Borrowed Breath

Zophar speaks up, accusing Job of speaking too much and justifying himself. He assures Job that he deserves worse from the hand of God. Again, Zophar, like Bildad and Eliphaz, speaks partial truths which can be more dangerous than no truth at all. Job hears many of these incomplete observations of God’s interaction with humanity, and he is forced to weigh them against what he knows to be true about his God and about his life.

This is a wonderful admonition to those of us who know others who are going through suffering. It is easier to quote Romans 8.28 to someone in almost heartless, self-centered religiosity, and to then walk away convinced that we are noble and benevolent. Or we can be quick to jump to our own conclusion as to why this person is suffering, and then dump that reasoned judgment on them riddled with irrelevant scriptures that we somehow convince ourselves give credence to our counsel.

Zophar’s accusation brings out a sarcastic side of Job. He retorts in biting tone, “No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you” (12.2). We might say that this is uncharacteristic of Job. But is it? Or is it instead the real Job? When I am not under the double weight of unrivaled duress and groundless accusations, it is easy to maintain a façade of tranquility and patience. But when the load of these two influences bears down on me, that pretense is stripped away revealing who I really am. I cannot apologize and say, “I don’t know what came over me!” I must apologize and say, “Now you know the real me.”