Faith In The Storm part 9

Job 11:1-20

The Title Of The Message: “Zophar’s Assumption”

The Key Word: Rebuke

The Thought:

The Breakdown:

Verses 1-6 Zophar’s Rebuke

Verses 7-12 Zophar’s Theology

Verses 13-20 Zophar’s Advice

Verses 1-6 Zophar’s Rebuke

Job 11:1-3 NKJV - Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said: 2 NKJV - "Should not the multitude of words be answered? And should a man full of talk be vindicated? 3 NKJV - Should your empty talk make men hold their peace? And when you mock, should no one rebuke you?

Then Zophar… Zophar now takes his turn at Job, Job has just defended himself against the accusations of and , as we read on we get the feeling that Zophar has had enough as he says “Should not the multitude of words be answered?” This is the first of nine questions, but in these first four we see a contempt for Job but that’s because Zophar is assuming and presuming that Job is guilty of sin, the problem is that he is using Job’s tragedy to justify his conclusions. Zophar is tired of Job justifying himself and is frustrated that he will not confess his sin and repent and so the accusation of a multitude of or useless words, a lot of talk, that is empty, words that mock and need to be rebuked. Should not the multitude of words… The multitude of words that Job is speaking come from confusion about his own situation not knowing what he’s done, so his outburst are natural and really is what any of us would do if we found ourselves in Jobs position, and that’s because we are human.

Job 11:4-6 NKJV - For you have said, 'My doctrine is pure, And I am clean in your eyes.’ 5 NKJV - But oh, that God would speak, And open His lips against you, 6 NKJV - That He would show you the secrets of wisdom! For they would double your prudence. Know therefore that God exacts from you Less than your iniquity deserves.

For you have said… Notice in his frustration at Job and at the fact that he thinks he knows what needs to be known about Job’s situation he takes Job’s statements out of context and twist them to make his own point, and so he says Job you said you were pure and that your clean, do you really expect everyone here to believe your sinless? If only God would speak, He would show you a thing or two! His wisdom would double yours!

All Job is saying is that he has no knowledge of any special or specific sin that he has done to cause his kids to die, to cause his servants to die, to loose all of his wealth and to lose his health in this sense Job rightly claims to be innocent or pure and clean. Job knew he was a sinner in the sense that we all know we are sinners before the Lord and have been born into sin because of Adam. in Job 6:3 Job admits that his words are rash, Job 6:3 (NKJV) … Therefore my words have been rash.

In Job 7:21 he ask the Lord why He wouldn’t pardon his transgression and take away his iniquity, Job 7:21 (NKJV) Why then do You not pardon my transgression, And take away my iniquity?… In Job 9:2 Job ask pertaining to himself how can a man be righteous before God, Job 9:2 (NKJV) “Truly I know it is so, But how can a man be righteous before God? In Job 9:20 he admits even if he were righteous and blameless that his own mouth would condemn and show how sinful he is. Job 9:20 (NKJV) Though I were righteous, my own mouth would condemn me; Though I were blameless, it would prove me perverse.

So its in this sense that he can say I’ve been pure and I’ve been clean from any special or particular sin that would give the Lord a cause to make him suffer this way. Again its not a claim of sinlessness just a claim of blamelessness, and God has said as much in in chapters 1 and 2 calling him blameless and upright and he is someone who shuns evil!

Job 1:8 (NKJV) Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”

Job 2:3 (NKJV) Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.”

Know therefore that God exacts from you… But because Zophar doesn’t know any of this he moves on with his way of thinking and says “Know therefore that God exacts from you Less than your iniquity deserves.” In other words Job you should consider yourself lucky because God has taken far less than your sick sin deserves!

In Zophar’s theology he believes that Job has no business or right to say that he is clean or pure in his mind that’s just as sinful as whatever he did to bring all this trouble on himself. For Zophar there is no one who could claim that without lying. Pastor David Guzik has this insight… Zophar here sounds like a man who has carefully studied a particular theological idea (especially in Reformed Theology) known as total depravity. In this idea, the sinfulness of man—both inherited from Adam and actually practiced by the individual—is so great that one could say regarding every suffering of life, “know therefore that God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves.” -Pastor David Guzik

Irregardless of how true or false this theological stance is, whether we agree with it or not we know this for sure Zophar is totally off base, his assessment and his advice are aimed at the wrong person, so Zophar is wrong zophar!

Verses 7-12 Zophar’s Theology

Job 11:7-10 NKJV - "Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty? 8 NKJV - They are higher than heaven--what can you do? Deeper than Sheol--what can you know? 9 NKJV - Their measure is longer than the earth And broader than the sea. 10 NKJV - "If He passes by, imprisons, and gathers to judgment, Then who can hinder Him?

