strength and effectual working’? (v. 15, 16).

Jehovah is the sovereign Lord of all. He takes away the wisdom of the wise (v. 17); He binds and makes loose even kings (v. 18); He overthrows the mighty (v. 19); He takes away utterance and understanding from the aged (v. 20), and pours contempt upon princes (v. 21); He brings out the riches of darkness (v. 22); increases or decreases nations, and works His will upon the highest of the people of the earth

(v. 23-25).
Job’s desire

“Surely I could speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with

God.” — Chap. xiii. 3.

Zophar had wished that God would open His lips against Job, but Job was not afraid of this; he desired with all his soul to speak with God. He repeats that he is not inferior to Zophar in knowledge of Jehovah (v. 2); his friends had come professedly to help him, but they were “‘ physicians of no value’, he would even describe them as “‘ forgers of lies”? (v. 4) for they were charging him with things that were utterly untrue. What use is a physician who cannot diagnose the case? It would show more wisdom if they were to acknowledge their ignorance, and “‘ hold their peace’? (v. 5).

The friends had sought to reason with Job, let them now listen to his reasoning with them (v.6). ‘They had sought to contend for God (v. 8). What mockery! The Lord would surely reprove them for respecting persons in their hearts (v. 9, 10, m.). They would not have spoken to Job in his days of authority as they had spoken to him as an outcast upon the ash-heap. Were they not afraid thus to deal with a servant of God (v. 11)? Their ‘‘ memorable sayings’? were but ashes, and their excuses, ‘‘ defences of clay”? (v. 12). They had better hold their peace and let him alone, he would speak, be the consequences what they may (v. 13)!

Fob’s venture of faith

“At all adventures I will take... my life in mine hand” (margin R.V.). “Though He slay me yet will I trust in Him... I

will maintain my ways before Him. He also shall be my salvation.”

—Chap. xiii. 14-16, A.V.

Job is thoroughly aroused by Zophar’s harshness, and is driven to a desperate venture of faith. Whatever the cost he will take his life in his hand, and cast himself upon the character of God. He will trust God even though He pleases to slay him. He will hold to it, that Almighty as Jehovah is, SJ 4 he may argue his case with Him (v. 15, m.), and the Lord Himself will be his salvation.

He is sure that a hypocrite will not be permitted to enter His presence (v. 16, A.V.), and in the hearing of his friends he will ‘‘ order his cause”? before Him. Although he may not be able to say how a man may be counted just before God, yet he knows that he ‘“‘ shall be justified”? (v. 17, 18, m.).

Looking upon his would-be helpers, Job asks if there are any that will venture further to contend with him? He is in such a state that if he holds his peace he feels he will die (v. Ig, m.).

There are only two things he will ask of the Lord, and then he will not shrink away from His face (v. 20). ‘* Withdraw Thine hand,’ he cries to God, ‘‘ and let not Thy terror make me afraid. Then call Thou, and I will answer; or let me speak, and answer Thou me’? (v. 21, 22).

Job has referred to this ‘‘ terror’ once before. ‘‘ Knowing the terror of the Lord we persuade men,” said the apostle Paul in writing to the Corinthians long after the time of Job. Without question there is a ‘revelation of God as the One in terrible Holiness, even to the redeemed, so that they might know the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and fear Him with godly awe.

“While I suffer Thy terrors 1 am distracted.” ‘‘ Thy terrors have cut me off,” cried David, when in the same crucible as

Job.
Job’s appeal to God

“How many are mine iniquities and sins? Make me to know my

transgression and my sin.”’ — Chap. xiii. 23.

Job’s friends are charging him with reaping what he has sown; and telling him that he is suffering even less than his iniquity deserves; but he turns from them, and once more pours out his soul to the Lord. Will He not make him know what these iniquities are? Why does he hide His face, and treat him as an enemy (v. 24)? Will the great God “harass a driven leaf”? Will He, the Mighty One, ceaselessly pursue a wisp of “dry stubble’? (v. 25)?

Job goes back in searching of heart to his early days. Is the All-seeing God making him to ‘“‘ inherit the iniquities of [his] youth’?? He is putting him in the “stocks” and looking narrowly unto all his paths, as it were, drawing a line about the soles of his feet, so that every step he took was marked (v. 27). He feels like a “‘ rotten thing”?; a ‘“‘ moth-eaten”’ garment, only fit to be thrown aside (v. 28), and yet — he knows not of any definite ‘‘iniquity”’, or ‘‘ transgression”’, to cause this terrible dealing of God.

Job’s question “If a man die, shall he live again? — Chap. xiv. 14.

After his appeal to God, Job’s thought turns upon the frailty of human life, and the words he uses make it appear that as yet he had no clear assurance of the life to come.

Job evidently feels that he is a man on the edge of the grave, but his words ‘“* Thine eyes shall be upon me, but I shall not be’, give no indication that he had an assured hope of life beyond thetomb. The ‘“‘ land of the shadow of death ’’ is apparently to him a “land of thick darkness, as darkness itself’, and he says, “he that goeth down to the grave cometh up no more’’.

Job has walked with God in this present world, and known His blessing in the things of time, but he is to learn in his affliction what he did not know in his prosperity; for the realities of the other world seem only to be unveiled to us when all of this world has been loosened from our grasp.

Job compares the frail life of man to a flower which springs forth, and is cut down as quickly (v. 1, 2).

“Dost Thou — the Omnipotent, Eternal God — open Thine eyes upon such an one?’ he cries to Jehovah. Is it possible that Thou wilt deal severely with me — a frail human being — and bring me unto judgment with Thee (v. 3), for ‘‘ who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean” (v. 4)?

By these words we see that Job clearly recognizes that man, as he is in himself, is unclean, even as David the Psalmist wrote, they are all gone aside; they are together become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one ’’.*

A “clean thing’? cannot ‘‘ come out of an unclean”? is as true as that a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit. *‘ That which is born of the flesh is flesh,” and there is no hope for fallen man but to begin again, and to be born from above.

Job understands that there is hope for a tree if it is cut down; new life may spring again (v. 7-9); but as for man if he dies, ‘* Where is he’? (v.10)? He passes away as the waters are gone

* Psalm xiv. 3; see also Rom. ili. g-12.

from the sea” (v. 11, m.). When he lies down to his last sleep, he will not wake again until the heavens be no more Vv. 12).

If Ged is angry with me, oh that I could thus be hidden in the grave, until His anger has passed away (v. 13, m.), cries Job. He wishes that the Lord would only appoint a set time when He would remember him, and restore His favour to him, but the thought comes, ‘‘ [fa man die, shall he live again?” (v.14). If he could but be sure of this he would wait patiently all the days of conflict until his release should come; until he would hear the voice of God calling him to another life, when he would answer Him quickly, and know that after all the Lord had a desire to the work of His hands (v. 14, 15).

But now, reverting to his present condition, God appears to be counting his steps, and watching minutely for sin, so that He might ‘“‘seal’’ and fasten up his transgression and iniquity, as it were, in a bag (v. 16, 17).

Surely water ceaselessly running wears away even stones, and Job is feeling quite worn out with the conflict. This prolonged trial is destroying every bit of hope (v. 19). A man in such a state cannot notice anything going on around him, even ‘‘ His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not”? (v.21). Job is in such a condition that he only feels his own pain, and mourns over himself, and his affliction, yea, “‘ only for himself his flesh hath pain, and for himself his soul mourneth” (v. 20, m.).

Job, Chapters xv, xvi, xvii.