Thought to Guide Your Reading
Job’s friends, in defending God, actually bring reproach on God’s justice.Summary in 100 Words or Less
Job cries out to God, “Speak to me! What is my sin? You wonderfully created me! Yet if I sinned you would greatly punish me! What is my sin?"Zophar interjects, “Who do you think you are? If God answered, you would be babbling in the ditch. Give up and repent of you evil."
Job mocks, “I’m sure you speak for all the experts, and when you die there’ll be no one left to tell us how to live" (12:2, The Message). I know how wonderful God is. Why do you defend God this way? Does he need you to defend himself?"
How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right
Job never accuses God of perverting justice.
Job continues to call out to God to bring charges against him. He accepts his fate though he still does not understand why it has come.Zophar wrongly accuses Job of hiding his sin and being too stubborn to admit it.
This situation feels unsettlingly familiar to me. There have been several times I have tried to convince someone they are a sinner. Why would I do such a thing? If they cannot see where they have sinned, maybe they are correct. If I continue to press someone's sinfulness I may be perverting justice in the name of God. This is important for all Christians to understand. We do not need to defend God. God is the Creator of the universe, remember.Job firmly derides his friends for perverting justice in God’s name.
Job’s friends do not understand what is going on. They continuously stress Job’s guilt using higher and higher theological language. Job has no other option but to mock their arrogance. It reminds me of how many non-Christians mock Christian’s arrogance on what is “obviously black and white." If things were so black and white, why do Christians need to use highly-complicated theology to get there?What else did you see reading this passage? Questions? Comments? Leave a comment in the section below or on the Sonoma Mountain Parkway Church of Christ Facebook page.
I have to remind myself that Job's relationship with God and his understanding of how God ruled would have been somewhat shaped by Job's understanding of the rulers of the day. Kings at that time held absolute power and were not known for their kindness. Some of what Job says about God sounds a little harsh to me, but it would have fit within the culture of the day.
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