“Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said: “Should not the multitude of words be answered? And should a man full of talk be vindicated? Should your empty talk make men hold their peace? And when you mock, should no one rebuke you? For you have said, ‘My doctrine is pure, And I am clean in your eyes. But oh, that God would speak, And open His lips against you” (Job 11:1-5).
Dear God, we thank You that You are not only Father, but also Friend; that friend who is closer to us than a brother! It is Your love, Your understanding, Your mercy, and faithfulness, that gives us the strength to go on, when those we are depending upon, let us down. So thank You ABBA, for being our ever-present help in the day of trouble. In the precious name of Jesus Christ we offer this prayer. Amen.
The other “friend” of Job, Zophar, now joins the conversation. At the beginning of Job’s story, I thought these men were friends of Job, for many years. After all, it seemed as if they had traveled from far, with the one purpose of comforting their friend. I counted them men of integrity, because Job was a man of integrity, according to the Judge of all the earth!
Others judge us by what they see, and perhaps by what they hear said of us, but the Judge of all the earth, judges us by what He knows!
“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9a). While others are guessing, God knows our true condition, because He sees the heart.
They are treating Job as if he were a charlatan; that his words are empty, and that he is not really who he appeared to be. After all these years they begin to doubt the integrity of their friend? Friends are the ones who are usually willing to give us the credit of the doubt – not doubt us! In all the years that they had known Job, had he ever given them reason to doubt his intentions? His behavior? His words?
Why now, in the midst of his grief, are they willing to second guess him? And do it so openly, and offensively? How heart rending this had to be for Job! It is no small wonder he was overwhelmed by their undermining him!
“Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh!” They opened their mouths, and all the bile that perhaps had been welling up inside of them, became immediately evident!
[A] man full of talk; your empty talk; you mock; [O]h, that God would speak, And open His lips against you. These are phrases, and a statement taken from Zophar’s speech! Growing up I would hear people say the following, and perhaps you have too, “With friends like these, who needs an enemy!“I couldn’t agree more!
But thanks be to God, when everything and everyone may fail, Jesus will never fail you!
In our next devotional, we will hear Zophar speaking of God’s justice, a pattern we have noticed with the three so-called friends of Job; mixing their mistaken view of God, with true statements of God’s justice. Half-truths, which are no truth, thereby misrepresenting the character of God, and causing confusion in those who hear. Then, we will listen to what Job has to say for himself.