Job 13:13 says, Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will.  Job wanted to have his say, then he was content to submit to the will of God.  If we are suffering in life, we may want to voice our concerns, to those around us or to God.  I don't believe there is anything wrong with this, as long as we willingly submit to God's will, no matter the outcome.  Verse fourteen adds, Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand?  Job said his suffering was so great that he basically felt like chewing his flesh to get relief.  Hopefully, we will never find ourselves that desperate, but if we were to, then we still need to put our faith in God.  Verse fifteen continues, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.  Job said his faith in God would not fail, even if he died.  This tells us that Job did not consider physical death as the end of life.  When Job said that he would maintain his ways before God, I believe he meant the way that he had lived his life.  Job was not saying that he would stand un-condemned by his own goodness, but that he had honestly attempted to live by his faith in God.  Verse sixteen declares, He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him.  Job was once again looking beyond this life and saying that God would provide Job's salvation in the life to come.  Job also answered his friends claims that he was a hypocrite by reminding them that a hypocrite could not stand before God.  If we serve God only for material reasons, and not from a spiritual relationship with Him, then we ultimately will be proven to be a hypocrite, and we will not be able to stand before God.  Verse seventeen adds, Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration with your ears.  Job was once more asking his friends to really understand what he was saying.  If we come into a situation with preconceived ideas, then sometimes it is very hard to hear what is being said to us.  Verse eighteen continues, Behold now, I have ordered my cause; I know that I shall be justified.  Job said he had presented his case, so to speak, and that he knew one day he would be justified.  This was not because of self-righteousness, but because of the righteous of God.  We can only stand justified before God because He has redeemed us through Christ.  Verse nineteen states, Who is he that will plead with me? for now, if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost.  I believe that Job was looking for any of his friends to stand by him in what he was saying.  It may be that in life we sometimes can find no one to stand by us as we live by faith in God, but if we do not proclaim His truth, then we might as well give up the ghost, as Job said.  Verse twenty adds, Only do not two things unto me: then will I not hide myself from thee.  Job only asked two things of God, and neither had to do with material things.  When we stand before God, there will be nothing material that matters, but only the spiritual things.  Verse twenty-one continues, Withdraw thine hand far from me: and let not thy dread make me afraid.  Job asked God to not abandon him and to not make him be afraid of God.  We know that as followers of Christ God will never abandon us nor should we ever be afraid of God.  Though we may hear the expression that God is out to get you, He is really only ever out to redeem and sustain us.  Verse twenty-two says, Then call thou, and I will answer: or let me speak, and answer thou me.  Job wanted to communicate with God, to once again feel that closeness.  When we are in distress, that is what we need more than anything, that communication with God.  We can be sure that God hears us.  Verse twenty-three adds, How many are mine iniquities and sins? make me to know my transgression and my sin.  Job was once more asking that God reveal his sin if he was guilty of sin.  Job knew that his three friends could not tell him how he had sinned, but if he had sinned, only God could tell him how he had.  Sin is always between God and an individual, an no one else can truly determine if another individual is guilty of sin or not, especially based on material things.  Verse twenty-four continues, Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and holdest me for thine enemy?  Job was still feeling abandoned by God and given over to God's enemy.  I guess in material terms we could say that was true, but spiritually God was still with Job.  Verse twenty-five asks, Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?  I believe Job was saying he felt lifeless and without direction and wondered how long God would allow him to continue in this state.  Verse twenty-six adds, For thou writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth.  Job felt that God was treating him badly and spoke of the inequities of his youth.  Job did not claim to have always been perfect, but I believe that he felt that his youthful iniquities had been forgiven.  We can be certain that once our sins are forgiven that God will not bring them up again.  Verse twenty-seven continues, Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks, and lookest narrowly unto all my paths; thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet.  Verse twenty-eight concludes, And he, as a rotten thing, consumeth, as a garment that is moth eaten.  I believe that Job was saying that God had imprisoned him in a worthless state, with his body being eaten away.  We have to acknowledge that even if life seems hopeless, as followers of Christ we will never be without hope.

