An Accuser not a Friend

 

Job 11:1-12

 

“Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said: “Should a multitude of words go unanswered, and a man full of talk be judged, right?  Should your babble silence men,
 and when you mock, shall no one shame you?  For you say, ‘My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in God's^[a] eyes.’  But oh, that God would speak and open his lips to you, and that he would tell you the secrets of wisdom! For he is manifold in understanding. Know then that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves.  “Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?  It is higher than heaven—what can you do?  Deeper than Sheol—what can you know?  Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea.  If he passes through and imprisons and summons the court, who can turn him back?  For he knows worthless men; when he sees iniquity, will he not consider it?  But a stupid man will get understanding when a wild donkey's colt is born a man!”

Do you recall Bildad the first to be more of an accuser than a friend?  It seems that his friend Zophar has taken the role of the prosecuting attorney.  He begins by calling Job a talker, has no mercy in his speech, and often twists what Job has stated.  It seems that he only finds fault in what Job has said and no longer can see Job as a friend but as a sinner getting all that is coming to Him. 

 

Job never claimed that he had not sinned, or that he was pure before God, his only claim was that he is blameless.  One would be wise to recall God’s words to the devil.  Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job?  No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity.”

 

As followers of Christ, we are on this side of the cross and God the Father through the premise of our trust in the blood of Jesus Christ.  Because of God’s grace and the faith, he has given us to believe that Christ’s bloodshed on the Cross has covered all sin, for all that have bowed a knee to Jesus.  Job never claimed to understand all the ways of God, once more Zophar taking liberty with Job’s words.

 

 Zophar is taking the role of being God’s defense attorney, a very dangerous place, for God never appointed Him or you to that role.  In fact, I’ve yet to find in Scripture God defending Himself, when ask by Moses who should I say sent me, God said tell them “I Am” sent me.  In Romans 1:18-25, makes it very clear that men are without excuse when they reject God.

 

I worked with a young salesman in my early days at 3M  and Joe would often say the hardest thing to overcome in sales is ignorance and apathy and is that not true also as one who is a follower of Christ?

 

From the Back Porch, 

 

Bob Rice