(REFLECTIONS ON Job 11:1-20)

Today we turn to Zophar, the last of Job’s three friends to speak. Eliphaz approached Job carefully based on his experience and personal observation. Bildad then responded not just with experience and personal observation, but tradition, cultural wisdom, and history.

Zophar is the harshest of the three friends, perhaps because he has already heard enough from the conversation between Job, Eliphaz, and Bildad. Zophar accuses Job of being all talk, trying to talk himself out of being responsible for this tragedy because of his hidden sins.

Zophar’s stance is not based only on personal experience, or Hebrew tradition, but stands to speak of God’s greatness. Whatever sin Job is hiding, Zophar reiterates that nothing can be hidden from God.

7 “Can you discover the depths of God?
Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?
8 “They are high as the heavens, what can you do?
Deeper than Sheol, what can you know?

11 For He knows false men,
And He sees iniquity without investigating.

Zophar wants Job to stop hiding in his hidden sin, because God’s knowledge is greater than our ability to hide it. Zophar also hints that it is possible that God hasn’t punished Job fully for what he deserves and that even in his sin, God shows Job mercy. Zophar means for Job to quickly repent of his sins because of the Lord’s great mercy.

Zophar says that the secrets of wisdom are in the Lord that knows more than any person could ever know. Why then should Job continue to hide, because what is hidden from people, cannot be hidden from God.

The only hope then for Job, according to Zophar, is to open up his heart and spread out his hands to take the sin that is hidden and confess it to the Lord. However, if Job refuses to let the sin out, then there is no hope for him.

20 “But the eyes of the wicked will fail,
And there will be no escape for them;
And their hope is to breathe their last.”

What is ironic is that Zophar is right. God’s wisdom and His knowledge surpasses all of creation, because the Lord is the Creator. The creature can never outsmart, hide anything from the Creator and get away with it.

Yet, because of this fact, Zophar fails to realize that God’s wisdom not only can see through any hidden sin, but that only God truly knows if His creation is guilty or innocent. God’s wisdom is greater than human experience, tradition, and even a mere understanding that God is the Almighty.

What does this mean? It means that even Zophar can’t know the truth, but is only limited to his own skewed view of the situation. Yes, if we truly believe God’s wisdom is beyond all human knowledge and understanding, then we know that truth can only be found in Him.

Yet, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar are so sure of themselves, not realizing their own arguments show the limits of human understanding, and the infinite wisdom of God. If that is so, then it should lead to humility rather than pride, and compassion rather than judgment.

Yes, we can lean on our own experiences, on traditions, culture, and history, but in the end if we believe God’s great wisdom is beyond what we can comprehend, then we must admit that our own views at most are limited by our own shortsightedness.

That is why the movement of our faith should never be inwards towards ourselves, or outwards towards others, but a single path towards God, through Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit. This is why in the Gospel of Luke, John the Baptist came out preaching a message not of self-discovery, but rather to prepare the way of the Lord.

In Luke 3:4 we read,

“The voice of the one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.'”

To prepare the way of the Lord, is to prepare the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. That the path needs to be made straight, means that all paths leading to all different directions, must come together, aligned with the heart of God, and make a direct path to God, through Christ, by the Holy Spirit.

Yes, we have many paths in our lives, leading to ourselves, to the world, to others, but only one path leads to God, and that is through Christ, by the Holy Spirit. Zophar admits that only God knows, and that is why our march should be towards the cross, through Christ, to God, rather than pointing in any other direction.

Let us march towards the cross, lead those in need to the cross, and move through the cross, to God Himself, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: Job 11