RSS

Enjoy Life, Enjoy God


Dale Patterson

ZOPHAR

February 3, 2012

The third of Job's friends interrupts Job's crying, and in an attempt to help and counsel his friend, Zophar simply offers more of the same old street wisdom, common sense.  Oh, common sense may be common, but often it's flat out wrong.

 
Are all these words to go unanswered?  Is this talker to be vindicated?  Will your idle talk reduce others to silence?  Will no one rebuke you when you mock?
---Job 11:2,3 TNIV 
 
Zophar rebukes Job.  In doing so, he returns to the same reasoning as the two prior friends: "Job, God does not punish and cause innocent people to suffer as you suffer.  Get right with God, and your good life will return."  But Job will have nothing of it.
 
By the way, sin can certainly be the cause of our suffering.  If nothing else, Job's story cautions us against reducing life to such a cause and effect formula, but Job's friends never give up on this rationale as we will see.  For the time being, Job cries out, and he continues to cry out, but does not give up.  Beware of the Zophars of this world. 
 
Joyfully,
 
Dale Patterson