Zophar the Naamathite was one of Job’s three friends who came to comfort him after he had lost everything. However, instead of providing comfort, Zophar accused Job of wrongdoing and exhorted him to repent. His message to Job focused on the justice of God and the certainty of punishment for sin.
Specifically, Zophar made the following key points in his speeches to Job:
God’s Wisdom Is Higher Than Man’s
Zophar began his first speech by affirming that God’s wisdom far surpasses human understanding: “Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? It is higher than heaven—what can you do? Deeper than Sheol—what can you know?” (Job 11:7-8). Zophar argued that God’s ways are inscrutable and humans cannot fully comprehend His justice or reason for allowing suffering.
The Wicked Will Surely Be Punished
Zophar was convinced that the wicked always receive punishment from God in this life: “Know then that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves” (Job 11:6). He believed that Job’s suffering must be punishment for some hidden sin: “If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and let not injustice dwell in your tents. Surely then you will lift up your face without blemish; you will be secure and will not fear” (Job 11:14-15). Zophar was certain that if Job repented, he would be restored.
The Fate of the Wicked
To prove his point about God’s justice, Zophar vividly described the fate of the wicked: “The hope of the godless shall perish…His confidence is severed, and his trust is a spider’s web…The heavens will reveal his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him…His bones are full of his youthful vigor, but it will lie down with him in the dust” (Job 11:20, Job 8:13-15, Job 20:11). According to Zophar, the wicked may prosper for a time, but destruction awaits them.
Exhortation to Repent
Based on his belief in divine justice, Zophar exhorted Job to repent of whatever unknown sin he was committing: “If you prepare your heart, you will stretch out your hands toward him. If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and let not injustice dwell in your tents” (Job 11:13-14). He urged Job to get his heart right with God so that he might be restored as promised to the righteous.
In his second speech, Zophar continued to emphasize these same points about God’s justice and the fate of the wicked. He described in even more vivid detail the judgment that he believed awaited the wicked (Job 20:12-29). Zophar was convinced that Job was hiding some sin from his friends and from God. He implored Job to confess this so that he might receive mercy:
If you return to the Almighty you will be built up; if you remove injustice far from your tents, if you lay gold in the dust, and gold of Ophir among the stones of the torrent-bed, then the Almighty will be your gold and your precious silver. (Job 22:23-25)
Zophar viewed suffering as always the result of sin. Therefore, he was certain that if Job repented, his fortunes would be restored. Throughout his speeches, he appealed to Job’s conscience, assuming hidden sin was the root issue needing to be addressed.
Zophar’s Message Was Wrong About Job’s Situation
Although Zophar was sincere, he was wrong in his accusations against Job. Unknown to Zophar, Job was a righteous man who feared God and turned away from evil (Job 1:1). He was not suffering because of any great hidden sin, but rather because God allowed Satan to test him in order to prove his righteousness. Job’s friends judged him unfairly on the basis of his suffering.
In the end, God vindicated Job and rebuked his friends for speaking wrongly about Him and about Job: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has” (Job 42:7). Unlike his friends, Job spoke rightly of God’s justice and sovereign power even in his affliction.
How Job Responded to Zophar
Job did not directly rebuke Zophar, but his responses showed that he disagreed strongly with Zophar’s assumptions about his guilt and the necessity of repentance:
- Job affirmed his integrity and blamelessness before God, unlike what Zophar claimed (Job 12:4, Job 16:17).
- Job argued that the wicked often prosper in this life, contrary to Zophar’s belief that they are always punished (Job 12:6, Job 21:7-13).
- Job accused his friends of falsely condemning him and of defending God with lies and falsehoods (Job 13:4, Job 13:7).
- Job wished that his words were written down and inscribed forever as a testimony of his righteousness for all to see (Job 19:23-24).
Although Job wavered in maintaining his trust in God at times, overall he refused to accept his friends’ simplistic explanation that all suffering comes from personal sin. He clung to his integrity and continued appealing to God for vindication.
Key Themes in Zophar’s Message
Zophar’s speeches highlight several important themes that also emerge elsewhere in the book of Job:
1. God’s Ways Are Mysterious
Zophar rightly acknowledged that God’s wisdom is far above man’s understanding. Human comprehension of God’s plans and purposes is limited. Although Zophar drew the wrong conclusion about Job’s situation, he grasped the basic truth that God’s ways are often inscrutable from a human perspective.
2. Suffering Is Not Always Caused by Personal Sin
Contrary to the arguments of Job’s friends, Job’s story demonstrates that suffering is not always a direct consequence of an individual’s sin. God allowed Job’s suffering for divine purposes unrelated to individual retribution for wrongdoing. Jesus also corrected this perspective in John 9:3 when he healed a man born blind.
3. The Wicked Do Not Always Get Punished in This Life
Zophar claimed that the wicked always suffer punishment in this life, but Job argued that in reality they often prosper instead. Ecclesiastes also observes that “there are righteous people who perish in their righteousness, and there are wicked people who prolong their lives in their evildoing” (Ecclesiastes 7:15). Justice is often delayed until the final judgment.
4. God Desires Repentance for Sin
Although Job was not guilty of unrepentant sin, Zophar rightly emphasized God’s desire for confession, justice, and righteousness in His people. As 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Zophar misapplied this principle, but grasped its biblical importance.
5. Suffering Has the Purpose of Refining and Correcting
While incorrect regarding Job specifically, Zophar echoed an important scriptural theme—that suffering can serve the purpose of correcting and instructing God’s people (Job 5:17). Hebrews 12 notes that God disciplines those He loves for their good. Though Job could not see how his suffering would help him, God used it to refine Job’s faith and character.
Conclusions About Zophar’s Message
In summary, these key conclusions emerge regarding Zophar’s message to Job:
- Zophar wrongly accused Job of unrepentant sin and hypocrisy based on his circumstances.
- He failed to grasp that suffering does not always come as a punishment for specific sins.
- Zophar rightly saw God’s justice and wisdom as beyond human understanding.
- He emphasized several attributes of God including holiness, sovereignty, justice, and discipline that are grounded in Scripture.
- Zophar exemplifies the danger of judging others during times of suffering rather than humbly seeking to understand God’s greater purposes.
Although Zophar made wrong assumptions about Job, he joins the other characters in the book in wrestling with complex issues about God’s nature and ways. As readers, we are challenged to avoid simplistic explanations for suffering and to reverently acknowledge the mysteries of God’s wisdom and plan.
Other Bible Passages on the Themes in Zophar’s Message
Many other bible verses connect to the key themes that emerge in Zophar’s speeches. Here are some additional passages to enrich understanding of these theological concepts:
God’s Ways Higher Than Ours
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” (Isaiah 55:8)
“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Romans 11:33)
Suffering Not Always From Personal Sin
“As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.’” (John 9:1-3)
Justice Delayed, Not Denied
“Do not fret because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb…Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil…But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace…Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land.” (Psalm 37:1-9)
God Judges Sin But Also Shows Mercy
“He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him.” (Psalm 103:10-11)
“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.” (Micah 7:18)
Suffering Refines Our Faith
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” (James 1:2-3)
“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” (Romans 5:3-4)
Conclusion
In the book of Job, Zophar represents the perspective that all suffering comes as a punishment from God for sin. His simplistic explanation leads him to falsely accuse Job. However, in grappling with the age-old question of why the righteous suffer, Zophar’s speeches touch on theological themes like God’s sovereignty, wisdom, justice, and discipline that are supported throughout Scripture. As modern readers, we do well to avoid judging what we do not understand about God’s working and humbly acknowledge His higher purposes and wisdom, even in the midst of suffering.