The Passionate Evangelical - Job 11

 Job 11:1,18-20 (ESV)

1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:

18 And you will feel secure, because there is hope;

you will look around and take your rest in security.

19 You will lie down, and none will make you afraid;

many will court your favor.

20 But the eyes of the wicked will fail;

all way of escape will be lost to them,

and their hope is to breathe their last.”

The Passionate Evangelical 

Zophar is quite the theologian.   He has come, with his two friends, to “comfort” Job during Job’s catastrophic circumstances.   Job has lost property, a massive list of employees, anything that had material wealth to him, his seven children and has been struck with a diseases of his skin that causes him to sit in ashes and dust all day scrapping scabs off with broken pieces of pottery.   What Job needs is medical triage.   We he got from the “comfort” of his three friends was a trial.   Job was the defendant.   Zophar is the last of Job’s three friends to speak.  He is both the most passionate and the most blunt.   

In the above “comforting” words Zophar gives to Job, we read some good theology.   Zophar has just told Job to “prepare” his heart by repentance: 

Job 11:13-14 (ESV)

13 “If you prepare your heart,

you will stretch out your hands toward him.

14 If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away,

and let not injustice dwell in your tents.

Zophar has one explanation for Job’s situation: Sin in the heart.  He has absolutely no room in his theology for “innocent suffering.”  We do know that Job has a sin nature, like all men.  But, it is just simply lazy theology that wants to blame and shame Job for his situation.  And, Zophar does want to shame him:

Job 11:3 (ESV)

3 Should your babble silence men,

and when you mock, shall no one shame you?

Zophar looks like the modern version of the passionate evangelical that sees all problems simply in the personal sin bucket.   They have so much theology they can stand upon.  However, we know from chapters one and two of the book that this is NOT the case with Job.  God declared Job “righteous.”   He did this twice!!   There is a valuable lesson here.  We need to be careful that our theological interpretation matches our practical application.   Yes, sin in the world causes pain, suffering and heartache.   But, Job was not the catalyst of the suffering.   Zophar is right, that as we put away sin we can have more and more security in our lives.  But, we live in a sinful world.  God will correct Job’s three friends at the end of the book.  Not necessarily for their theology but for their application and condemnation of Job.   We need to be very careful to not judge everyone through the lens of “you sinned, therefore you suffer.’