What I Noticed Today (Job 9-12)
Job 9-10
Joab’s first response to Bildad.
Job accepted Bildad’s claim that God was just but said Job, I am blameless, so why am I suffering?
There are three main sections to chapters 9-10:
- Job 9:1-13. Job says there is no arbiter between God and man, and God is so much stronger and powerful than man, that no man can contend with God.
- Job 9:14-35. If Job and God were in court, Job would have no answer for God and no power to withstand God’s judgment.
- Job 10:1-22. Job continues his plea to God. God seems to be destroying the very thing that He created. If that is the case, Job wonders why he was created in the first place!
Job 11
Job 11 introduces Zophar.
Note: Zophar acts like a prosecutor in a courtroom suggesting that Job only got what he deserved. The point Eliphaz stressed was that man was sinful. Bildad’s point was that God is just. Zophar now says God punishes sin and we get less punishment than we deserve.
Note: Zophar’s name means “friend,” but he sure doesn’t act like one!
In verses 1-6, Zophar told Job that he needed to repent of his sins because the tragedies that struck him were a result of sin in his life.
In verses 7-12, Zophar points out that God is limitless with unknowable wisdom, and Job could not possibly stand before him in court.
- Zophar says God knows the difference between the deceitful and the righteous, and Job is a witless man with no more sense than a wild donkey!
In verses 13-20, Zophar says by repenting Job could restore his relationship with God. Zophar concluded saying that if Job failed to repent, he would die.
Job 12-14
Job’s first response to Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar
Job 12
Job begins his response to Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar.
There are two main sections to Job’s response:
- Job 12:1-12. Job asserts that he also has wisdom. If what they have said about God punishing the sinners was true, Job asks why they are the wicked prospering? Job goes on to say the calamities come from God’s hand are not necessarily a result of sin. In verses 7-12, Job directs his comments to Zophar, saying the birds and the fish are smarter than Zophar because they know their breath comes from God.
- Job 12:13-25. Job recounts examples of God’s wisdom and power. God can, says Job, reverse the fortunes of man anytime he wants. He builds up and tears down as he wishes.
Some thoughts for additional consideration:
- There are elements of truth in each of the arguments presented by Job, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Man is sinful. God is just. The punishment for sin is less than we deserve. No man can come before God without an arbiter. So God, in his mercy, sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to be our arbiter, that one-day through Jesus, we might stand in God’s presence!
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.
