Job: A Story With Many Complexities

You know, the story of Job is not by any stretch of the imagination an easy one to work through. Theres just so many complex literary and spiritual textures and concepts woven into the baseline story.

The Cepher of Job is in part a work of words: expressions; concepts of justice and righteousness (both man’s and the Eternal’s), that are expressed between 4-men who were brought together by a terrible set of tragedies. Turns out Job’s tragedies were born of spiritual testing, which we are made aware at the outset of the Cepher.

I have to admit that I used to be intimidated by the book for the very reason just cited. But I no longer shy away from it. For despite the aforementioned  varied and complex issues woven into the story, I have found that Father will reveal many of the immense spiritual treasures therein to any who have a heart to seek them out.

The Friends You Love to Hate

In my Torah Readings this week, I came to the 11th Chapter of Job. And there I found Zophar and his criticism of Job.

Zophar was one of the 3-amigos who supposedly came to mourn with Job and offer comfort him  comfort in Job’s hour of need (2:11). And if you, like me, are at all familiar with the baseline story of Job, you will know that the the 3-amigos’ presence here proved to be anything but a comfort to beleaguered Job.

Enter Zophar

Chapter 11 of Job features Zophar who is described as a Naamathite (Hebrew meaning “pleasantness”) Not that it matters, but it turns out that the location of Naamah is unknown. Otherwise, Zophar is described as a friend of Yob.

Zophar’s speech in this chapter is a response to Job’s previously stated assessment of his tragic situation (vs. 2). It is here that he calls Job out for his seeming unrepentant manner and speech (vs. 4). Zophar appears from the wording of this passage to be outraged by Job’s seemingly impious perspective of is situation. And thus Zophar seizes upon this opportunity to shed some his coventional wisdom and knowledge with the purpose of correcting Job understanding of his situation.

Confession is Always Good For the Soul

Before launching into the core of his argument, Zophar essentially tells Job that all he needs to do to fix his problem is to acknowledge and confess that which he’s done and seek Yah’s mercy (vs. 6).

Empty Words and Presumption?

Zophar responds to Job’s perspectives of his situation in seeming outrage. It would appear that he intends to put Job in his place.

One commentary I consulted described Zophar’s rhetoric was in response to Job’s “empty words and presumption.” Clearly Zophar and his other two buddies believe that Job’s situation was brought about by Job commiting some terrible sin(s). And Job’s expressions to them of his innocense simply did not set well with these 3 fellows.

Unbeknowst to any of the players here in this story, Job’s tribulation was the product of testing that would ultimately bring him greater blessings than he had before.

Lead Us Not Into Testing, But Deliver Us From the Evil One

The story of Job is one of many that are scattered throughout the Holy Writ that reveals that Yah is prone to test His elect from time to time. And the lesson to be learned in this reality is that sometimes when we are going through stuff, it may be related to a test or testing that Abba is putting us through.

Undergoing testing of the Father is never a fun thing and as we see here in the story, it can have the effects of terribly disrupting one’s life, despite the positives that can come from it.

That’s one of the reasons Master Y’shua incorporated into the outline for prayer He gave to His disciples the line that petitions Father to “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…” (Mat 6:13 KJV). A more accurate translation is actually found in Roth’s AENT, which reads: “And not bring us into trial, but deliver us from the evil one…” The erroneous conventional understanding of this passage is that of petitioning Father to not lead us into some form of temptation. But is that indeed the true understanding of YHVH having anything to do with tempting His children?

God Never Tempts His Children

The apostle James clarifies for his readers that YHVH is never the source of temptation:

13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. (Jam 1:13-14 KJV)

But we know from Torah that Yah does on ocassion test or prove His people:

3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deu 13:3 KJV; cf. Job 1:7-12)

Despite Zophar’s Misinformed Understanding of Job’s Situation, We Can Learn From His Misplaced Criticism of Job

Zophar may be completely ignorant of what prompted Job’s tragedies. But he is correct in his acknowledgement that we tend to exact from Yah’s judgment less than our iniquity deserves (vs. 6; cf. Ezr. 9:13; Lam. 3:22).

