Job 11-14

As promised, today we are focusing on Job’s friends. Let’s just say, things have gotten a little tense. 

Job begins in chapter three, pouring out his heart in anguish. Eliphaz makes the first rebuttal, accusing Job of not being righteous and attributing his suffering to an assumed life of sin. In chapters six and seven, Job replies, pleading his innocence and expressing his anguish. He also tells his friends, they should be a little more loyal and compassionate as he grieves (Job 6:14). Bildad completely ignores Job’s plea for empathy and turns up the heat. He accuses Job’s deceased children of having sinned and even implies that they have deserved their punishment of death. Yikes, that was a low blow. But he’s not done. Bildad continues to accuse Job of forgetting God and calls him godless. He is convinced that God is punishing Job for secret sins. Job replies again in chapters nine and ten agreeing with Bildad that the wicked is indeed punished, but still defends his innocence. 

This brings us to today’s reading of chapters 11 when Zophar steps onto the scene. It’s as if he was eager to jump in with his own accusations, ready to “humiliate” Job (Job 11:3). My ESV Bible entitles chapter 11 as “Zophar Speaks: You Deserve Worse”.  Zophar wants God to open His mouth and pronounce judgement upon Job for the audacity to declare a blameless life. In chapter 12, Job is fed up and tells his friends that they are no better or wiser than him. By the time we get to chapter 13 verse 5, Job just wishes they would all be quiet. 

Yikes! What does it feel like to have everything taken from you and then your so-called friends accuse you of sins worthy of such judgement? Had they ever seen him do the things they accuse him of doing? The people who were supposed to uplift and support Job insisted on debating with him and tearing him down. This is a perfect example of kicking a horse while it’s down. We will see this group of men take turns trying to speak on behalf of God while arguing against Job. The interrogation is intense! 

What is shocking is that Job doesn’t budge. He doesn’t give in to the idea that he has done anything wrong. Instead, he continues to plead to the Lord to show him what he has done to deserve such treatment. Job is honestly confused and is genuinely seeking clarification from God. Now this is what sets Job apart from the rest of us. I know for a fact that there are sins that I have committed that I have not asked forgiveness for. At the end of each day, I rarely reflect on all the things I may have done wrong. I might have apologized at the moment, but surely there are sins that have slipped through the cracks. After one or two accusations, I too would be convinced that I was guilty of something. However, Job stands firm. He knows that he has diligently made atonement for each sin. He knows that he has lived an upright life. He knows that he even paid the price for his childrens’ sins.

This story is starting to sound like the story of Jesus. A man without sin who was wrongly accused. A righteous man who was betrayed by his closest friends. Jesus was lied on and sentenced to death. Thankfully, our Lord Jesus’ death was a beautiful necessity that paid for all of our sins. 

I wonder if Jesus felt similar emotions as Job. I wonder how frustrated Job must’ve been while trying to communicate his innocence. Yet, so far, we haven’t seen Job sin. This is why God chose Job. 

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