Page 22 - The Poetic Books - Student Text

severe Zophar attempting to force Job to admit his hidden transgressions, on the basis of a glowing
account of the rich benefits accruing from repentance and new surrender to God. Then, of course, he
and his two comrades can go home relieved at the confirmation of their doctrine that disaster will never
overtake truly good people – like themselves!”
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Job rebuffs Zophar with strong, mocking words. “Doubtless…wisdom will die with you (12:2). He
criticizes them as healthy people who have contempt for those who are struggling in life. Yet the things
they say are so simple the animals can teach the same principles. The animals, the birds of the sky, and
even the fish know these things. “Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done
this (12:9)?” Older humans have already mastered these concepts (12:12). God holds back waters. God
leads away rulers. He overthrows officials. He pours contempt on nobles. He makes nations great. He
deprives leaders of their reason. Job knows all this just as well as his three friends, so they have not
helped him a bit (13:1-2). Silence from them would be better since they have smeared him with lies
(13:4-5).

The conversations among Job and his three friends continue for two more cycles. In the third cycle
Bildad speaks five verses, and Zophar does not speak at all. This diminished content would seem to say
that they are eventually silenced by Job’s superior understanding. “Bildad’s unusually brief lecture may
well indicate that the three counselors were running out of arguments with which to respond to Job. No
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wonder, for their theology was rather one-tracked.” They

The Book of Job

27 Archer, The Book of Job, 62.
28 Roy Zuck, Job (Chicago: Moody Press, 1978), 113.
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