Can you search out… Once Zophar is done teaching Job about the doctrine of total depravity, he goes on to teach him about the Transcendence of God, and the Sovereignty of God, meaning that because God is transcendent Job has no right question God in Zophar’s theology that was wrong to do. And because God is sovereign Zophar believed that the best thing that Job can do is just accept the just punishment he had coming to him, and instead of complaining to the Lord he should be glad God didn’t punish him with all he deserved! This kind of thinking truly places God in the minds of people as a God who is unsympathetic to the trials and tribulation of people, that He doesn’t care about the heart ache of people, who goes around saying you people are lucky thins aren’t worse for you! If the Lord was that way He would never have had the plan for salvation or even had it carried out but because of His great love for us, He sent His Son to pay the penalty of sin, so that we if we choose to can believe on Jesus and receive forgiveness for that sin be cleansed and given eternal life in the presence of the Lord! And once more this plan was made up since before the foundation of the world.

Matthew 25:34 (NKJV) Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Hebrews 4:3 (NKJV) For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest,’ ” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

Job 11:11-12 11 NKJV - For He knows deceitful men; He sees wickedness also. Will He not then consider it? 12 NKJV - For an empty- headed man will be wise, When a wild donkey's colt is born a man.

For He knows deceitful men… Zophar is accusing Job of wanting God to turn a blind eye to his deceitfulness and his wickedness, basically what Zophar is saying is look Job its just worn to expect God to ignore or look away from your deceitfulness and your wickedness dude give me a break this is God He’s knows what your all about!

For an empty-headed man… Now Zophar is just being plain rude but he really can’t help it his theology drives him to conclusions that aren’t there because they are based in his theology of mans total depravity, and so he calls Job stupid, and says he’ll get wisdom as soon as donkeys start having baby human beings our version of when pigs fly! Job your stupid and you’ll get wisdom when pigs start flying! Zophar says this because in his mind its a no brainer, God is sovereign, Job’s a sinner and so he should be thankful that his situation isn’t any worse, what away to comfort someone, you’ve lost everything and someone comes by and says hey it could be worse! Your still alive! Oh wait that’s what they are trying to say now!

Verses 13-20 Zophar’s Advice

Job 11:13-15 NKJV - "If you would prepare your heart, And stretch out your hands toward Him; 14 NKJV - If iniquity were in your hand, and you put it far away, And would not let wickedness dwell in your tents; 15 NKJV - Then surely you could lift up your face without spot; Yes, you could be steadfast, and not fear;

If you would prepare your heart… Zophar’s advice is great advice if his assessment had been right, as he calls on Job to repent! But then again its a no brainer for Zophar because he is absolutely positive that Job needs to put away the inquiry that he’s is secretly practicing and he needs to remove the wickedness from his house.

Then surely you… He says Look Job if would do that then you could look people in the face without being ashamed, without fear.

Job 11:16-19 NKJV - Because you would forget your misery, And remember it as waters that have passed away, 17 NKJV - And your life would be brighter than noonday. Though you were dark, you would be like the morning. 18 NKJV - And you would be secure, because there is hope; Yes, you would dig around you, and take your rest in safety. 19 NKJV - You would also lie down, and no one would make you afraid; Yes, many would court your favor.

Because you would forget… Rain this would be great if Job was actually in sin because what Zophar is saying is true, but only if you apply it to a person who is in sin! It is true that if a person repents from their sin they would forget the misery of that sin, it would become a passing memory, there would be a brightness to their lives, the difference would be night and day, there would be assurance, hope, rest a sense of safety, the ability to sleep and there would none who could make you afraid, and your reputation would be restored. These things are true and correct but again they are applied to the wrong person.

John 7:24 (NKJV) Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

Job 11:20 NKJV - But the eyes of the wicked will fail, And they shall not escape, And their hope--loss of life!”

But the eyes of the wicked… Zophar in his encouragement to Job also warns him again that if he doesn’t repent then he won’t be able to escape and can expect a certain doom!

We do the same by misapplying the word and the teachings of the word by taking them out of context and being unwilling to take in the larger context of the word of God, by applying the letter of the law instead of the spirt in which it was given.

Matthew 22:36–40 (NKJV) 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Application:

1. Bad theology makes us assume that someone is suffering because of sin, instead we are to pray and approach with wisdom.

2. Bad theology will produce wrong thinking and draw us into wrong conclusions. 3. Bad theology will cause us to apply right advice to wrong situations and the wrong people.