Job 20:1–3

It has been thought likely that Zophar was the youngest of the three friends. He is the last to speak. His speech is much like the other two in character, but more intense. It lacks the dignity of Eliphaz and the reasoning power of Bildad. He makes up in heat what he lacks in reason, and this leads him into harshness and brutal rudeness that could never soothe the sore spirit of the sufferer. On top of this, he fails, as the others do, to explain the dark riddle of Job's trouble. His theory that suffering comes from sins committed only plunges the already distressed man deeper into darkness.

Did Job's confession touch the hearts of his friends? Far from it. What follows is an unusually bitter speech from Zophar. Morally he seems to have been the lowest of the three. As often happens, he was also the most presumptuous in what he said and the least broken in spirit.

Zophar begins his reply to Job with impatient haste. Job's words, probably those found in chapter 19:2-3, and the last two verses, have made him angry. He boils over with indignation. He is ready now to confirm the testimony already given and wound the suffering servant of God still more.

He gives us his "thoughts." It was not the fear of God that moved his lips, nor any zeal for His grace and truth. What we get is his own thinking: "Therefore do my thoughts cause me to answer, and for this I make haste" — which a believer does not do.

Something had stirred him deeply — not the Spirit of God, but his own misguided thoughts. Job had asked for some pity, but Zophar thinks he deserves the opposite. He had heard Job's rebuke, which shamed him, but he makes it clear that he will take no rebuke. He fights back with the spirit of his own understanding, not by the Spirit of God.

Yes, and that is just where haste lands us. It is easy for people who are not in trouble to speak, and to suspect evil of a man who is in the depths… Did Zophar know nothing of God's dealings for the trial and good of His children here on earth? Had he no thought of God disciplining us?

He is not the first man to mistake heat for argument. His haste to pour out his feelings shows poverty of thought, not weight of truth… In fact, wounded pride may be the real reason he is so eager to speak.

His description of the wicked is excellent. No one can fault what he says about the ungodly… But Zophar made two serious mistakes. Job had pleaded for pity, and not a word of pity comes from Zophar's lips. The whole speech is meant to tell Job, "You are that man!" Here is the second mistake: he never once considers that Job's words could not come from the lips of an ungodly person, but only from someone who knows God.

Morally he seems to have been the lowest of the three. As often happens, he was also the most presumptuous in speech and the least broken in spirit. "Therefore my thoughts," he says, "answer me." And truly it was so. He gives us his "thoughts." It was in no way that the fear of God moved his lips, or jealousy for His grace and truth. We have his own thoughts.

Yet applied to Job's case, his words were no more than his own "thoughts." They matched his usual self-importance. They were nothing like the serious wisdom of Eliphaz, or the traditional knowledge of Bildad.

Zophar jumps in to reply, as a young man would. He feels he has plenty of thoughts to answer everything Job has said, and to prove him guilty of the wickedness his friends charged him with. He is not the first man to mistake heat for argument. His haste to pour out his feelings is a sign of poor thinking, not of weighty truth.

"Therefore my thoughts answer me, because of my haste within me." Yes, and that is just where haste usually lands us. It is easy for those who are not in trouble to speak, and to suspect evil of a man who is in the depths. And that is just what this young man fell into... Was that all Zophar had ever learnt? Did he know nothing of God's dealings for the trial and good of His children here below? Had he no thought of God disciplining us?

Job's triumphant tone stirred up the hasty, self-confident spirit of Zophar. It also stirred deep shame, because of a rebuke full of reproach. He thought his friends had not deserved it. He also thought it ill suited a man who was suffering what his own deeds and condition deserved. So he was burning to speak and reply, and he mistook his own unstoppable urge for a fullness of solid matter.

He was clearly stirred deeply, not by the Spirit of God, but by his own misguided thoughts (v.2). He had heard Job's rebuke that was a reproach to Zophar, but makes it clear that he will accept no rebuke. He fights back with "the spirit of his understanding" (v.3), not by the Spirit of God.

He denounces evil fiercely, and leaves no doubt that he means Job. He describes the certain doom of the wicked in language so violent that it soon uses up all he has to say... All that he says is true; his own unpardonable error is that he seeks to apply it to a righteous man.

Job had pleaded for pity. Not a word of pity comes from Zophar's lips. The whole speech is meant to tell Job, "You are that man!" And the second mistake: he never once weighs Job's words. They could not come from the lips of an ungodly person. They could only come from one who knows God.

We only speak rightly as our thoughts are controlled by God. If we think God's thoughts we shall be able to speak things that are right. But even if we are quick to hear God's thoughts, we will only speak them once we have taken them in for ourselves and made them our own. We take them in slowly, so we should be slow to speak. A healthy sense of how little of God's mind we have grasped will free us. It frees us from the self-confidence and shallow self-assertion that makes men ready to speak at once on any and every subject.

Job's triumphant tone stirred up Zophar's hasty, self-confident spirit. It also brought him deep shame, because he thought his friends had not deserved such a reproachful rebuke. So he was burning to speak and reply. He mistook an urge he could not hold back for a supply of solid matter. Yet in the case before him, his words were no more than his own "thoughts," true to his usual self-centredness.

Verses 1-3. Zophar begins his reply to Job with impatient haste. Job's words, probably those found in chapter 19:2-3 and the last two verses, have made him angry. He boils over with indignation. He is ready now to confirm the testimony already given and wound the suffering servant of God still more.

He is not the first man to mistake heat for argument. His haste to pour out his feelings shows poor thinking, not the weight of truth. Job's past answers lead him to expect reproach, and he seems ready for it. But his knowledge drives him to make one more try at silencing Job. As a matter of fact, wounded pride may be the real reason for his eagerness to speak.

It is clear that he was deeply stirred, not by the Spirit of God, but by his own misguided thoughts (v.2). He had heard Job's rebuke that was a reproach to Zophar, but makes it clear that he will accept no rebuke. He fights back with "the spirit of his understanding" (v.3), not by the Spirit of God.

Zophar dismissed what was plain to the eyes of some people, and he was not interested in what those before him had taught. He thought he was clever enough to solve this problem himself, as he said, "the spirit of my understanding causes me to answer." We suggest that he preferred to use his own wisdom — what people call intuition. Eliphaz used his eyes; Bildad used his ears; and Zophar used his brains. Not one of them found the solution to this problem by human wisdom, however they gained it... Did not our Lord say, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children" (Matt. 11:25). How content we are to be in the position of children, quite ready to listen to what God Himself would tell us of these things.

Zophar claimed that history backed up what he knew by intuition — what had happened "of old, since man was placed upon earth." Read Job 20 and you can see the hint that lay under his statements about various acts of wickedness: he was suggesting that Job had been guilty of them. The fact is that the man who bases his argument on his own intuition is always very dogmatic and cocksure. He has to be, to make up for the lack of outward evidence that would back up his assertions.

We speak rightly only as God controls our thoughts. If we think God's thoughts we shall be able to speak things that are right. But even if we are quick to hear God's thoughts, we shall only speak them when we have first taken them in for ourselves and made them our own. We take them in slowly, and so we should be slow to speak. We have taken in very little of God's mind so far. A healthy sense of that will free us from self-confidence and shallow self-assertion. It is self-confidence that makes people ready to speak at once on any and every matter.