Job 13:1 says, Lo, mine eye hath seen all this, mine ear hath heard and understood it.  Job was telling
his three friends that he was sharing not what he thought to be true with them, but instead what he had seen and heard from his relationship with God.  People may argue with us about many things in the world, or even how we interpret the Bible, but what they cannot argue about is our testimony to God.  If we are followers of God through Christ, then we have a personal relationship with God that no one can dispute.  Verse two adds, What ye know, the same do I know also: I am not inferior unto you.  His friends may have thought that they were morally superior to Job, but Job here tells them that he knew as much about God as they did.  He was not speaking out of a sense of superiority as they were but was simply stating that no matter what his physical condition might indicate, he still knew God.  We must never approach others with an attitude of moral superiority on our part, but must approach them as humble servants of God.  Verse three continues, Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.  Job had no doubt that God heard him, even if He did not seem to answer.  Job did not say that he made demands on God, but that he desired to reason with Him.  When we seek to reason with God, we need to acknowledge that God is the One with all the answers.  We cannot reason with God to hope to make Him accept our understanding.  Job did not understand why he was suffering as he was, but knew that God could give him the answers he sought.  In verse four Job states, But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.  Job declared that the advice of his three friends was based on lies and that they did nothing to offer healing, or comfort, to him. When we offer spiritual advice to others, we need to make sure that what we are advising is based on what God's word teaches under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse five adds, O that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom. Job tells his friends that they should just quit speaking and let that show their wisdom.  Job felt that they had nothing of value to tell him, and that they should be wise enough to just remain silent.  The silence of their first week had proven to be of more value than their speech was.  If we are just attempting to condemn others for their sins, then we would be better off to just remain silent.  Verse six continues, Hear now my reasoning, and hearken to the pleadings of my lips.  Job asked his friends to simply listen to him.  I believe this meant more than just acknowledging that he was talking, but to listen with understanding and compassion.  Too often today, instead of really hearing what someone else has to say, people are just waiting for that person to quit talking so they can dispute what has been said.  We too often lose the ability to reason together.  Verse seven asks, Will ye speak wickedly for God? and talk deceitfully for him?  Sometimes when people attribute certain acts to God that He was not the direct cause of, then they are indeed speaking wickedly and deceivingly of Him.  Job was telling his friends that what they were saying did this.  Verse eight adds, Will ye accept his person? will ye contend for God?  I believe that Job was asking his friends if they would accept God's word if they heard it, or if they would argue even with God.  Verse nine continues, Is it good that he should search you out? or as one man mocketh another, do ye so mock him?  Job asked them if they would mock God as men mock each other.  Notice that Job did not make these as negative statements against his friends but asked them to look at their own attitudes.  We are better off getting people to examine their own understanding of God, and anything we disagree on, than we are to just condemn them outright.  Often, if someone feels that we are condemning what they believe, they will just become that more defensive.  Verse ten states, He will surely reprove you, if ye do secretly accept persons.  I believe that Job was telling his friends that God would correct them if they secretly thought some people were more worthy than others.  We can be sure that God will judge us, not just by our actions and words, but by the very thoughts, or reasons, behind them.  Nothing is secret with God.  Verse eleven adds, Shall not his excellency make you afraid? and his dread fall upon you?  We should be afraid, or stand in awe, of the excellency of God.  Verse twelve continues, Your remembrances are like unto ashes, your bodies to bodies of clay.  Job reminds them, and us, that no matter how powerful or strong we think we are, we are still just God's creation, formed of the clay of the earth.  No one person is more important to God than another.

