Job 11:15 | KingComments | STEP | In this section Zophar tells Job what he will get if he listens to him. However, after his previous wrongful, harsh accusations, the portrayal of bliss that he paints is completely misplaced. What he says here sounds like singing songs to a troubled heart ( ). He thereby increases the pain of Job. If Job listens to Zophar, he will lift up his face and look God in the face, and misery will depart from him ( ). After all, Job first complained that he cannot lift up his head as long as God pushes him down, didn’t he ( )? Then he will stand firm as a house and no longer need to have any fear of God. He will forget all the trouble and will not think back to it ( ). In beautiful imagery Zophar compares this to “waters that have passed by”. Just as water that has passed by never flows back, so the trials will never return in Job’s life. The life of Job will be in a light brighter than the noonday sun, as it is for the righteous ( ; ). Everything will be radiantly glorious. Nothing of the darkness in which he now finds himself will be present again. All darkness is gone. It is the opposite of the last words of Job in the previous chapter, where he says that light is like darkness ( ). Here is the darkness as the light of the morning ( ; ), of the new day that will have dawned in Job’s life. Instead of fear of disasters, he will have faith or trust in God ( ). His confidence is based on the firm hope that God, in His goodness, will ensure that His prosperity is lasting. He will also be able to convince himself of this when he starts to look around. This means that in the evening he inspects everything around and in the house. He will discover nothing disturbing and will be able to sleep peacefully. He will be able to lie down in complete peace ( ). He need not fear that someone, now that he is under the blessing of God, will be able to disturb him. Instead of expecting threats, he may expect that many will come to him to entreat his favor (cf. ). Zophar does not suspect that he himself is one of those who will compete for Job’s favor ( ). Zophar concludes his answer to Job with a veiled warning to his address ( ). Again the assumption is made that Job is a wicked man. The eyes of a wicked man will succumb as he looks for good, for it will never come. Nor will he ever have the opportunity to escape his misery. Any hope of that is lost. The only hope left to him is to breathe his last. Then he will be rid of all misery, that is to say, of his earthly circumstances. But Job is not a wicked man who looks forward to the end of his life as his only hope. On the contrary, he clings more and more to God. In spite of all his doubts and despair about God’s dealings with him, he cannot do without God. He continues to look to God, and therefore his eyes will not succumb, but he will see God ( ). This will happen in a different way than he imagines and also very different from the way his friends present him to that end. Thus Zophar’s argument ends, which is as clear as glass, and at the same time as cold as ice. It is clear: the sinner and the wicked shall perish, you’ll always get what you deserve. It is also bitterly cold: there is a total lack of tact and compassion. The other friends have shown some sympathy, but Zophar is rock-hard. He says to Job: Job, you are a wicked man, you have deserved the suffering; just acknowledge that and repent!

‏ Job 11:15

The Peaceful Result

In this section Zophar tells Job what he will get if he listens to him. However, after his previous wrongful, harsh accusations, the portrayal of bliss that he paints is completely misplaced. What he says here sounds like singing songs to a troubled heart (Pro 25:20). He thereby increases the pain of Job.

If Job listens to Zophar, he will lift up his face and look God in the face, and misery will depart from him (Job 11:15). After all, Job first complained that he cannot lift up his head as long as God pushes him down, didn’t he (Job 10:15-16)? Then he will stand firm as a house and no longer need to have any fear of God. He will forget all the trouble and will not think back to it (Job 11:16). In beautiful imagery Zophar compares this to “waters that have passed by”. Just as water that has passed by never flows back, so the trials will never return in Job’s life.

The life of Job will be in a light brighter than the noonday sun, as it is for the righteous (Job 11:17; Pro 4:18). Everything will be radiantly glorious. Nothing of the darkness in which he now finds himself will be present again. All darkness is gone. It is the opposite of the last words of Job in the previous chapter, where he says that light is like darkness (Job 10:22). Here is the darkness as the light of the morning (Isa 58:10; Zec 14:7), of the new day that will have dawned in Job’s life.

Instead of fear of disasters, he will have faith or trust in God (Job 11:18). His confidence is based on the firm hope that God, in His goodness, will ensure that His prosperity is lasting. He will also be able to convince himself of this when he starts to look around. This means that in the evening he inspects everything around and in the house. He will discover nothing disturbing and will be able to sleep peacefully.

He will be able to lie down in complete peace (Job 11:19). He need not fear that someone, now that he is under the blessing of God, will be able to disturb him. Instead of expecting threats, he may expect that many will come to him to entreat his favor (cf. Zec 8:23). Zophar does not suspect that he himself is one of those who will compete for Job’s favor (Job 42:9).

Zophar concludes his answer to Job with a veiled warning to his address (Job 11:20). Again the assumption is made that Job is a wicked man. The eyes of a wicked man will succumb as he looks for good, for it will never come. Nor will he ever have the opportunity to escape his misery. Any hope of that is lost. The only hope left to him is to breathe his last. Then he will be rid of all misery, that is to say, of his earthly circumstances.

But Job is not a wicked man who looks forward to the end of his life as his only hope. On the contrary, he clings more and more to God. In spite of all his doubts and despair about God’s dealings with him, he cannot do without God. He continues to look to God, and therefore his eyes will not succumb, but he will see God (Job 42:5). This will happen in a different way than he imagines and also very different from the way his friends present him to that end.

Thus Zophar’s argument ends, which is as clear as glass, and at the same time as cold as ice. It is clear: the sinner and the wicked shall perish, you’ll always get what you deserve. It is also bitterly cold: there is a total lack of tact and compassion. The other friends have shown some sympathy, but Zophar is rock-hard. He says to Job: Job, you are a wicked man, you have deserved the suffering; just acknowledge that and repent!