DBG - June 8 - Job 11-14

In this chapter Zophar makes his accusation against God.

vs. 1-6 – Zophar is irritated at Job’s responses so far.  He believes Job is self-righteous and that he deserves more suffering if he will not repent of his sins that caused his condition.

vs. 7-12 – Zophar next appeals to the greatness of God.  This is a common theme in Job if you have not noticed.  Job’s friends like to talk about this, but then they turn around and limit God to a simple formula; to wit, that God sends suffering upon man because of his sin. 

vs. 13-20 – Zophar exhorts Job to repent of his sin that must have caused his suffering.  None of Job’s friends can get past this. Zophar, though, gives it a positive for a change.  If Job would only repent, then God would bless him again.  God does truly bless Job again in the end of the book, but it is not like Zophar is presenting.  The final words are once again a warning that God punishes the wicked, so Job must repent or give up all hope.

In this chapter Job responds to Zophar’s accusations.

vs. 1-6 – Job responds with sarcasm.  Were there ever such wise men as these friends of his?  Who were they to treat him in such a condemning manner?  Note in vs. 6 that he counters the claim Zophar made multiple times that the wicked simply do not prosper on this earth.  Clearly, they do.  It is easily proven.

vs. 7-25 – Job counters Zophar’s claims about the greatness and sovereignty of God.  Even the animals understand this.  It is nothing to brag about having to learn on your own and claim to have discovered some great truth.  God is so great, in Job’s estimation, that He can and does subvert the expectations of human wisdom.  Job’s description of God’s sovereignty is superior to that of Zophar.

In this chapter Job addresses the arguments made so far by his three friends.

vs. 1-5 – Job’s summary of the arguments made by his friends to this point is that it was all worthless and of no help to his situation.  It would be better if they had not said anything at all.

vs. 6-13 – Job accuses his friends of speaking lies in the name of God.  Job turns the tables on them and says that they would be the ones that God would judge for misrepresenting his truth.  Their so-called wisdom was worthless.

vs. 14-21 – Job now pleads his case directly to God.  He has the utmost faith in God and that his innocence will be proven, even if it is in eternity and not on this earth.  Even if God took his life, still Job would trust Him.  He makes two requests of God, that his suffering end and that he be no longer frightened of God. 

vs. 22-28 – Job’s self-righteousness appears again as he continues to address God.  He challenges God to answer him and to reveal his sin.  This is far from the attitude of faithful submission to God’s sovereignty that Job has claimed.  He claims he has been treated unfairly and suffered without need or cause.

In this chapter Job opines the frailty of human existence.

vs. 1-6 – Job describes the frailty of humanity correctly.  Our lives are short and inconsequential, especially compared to the eternal God.  Because of the infinite disparity between human and Deity, he states that man deserves God’s mercy and pity. 

vs. 7-12 – Building on the theme of human frailty deserving God’s pity, Job points to the tree.  The tree will be cut down yet sprout limbs and buds anew.  Man has no such advantage.  There is no return from death.

vs. 13-17 – Job again despairs for death.  If only he would die to end this suffering, because he had faith that on the other side of death was eternal life.  We see in vs. 14-15 one of the clearest declarations of life beyond the grave and of the resurrection. 

vs. 18-22 – Job observes that all things in natures decay and die.  Mountains crumble and stones erode.  What hope did man have?  His frailty would bring an end to his earthly existence, and before that he must suffer.  What is man before the almighty God?  What can man do if God turns against him?  Those are the accusations Job is making against God to claim he was unjustly subjected to suffering.

Job was a man just like us.  He was not perfect, and neither were his friends.  As they argue the causes of his suffering, there are mixtures of truth and error in their words.  But every now and then some of the most sublime statements sparkle in the darkness.  That is very true concerning 13:15 and 14:14-15.  Job’s imperfect faith was being put to the test.  We have these reminders that it was a very strong faith, even if he was struggling with it in his present state.  I point this out because we do the same.  We all have that strange mixture of strength and weakness within us.  Perfection is not for this world but the next.  May our prayer be like that of the father seeking for Christ to heal his son in Mark 9:24, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”

Today’s hymn, written by George P. Morris, often appears under the heading “The Grace Disarmed of Its Terrors”.  It weaves some of Job’s words of despair about the frailty of human life with the blessed hope of the believer.

Man dieth and wasteth away,
And where is he?--hark! from the skies
I hear a voice answer and say,
The spirit of man never dies!
His body, which came from the earth,
Must mingle again with the sod;
His soul, which in heaven had birth,
Returns to the bosom of God.

No terror has death, or the grave,
To those who believe in the Lord--
Who know the Redeemer can save,
And lean on the faith of his word:
While ashes to ashes, and dust
We give unto dust, in our gloom
The light of salvation we trust,
Which hangs like a lamp in the tomb.

O Lord God Almighty, to thee
We turn as our solace above;
The waters may fail from the sea,
But never thy fountains of love:
Oh, teach us thy will to obey,
And sing with one heart and accord,--
He gave, and he taketh away,
And praised be the name of the Lord.