Job 11 Devotional
by Pastor Lawrence Bowlin

In this chapter, we are introduced to Zophar, another of Job’s friends with good intentions who is trying to help Job to see that the cause of his suffering is because of some particular sin in his life. Having heard Job’s responses to the first two friends, Zophar comes out immediately accusing Job of babbling, which is the sure sign of a fool. He also accuses him of mocking God and his friends by denying the discipline of the Lord and the rebuke of wise men. Thus, Zophar takes it upon himself to shame this mocker. Since Job said, “My doctrine is pure and I am clean in God’s eyes,” Zophar wishes that God in his manifold understanding would come right out and speak to Job setting him straight by explaining to him “the secrets of wisdom,” which God actually does later on in Job chs. 38-42, but when that actually happens, God does not confirm Zophar’s assumptions that Job has done something wrong deserving of his misery. Nevertheless, much of what Zophar says concerning God’s wisdom is repeated in those later chapters.

For instance, in vv.7-11 Zophar shares some of the manifold understanding of God. Speaking of the “deep things of God” and the “limit of the Almighty,” he explains that no one can find out these things for they are “higher than heaven,” and “deeper than Sheol,” “longer than the earth,” and “broader than the sea.” He asks, “What can you do?” and “What can you know?” “Who can turn God’s hand back?” Zophar’s point is that God sees what Job has done even if Job can’t see it himself.

In v.12, Zophar comes right out and calls Job an ass inferring that he is only stubborn in seeking to prove his innocence because he is like a stupid beast who does not know God. And he suggests that Job must be born again as a man in order to understand the truth of the matter. And the way to obtain this new birth, Zophar suggests in vv.13ff is by preparing his heart through faith in prayer, and putting his sins far away from him through repentance. Zophar says in vv.15-19 that IF he does these things, THEN, he will be secure without fear, he will forget his misery, and finally find some rest. On the other hand, Zophar insists in v.20, “the eyes of the wicked man will fail, all way of escape will be lost to him, and he will have no future hope.

Even though Zophar’s assumptions about Job are wrong, what he says about sin is right. We all have a tendency to be as stubborn as an ass in defending ourselves from being accused of sin. And we all are in need of being born again in order that we might see the truth and be reconciled to God through faith in Christ. For it is only through our confidence in Christ, our advocate on high, who can lay his hand on both God and us, that we are able to look up to heaven without shame and fear knowing that Christ has born our shame on the cross and that he is able to help us in the midst of our weakness to find light in the darkness and hope in our pain.