Job 11 1Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said, 2Should not the multitude of words be answered? and should a man full of talk be justified? 3Should thy lies make men hold their peace? and when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed? 4For thou hast said, My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in thine eyes. 5But oh that God would speak, and open his lips against thee; 6And that he would shew thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth. 7Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? 8It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know? 9The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea. 10If he cut off, and shut up, or gather together, then who can hinder him? 11For he knoweth vain men: he seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it? 12For vain men would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass's colt. 13If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him; 14If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles. 15For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear: 16Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away: 17And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday: thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning. 18And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety. 19Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; yea, many shall make suit unto thee. 20But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost.
Today's Scripture Meaning Zophar reproves Job. (1-6) God's perfections and almighty power. (7-12) Zophar assures Job of blessings if he repented. (13-20) Verses 1-6: Zophar attacked Job with great vehemence. He represented him as a man that loved to hear himself speak, though he could say nothing to the purpose, and as a man that maintained falsehoods. He desired God would show Job that less punishment was exacted than he deserved. We are ready, with much assurance, to call God to act in our quarrels, and to think that if he would but speak, he would take our part. We ought to leave all disputes to the judgment of God, which we are sure is according to truth; but those are not always right who are most forward to appeal to the Divine judgment. Verses 7-12: Zophar speaks well concerning God and his greatness and glory, concerning man and his vanity and folly. See here what man is; and let him be humbled. God sees this concerning vain man, that he would be wise, would be thought so, though he is born like a wild ass's colt, so unteachable and untameable. Man is a vain creature; empty, so the word is. Yet he is a proud creature, and self-conceited. He would be wise, would be thought so, though he will not submit to the laws of wisdom. He would be wise, he reaches after forbidden wisdom, and, like his first parents, aiming to be wise above what is written, loses the tree of life for the tree of knowledge. Is such a creature as this fit to contend with God? Verses 13-20: Zophar exhorts Job to repentance, and gives him encouragement, yet mixed with hard thoughts of him. He thought that worldly prosperity was always the lot of the righteous, and that Job was to be deemed a hypocrite unless his prosperity was restored. Then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; that is, thou mayst come boldly to the throne of grace, and not with the terror and amazement expressed in ch. (9:34). If we are looked upon in the face of the Anointed, our faces that were cast down may be lifted up; though polluted, being now washed with the blood of Christ, they may be lifted up without spot. We may draw near in full assurance of faith, when we are sprinkled from an evil conscience, (Heb 10:22).
Today's Scripture Application Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we continue in the Book of Job with Chapter 11. In our text today we see Zophar, Job's third friend, speak and do as the others, wrongly accusing Job of hidden sin. Although his accusation was wrong the principle is correct. We cannot hide our sin from God. In making application we see this principle stands true today. We cannot hide our sin from God as He knows even the hairs on your head. How about you? Do you know that God knows every sin you commit? Let us learn from our text today and the reminder in our test today that God know all about our sin.
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