Job 11:15 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

Navigator

Job 11:15

Comments

False religion is prepared to offer us false comfort, comfort offered on terms we cannot accept, for the price is too high. In the next chapter Job rightly scorns all this, and dismisses it as worthy only of contempt. That is not ingratitude; it is an unmasking of what in reality is only a trap. When the enemy comes to us in apparent softness to put us off our guard, he deserves a forceful response. Job had to keep himself estranged from them, because to yield, even for a moment, was to weaken himself and to allow himself to become even more confused than he already was. He had correctly analysed the situation, and he had correctly focused on the most important matter. Although he responded badly to God’s chastisement, he could not allow himself to be snatched away from the anchor that held him: that he was indeed a child of God. The only question was, why did God treat one he loved in this way? Zophar exhorted Job to come to God as a stranger having no existing relationship with him. Job must have felt very alone and the temptation must have been strong to yield and accept comfort on their terms but this would have been to deny the God he knew already.If Job turns away from his secret wickedness, says Zophar, he will find God’s face smiling on him. He will be able to look into the eyes of the Lord without flinching and without shame. How easy Zophar makes it to find peace with God! How inadequate is his religion! His idea is that our own righteousness and integrity is sufficient to please the Lord. He says nothing about the infinite holiness of God, nothing about the need for a mediator, nothing about trusting in God for salvation. His own righteousness and integrity are sufficient, and this is within man’s capability to achieve.

Application

The believer must beware of taking hold of the hand held out to him by those who do not know the Lord. It is tempting to receive comfort from any quarter from which it is offered. Sympathy is so rare in the world, and self-seeking and indifference are so much the rule, that when we come across those who seem to care, we are drawn to them. But the offer of comfort is an offer to lean on another, and we must consider whether they are able to bear our weight. The offer of comfort is an offer to share a burden, or it is a pointer to the place where our burden can be relieved. But the burden we bear is greater than any mortal frame can support. If God has taught us then we have seen that our true needs are not matters of time but matters of eternity; they are not the affairs of this life but of the life to come; they are not only about our relationship with men but with the living God. These things are not important to a world that does not believe in God. Furthermore we have learnt that the problem of sin and the obtaining of peace with God are out of reach to mortal man. We cannot go to the doctor, or to the expert, or to the wisest living on earth and expect to find help when it comes to matters of the soul. The world does not even agree that these needs are real, let alone know how to solve them. Furthermore, there are conditions attached to every offer of comfort, which those who offer help may not even be aware they are imposing on us. Ultimately the Christian goes to God for help with the soul, for he alone can save us. Those who love him can direct us on our way, but they cannot themselves offer the help we need.

Questions

Outline

Purpose

Introduction

Job 11:15 Commentary and Bible Study