Job 12:11 says, Doth not the ear try words? and the mouth taste his meat?  I believe Job was asking if we would listen to God and rely on Him for our physical needs.  We cannot just accept everything we hear as being the truth, but must view everything through our faith in God.  Verse twelve adds, With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding.  Job tells us that we should grow in wisdom as we get older.  This is not always the case, though.  We sometimes become more judgmental and even bitter as we get older, often blaming God for what we see as our failure in life.  As followers of Christ, we should continually grow in our knowledge of God, from Whom comes all true wisdom.  Verse thirteen continues, With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.  Job said that wisdom and strength come from God if people will listen to Him.  Verse fourteen states, Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.  Job tells us that we cannot undo what God has truly done.  If God breaks something down, we would be foolish to attempt to rebuild it.  If God closes a door to us, we must just acknowledge that it is closed and not continually attempt to reopen it.  I believe we need to apply this more to the spiritual than to the physical, though it does indeed apply to both.  Verse fifteen adds, Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up: also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.  We know that often God did withhold the rain, or in the case of Noah, let it fall until all the earth was flooded.  I do not believe that every weather phenomenon is the result of God's direct action though.  God let it be known when He was the cause.  Verse sixteen continues, With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.  I believe Job was saying that through God's power and wisdom, God is over everyone.  The deceiver might think that they are smart, but one day God will judge them, just as He will those who are not deceived.  Verse seventeen says, He leadeth counsellers away spoiled, and maketh the judges fools.  The wisdom and judgments of the world are all foolishness in the eyes of God.  I don't believe that this means that all the counseling or all rulings by judges are wrong, but that compared to God's counsel and judgment they are but foolishness.  They deal with earthly concerns and God deals with heavenly, or everlasting, concerns.  Verse eighteen adds, He looseth the bond of kings, and girdeth their loins with a girdle.  God can indeed bring down the powers of the world, but this does not mean that He always will.  We know that the closer that we get to Christ's return, the more the powers of the earth will be allowed to flourish.  Verse nineteen continues, He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty.  Often in the Old Testament God overthrew the mighty nations, and it was always evident that He was the One Who did it.  I believe that if God were to overthrow a nation today that it would be evident beyond a doubt that He was the One Who did it.  Verse twenty states,  He removeth away the speech of the trusty, and taketh away the understanding of the aged.  With age may come wisdom, but when compared to the wisdom of God it is nothing.  Verse twenty-one adds, He poureth contempt upon princes, and weakeneth the strength of the mighty.  This is a continuation of Job comparing the power of the world, even the powerful leaders, to the power of God, and the power of the most powerful in the world is nothing to God.  Verse twenty-two continues, He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.  I believe that Job was saying that nothing can be hidden from the light of God.  All those things that people may think no one knows about will be brought to light.  Verse twenty-three says, He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again.  We know that with the nation of Israel God brought them into power when they were obedient to Him, and He allowed them to be destroyed when they weren't.  Verse twenty-four adds, He taketh away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, and causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.  Just like the nation of Israel in the Old Testament, we can find ourselves wandering in a spiritual wilderness if we will not follow God.  Verse twenty-five continues, They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.  Without the leadership of God, we do grope around in darkness.  The good news is that God sent Jesus to light the way for all who put their faith in Him.

Job 12:1 says, And Job answered and said,  Again, after listening to Zophar, Job answered not only Zophar, but Bildad and Eliphaz as well.  They had now all spoken, and had all said that Job's suffering was due to sin in his life.  In verse two Job adds, No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.  I think Job was mocking them at least a little.  He said in effect that he believed that they thought they alone knew the truth about God, so when they died, that wisdom would die with them.  We need to be wary of anyone, or any group of people, who think that they alone know the will of God.  We need to remember that Zophar made promises to Job that he implied were from God but were really only his promises.  There is no one who knows so much about God that if they die all wisdom of God will die with them.  Each follower of God has His wisdom indwelling them in the Holy Spirit.  Verse three continues, But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as these?  Job told his three friends that they really were not the only ones who had an understanding of God.  We know that this is still true today.  Each individual Christian has the knowledge of God in them, as I had just stated above.  The Holy Spirit will guide us to a correct understanding of God's will for our life, and anyone who would judge us based on what they feel is a superior knowledge of God would undermine our faith.  Job may have been suffering almost unbearable pain, but that did not mean that he did not have an understanding of God.  Verse four states, I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn.  I believe that Job was talking not only of his actual neighbors, but of these three friends especially.  They had mocked his faith and laughed at him with scorn.  Job told them that sometimes the upright man is indeed scorned by the world.  I believe that Job was reminding them that we cannot judge a man's righteousness by his material or physical status.  Verse five adds, He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease.  I believe that Job was saying that those who had the light of God in them, when they appeared to slip in life, were despised by those who lived at ease and felt that this made them superior to those who may have slipped or even fallen.  We today, if we are materially blessed, must never allow this to make us feel morally superior to even the poorest Christian.  Verse six continues, The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.  I believe that Job was saying that the sinful did at times prosper, so you couldn't judge a person's spiritual well-being by their material status.  When we begin to equate materialism with Godliness, then we are proclaiming a false gospel. Those who deny or even hate God do prosper, sometimes more than those who are faithful to God. Verse seven says, But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:  Job begins here to say that even nature proclaims God to us.  Verse eight Job adds, Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.  I believe that Job was saying that the very order of the world declared God's existence.  Verse nine continues, Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?  Job was praising God instead of complaining about Him.  If we find ourselves in trouble, we will do much better to praise God still than to complain about how we are suffering, especially if we attempt to claim that God is causing the suffering.  Verse ten concludes, In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.  Every living thing is indeed a part of God's creation.  I believe that by soul of all the animals Job meant the animating force, and that the breath of all mankind meant the distinct soul of people.  We know that people have an everlasting soul whereas nothing else in creation does.