And so Zophar paints for Job that we humans are inherently incapable of truly knowing the full extent of the Almighty’s Ways and Purposes (vs. 7).

It was Shaul who pondered the unsearchableness of Yah’s judgments; the depths of His wisdom and knowledge; and the indeterminable understanding of the Creator’s Ways (Rom. 11:33).

The Psalmist wrote that Yah’s greatness was indeed unsearchable (145:3). The prophet Isaiah also pondered how unsearchable Yah’s understanding is (40:28).

Thus it behooves Yah’s elect to not presume they know everything there is to know about their Creator.

Zophar Calls Out Job

So Zophar challenges what he perceives to be Job’s arrogance and unrepentant nature by demanding to know from Job if he is so special that he can in fact ascertain the deep things and purposes of Yah (vs. 7). And of course this was just to bait Job, as evident in Zophar noting that it was impossible for him to do so (vs. 8-9).

And because the Almighty’s nature is beyond human understanding and He is sovereign over all, it stands to reason that His holiness will move Him to address evil whenever it rears it head in His human creation (vs. 11).

Zophar Reasons With Job

And so Zophar admonishes Job to set his heart “aright” (NAB) and “spread out his hands toward the Eternal” (vs. 13; cf. Psm. 88:9; 143:6); to stop sinning and rid himself and his home of all unrighteousness (vs. 14). In so doing, reasons Zophar, then Job will be clean and have no need to fear Yah’s wrath (vs. 15).

Zophar’s line of reasoning here is that, if Job would only humble himself before his Creator, all that has befallen him would be made well and Job would soon move beyond troubles (vs. 16). Thus, everything in Job’s life would be made right and he would find security, rest and peace (vs. 17; Pro. 3:24; Psm. 4:8). In fact, others will see how he would be fairing and seek after the same favor he incurred from Yah (vs. 19).

Apostolic Confirmation of Zophar’s Expressed Wisdom

There is this strong belief and sense, even by the Apostle James, that if one would simply draw nigh to the Creator with clean hands, a pure heart and singleness of mind, the Creator would draw night to this person (Jam. 4:8).

The Wicked Become Subject to God’s Judgments

And of course, Zophar has to point out that the wicked will not realize the grace and blessings that come with getting one’s self in right relationship with the Almighty (vs. 20; cf. Pro. 10:28). For the wicked have no escape from Yah’s judgment. And we find that this is indeed a Torah principle that must not be overlooked by Yah’s anointed: When we, who are Yah’s elect, choose to disavow Yah’s commandments and follow after our own ways and predilections, we find no rest nor peace of mind while dwelling among the nations of this world (Deu. 28:65).

Consequently, We become subject to disease and psychological illnesses; that which we do to earn a living is consumed by things, situations, and individuals of which we have no control (Lev. 26:16).

There is Salvation From God’s Judgments

The writer of the Cepher of Hebrews questions:

“How shall we escape…” if we neglect so great salvation…(2:3).

Indeed, Yah’s salvation from judgment, punishment and curses is at the heart of a line of thinking throughout the whole of Torah. And the tremendous spiritual alarms that should be going off in everyone of our hearts and minds everyday that we draw air in our current lives here in the western world is: Am I truly secure from the onslaught that is about to come upon this unsuspecting world? Am I truly right with Yah? Are my hands clean and my heart pure? Will He indeed hearken to my call and uplifted hands if I extend them to Him? This is all the more serious for us today as we see the world about us heading towards certain judgment and tribulation.

Draw Nigh To God and Do It Now

So beloved, if you happen to be going through some stuff, and you don’t understand why you’re going through that stuff, go to Yah with uplifted hands and a clean heart, seek His forgiveness and ask Him to reveal to you what’s going on.

James echoes in a great sense some of the very things that Zophar said to Job. But James frames Zophar’s speech in a manner that it serves as a wake-up call to the entire Body of Messiah today:

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. (Jam 4:8-10 KJV)

So before we write Zophar off as a bad guy, let us heed his, and by extension James’ words, to the extent that we enter into and remain in right-relationship with YHVH and escape the wrath to come.

Shalom–Blessings to you.

Faithfully,

Rod Thomas

The Messianic Torah Observer