Job 11:1-20 –Truth must be accurately applied

If we follow the drift of Job’s complain we will see that when he first began, he only lamented his misfortune. That’s why Eliphaz in Job 6-7 only insinuated indirectly that he was guilty of sin. That did not sit well with Job, so he cursorily defended his innocence. Bildad bypassed what Job had said in response to Eliphaz, by insisting that he was guilty or else he would not be suffering in his plight. That led Job to rigorously deny his guilt in chapters 9-10. Zophar, the third friend who did not speak so far, couldn’t take the patriarch’s insistence. So, he felt compelled to respond to him head on.

His opening remark was that Job had spoken from his head and not from his heart. He insisted that what Job said were only hot air and empty boast, and felt he needed to be put down a peck or two. So, he chastened Job for insisting on his innocence. Besides charging Job of falsehood and pride, Zophar wished Job would be convinced by God’s wisdom. He wished the Almighty would reveal His incomprehensible and unsearchable wisdom to Job. He even had the audacity to hurl an insulting sarcasm at Job. In verse 12, he said, “An idiot will become intelligent when the foal of a wild donkey is born a man.” This can never happen. His was indirectly asking Job to stop his idiotic stupidity.  

As if Job did not know, Zophar in verses 15-20 then appealed directly to Job to set his heart right, plead with God, put his iniquity away and remove all wickedness from his tents. He presumed that Job was guilty of some sin. He assured him that if he did all that God would bless him and restore prosperity to him. For he was sure that the wicked would surely perish. The irony of the whole situation is this. Zophar was right in all that he had said about God, but he was wrong in his insistence that Job had sinned. It is good to know right doctrines, but it would be better to apply them in the right context. It is infinitely more important to apply them accurately in the right circumstances.