Job 11:13 says, If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him; Zophar, as had Eliphaz and Bildad, gave Job some good advice, but they all gave their advice from faulty assumptions.  All three were sure that Job was guilty of some unconfessed sin and had therefore brought his suffering on himself.  Also, as is often the case, their judgment of Job became increasingly harsh as each spoke.  Usually, as people begin to speak out against someone, the more people who speak the more certain they become that they are right and that the one they are speaking against is wrong.  If two people had already spoken out against Job, then certainly Zophar was justified in speaking out against Job and qualified to give him advice.  We may indeed receive good advice from people that is given for the wrong reason.  We must know enough to accept the truth and reject the error in their advice.  Job would do well to prepare his heart and reach out to God.  We should do this continually.  Even though Job was certain that he had not sinned to bring this suffering on himself, he still needed to reach out to God with all his heart.  Verse fourteen adds, If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.  Zophar was still giving Job good advice, but I believe he meant that he knew Job was guilty of iniquity and wickedness.  I believe Zophar was really saying that Job was guilty, and it was time for him to confess his hypocrisy.  We are correct to tell everyone to put iniquity and wickedness out of their heart, or life, and to seek God's will, but we are never correct to assume that we know another Christian's relationship with God.  Verse fifteen continues, For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear:  Zophar was telling Job that as soon as he repented that he would be restored.  Job's face that was now covered with sores would be without spots.  We can never promise people that if they simply follow God's will that they will be blessed with everything materially or physically.  Sometimes, God's people do suffer for their faith, as was Job, and not for a lack of faith as his three friends were advising him.  Verse sixteen states, Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away:  Zophar told Job that when he made things right with God and was restored to Him that he would forget all his misery.  This is something else that we cannot promise people.  Even if Job were restored, the memories of his suffering, especially the death of his children, would remain with him the rest of his life.  Just because God delivers us from suffering in this life does not mean that we will never remember that suffering and at times even bear its marks.  Verse seventeen adds, And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.  I believe that Zophar was telling Job that even though he was older, he would be like a man in the middle of his life, if not even better.  Verse eighteen continues, And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.  Zophar told Job that not only would his health be restored, but that he would rest secure in hope.  We need to be careful what we promise to others.  These were not promises from God, but from Zophar.  We cannot promise earthly blessings based on our relationship with God.  Sometimes Christians suffer for seemingly no reason, and their suffering ends in death.  This does not mean that they were being punished by God and that had they made things right with God they would have been restored to health.  Our relationship to God is not based on physical things, which will pass away, but on spiritual things, which will last forever.  Verse nineteen says, Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; yea, many shall make suit unto thee.  Again, Zophar was making promises to Job that were not necessarily true.  Zophar said that not only would Job sleep easy, but that people would again seek his advice or company.  Verse twenty adds, But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost.  I believe Zophar was telling Job that if he didn't repent that he would die without hope.  As I have already stated, we cannot base the faith of a person on material things.  We know that often the righteous, those who follow Christ, do suffer, and we are not in the position to promise them that it will end with their restoration in this life.

