Job 20: Zophar, Zo Bad

Job 20:29 "Such is the fate God allots the wicked, the heritage appointed for them by God."

Zophar, still offended, describes what he believes happens to wicked people in this chapter. It's all bad stuff, of course. Obviously, this is meant to describe Job, whatever it is he may have done. And since Job knows he has done nothing, and Zophar knows even less than that, you can't help but want to tell Zophar to cram it.

And as I read through all these things, I wondered: If all these horrible things happen to innocent people, what happens to the truly wicked? And does it matter? From the text, we know Job had absolutely no part of this wrongdoing as described by Zophar, but Zophar's like..."don't you know that this is why you are being punished?" And Job isn't even being punished.

I don't know how Job is putting up with this. I would have given up a long time ago.

Job 11: And Yet Zophar

Job 11:4-6 "You say to God, 'My beliefs are flawless and I am pure in your sight.' Oh, how I wish that God would speak, that he would open his lips against you and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides."

Zophar is next to take a whack at Job's problem. And whack he does. He rips Job for hiding his sin and proclaiming his innocence, when clearly God is punishing him for something. Just who does Job think he is fooling? It is arrogance that guides Zophar's assessment of Job's predicament.

He offers a description of God that mostly was already covered by Job himself in the previous chapter. I picture Job nodding and rolling his eyes, as I often do when be lectured about something about which I already know full well. Nobody is as wise as God. Right, we get it. True wisdom is realizing nobody is as wise as God, uh huh. 

If only Job would confess this sin that is burdening him, Zophar thinks. Does he really want to help Job, or is it more of an issue of coming out on top? Zophar feels he is wiser than Job, and that his rather generic advice is customized enough to Job's "problem." Which is likely the most unique problem in human history, considering all that brought him to this point. Zophar needs to consider Job's specific problem, and even then would likely never be able to pinpoint God as the fulcrum.