Job Chapter 11 review





Chapter 11


Job 11:1 KJV  Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,

 A new voice from Job’s ‘friends.’  Likely the youngest of them or otherwise lowest in status, so as to speak last.

Job 11:2 KJV  Should not the multitude of words be answered? and should a man full of talk be justified? Job 11:3 KJV  Should thy lies make men hold their peace? and when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?

Zophar, giving his reasons for responding, that silence may be misinterpreted for agreement.

Job 11:4 KJV  For thou hast said, My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in thine eyes.

This is Zophar’s paraphrasing of Job’s words.  He is exaggerating somewhat, Job’s words.  Job never said precisely these things.

Job 11:5 KJV  But oh that God would speak, and open his lips against thee; Job 11:6 KJV  And that he would shew thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.

Zophar isn't demonstrating much love for his ‘friend’ Job.  The first two to speak, at least made attempts to show Job the error of his ways, in their opinions.  It appears that Zophar is wishing for retribution to be poured out on Job.

Job 11:7 KJV  Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? Job 11:8 KJV  It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?

God is beyond our comprehension.  Our thoughts are finite.  God is infinite.

Job 11:9 KJV  The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.

Zophar is using the largest measures that he can think of, to compare God to.

Job 11:10 KJV  If he cut off, and shut up, or gather together, then who can hinder him?

If God isolates you, imprisons you, or collects you what can you do about it?

Job 11:11 KJV  For he knoweth vain men: he seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it?

Strong’s H7723 translated ‘vain’, is a much stronger word that the current meaning of ‘vain’.  From Strong’s definition: 

From the same as H7722 in the sense of desolating; evil (as destructive), literally (ruin) or morally (especially guile); figuratively idolatry (as false, subjectively), uselessness (as deceptive, objectively; also adverbially in vain): - false (-ly), lie, lying, vain, vanity.

Zophar calling Job out as a despicable morally bankrupt person, whom God is well justified in tormenting.

Job 11:12 KJV  For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass's colt.

Note this word translated as ‘vain’ is Strong’s H5014, is a much milder word, more in line with what we consider ‘vain’:

Strong’s definition: A primitive root; to pierce; to be hollow, or (figuratively) foolish: - hollow, vain. 

Possibly: A hollow, empty man will become wise with the same likelihood as a wild ass’s colt being born a man.  In other words, there is no possibility of this happening.

Job 11:13 KJV  If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him; Job 11:14 KJV  If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.

Zophar switches mode, from harshly criticizing Job to encouraging him.

Job 11:15 KJV  For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear:Job 11:16 KJV  Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away: Job 11:17 KJV  And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning. Job 11:18 KJV  And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety. Job 11:19 KJV  Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; yea, many shall make suit unto thee.

In Job’s day, as in this day, the doctrine of prosperity for the righteous seems to have been popular.  Zophar extols Job that as soon as he repents, and becomes fully righteous, all will be well. . . his life will turn around.  As a logical consequence of this reasoning, all who suffer in poverty, therefore must be wicked and paying the price for their ungodly ways.  Billionaires, and heads of the drug cartels must be righteous, godly people according to this logic due to their vast wealth and the desperately poor of Africa must be evil for their appalling poverty.  I have trouble finding such a doctrine on the pages of my Bible.

Job 11:20 KJV  But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost.

Strong’s H5315 . . . giving up of their breath, dying.  What a self serving doctrine.  I am doing well, therefore I must be righteous and in God’s will.  Rightfully unpalatable to one who is going through trials. . . bad things happen to good people, and as we well know, good things happen to bad people.  Financial status, health, etc. are no valid measures of sanctification.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

When Your Mother Dies. . .

Lessons learned when you were four become much more meaningful. . . The temperature of the whole world chills a little. . . Toll House cookies are no longer merely a snack, but a monument. . . Mothers day changes from an obligation to a craving. . . Sometimes the air thins and you gasp for breath just sitting in a chair. . . Crying for Mommy returns after a fifty year absence. . . You lose something vast and precious that you didn't even know you had. . . You crave being held and hugged all the time. . . The last time you spoke to her is now at the bottom of a big ache. . . Tears are found in totally unexpected places. . . Never again. . . her magical home made vegetable soup. . . wonderful green beans, potatoes, and ham that aren't falling apart and soupy. . .meat loaf with just the perfect amount of ketchup on top. . . those just right crispy fried potatoes. . . never again. . . for ever. . . Your chance to repay an enormous debt is lost. . . You lose ...
Read more

How to Find a Great Church. . .

Image
or Beetles and Bell Curves. . . The following is expanded from a talk that I gave at a men's meeting at the Elkhart County Jail March 11, 2009 Many years ago I heard on the radio, or read in a magazine or book, or saw on television. . . I just cannot remember even what medium I saw this on. . .anyway,  a scientist talked about what he could deduce about God from the design of the universe.  This man's response fascinated me and I have continued to ponder upon it for some twenty or twenty-five years after hearing it. This scientist said that he could tell two things about God from the design of the universe.  The first being that God has an inordinate love of beetles.  Zoologists have catalogued roughly 700,000 species of insects and almost half of those are various kinds of beetles.  Of all living plants and animals roughly 20% of that entire number are beetles.  That was the first thing that this scientist noticed about God's creation. The second thing was...
Read more

A Measurement Standard. . .

Image
A kilogram is currently defined by a standard cylinder of platinum-iridium alloy which is kept at the International bureau of weights and measures near Paris, France. On May 20th of this year a new definition will replace the platinum-iridium artifact association. The new definition will be: taking the fixed numerical value of the Planck constant h to be 6.62607015×10−34 when expressed in the unit J⋅s, which is equal to kg⋅m2⋅s−1, where the metre and the second are defined in terms of c and ΔνCs. A second is defined as the amount of time a cesium-133 atom takes to vibrate 9,192,631,770 times. A compass points to the magnetic pole of the earth to determine the direction north. A meter is defined as 1,650,763.73 wavelengths of orange-red light, in a vacuum, produced by burning the element krypton-86. In each of these cases, a measurement is determined by something outside of what is being measured. . . something independent of the measurer. Where am I going with this? For t...
Read more