Job 11:7 asks, Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?  Zophar asked a question that by implication said that Job was unable to know the will of God, but that Zophar could.  There are people today who claim to have the ability to understand what God wants of His followers more than others do.  The problem with that is that they have no more access to God than any other believer, since all believers have the Holy Spirit indwelling them and therefore the same access to the heavenly Father.  We indeed might not be able to find God by our searching, but God will find us without searching.  Verse eight adds, It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?  Zophar was correct in one thing.  The ways of God are higher than the heavens and deeper than hell.  God's ways are so much above our understanding that we can only know them by faith in His revelation of Himself to us.  We today know that God's revelation was made complete in Christ, and in Job's day it was made complete in faith in the coming Messiah.  This does not mean that we can claim to know everything about God, but it does mean that we can trust Him to forgive our sins and allow us to have a right relationship with Him, and that this relationship is not based on material things.   Verse nine continues, The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.  As Zophar was saying here, we cannot fully understand the ways of God.  God's ways are beyond comprehension by people and can only begin to be understood by faith in Him.  We can never prove God's existence by any way except faith.  Verse ten states, If he cut off, and shut up, or gather together, then who can hinder him?  Basically, Zophar was saying that God is able to cut people off from Himself or to draw people to Himself and this is true, but we know that Jesus said He would draw all men to him.  No one is arbitrarily rejected by God, but all are called to salvation. Verse eleven adds, For he knoweth vain men: he seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it?  As Zophar says, God does know the true nature of all people, but Zophar was applying this to condemn Job as being vain, or hypocritical in his relationship to God.  Knowing the true nature of God should prevent us from condemning others and never lead to our feeling superior to them.  Verse twelve continues, For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass’s colt.  I believe that by vain men Zophar meant those who did not believe in God.  They were and still are as intelligent as a young wild donkey.

Job 11:1 says, Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,  The third of Job's friends speaks now, and instead of offering comfort, he instead offers condemnation of Job.  We need to pray that if we are ever suffering that we have friends who want to help and not condemn us.  We see nothing that says that these friends ever did anything to ease Job's suffering.  Evidently they were content to simply watch Job and blame his suffering on him.  Verse two adds, Should not the multitude of words be answered? and should a man full of talk be justified?  I believe Zophar was saying that Job was just rambling on as we might say.   He also seemed to be saying that God would have answered Job's multitude of words if Job was indeed righteous as he claimed.  If we do not seem to get an immediate answer from God, that does not mean that He is not listening to us.  I believe Zophar felt that he was morally superior to Job.  We need to be careful of judging others based on our own moral superiority. We will never be capable of judging and condemning others.  That is God's right alone.  If we see someone suffering, especially a fellow believer, we need to offer them support and comfort, and not attempt to condemn them as sinners deserving of their suffering.  Though we can judge certain actions as sinful, we are not called on to judge the faith of others, and certainly not based on physical conditions.  Verse three continues, Should thy lies make men hold their peace? and when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?  Zophar accuses Job of just using many words to justify himself with lies.  This was no statement that Job might be mistaken or honestly speaking from a wrong understanding.  Zophar asks Job if he thinks that since his lies were a mockery of God if Job thought that his friends would not be justified in making him ashamed of his words.  Zophar was speaking out of self-righteousness.  He really did feel morally superior to Job.  We need to guard against feeling that way about others, especially based on material factors.  Verse four states, For thou hast said, My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in thine eyes.  Zophar claimed that when Job claimed to be pure in his doctrine and clean in God's eyes that he was lying.  Zophar based this on feeling that his doctrine was pure.  To condemn someone else of being guilty of living by a false doctrine, we must feel that our doctrine is true.  That is one problem with attempting to live by a doctrine instead of a relationship with God.   Verse five adds, But oh that God would speak, and open his lips against thee;  Zophar wanted God to speak and condemn Job, which would have proven him right in his condemnation of Job.  Zophar would be waiting a long time for this to happen, because he was the one who was wrong.  We today may sit back waiting or even wishing for God to punish someone we think is guilty of sin, but our time would be better spent asking for God to restore them if they are truly guilty of sin.  Verse six continues, And 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.  Zophar became the judge and said that God was too lenient with Job.  In effect, Zophar was questioning the wisdom of God.  According to Zophar, God should have punished Job more.  We need to be careful that we don't have the same attitude about those around us.  We can never afford to approach others with a feeling of moral superiority, feeling that we are justified before God, but that they deserve whatever punishment they receive and probably even more.