3I hear a rebuke that dishonors me, and my understanding inspires me to reply.
We don’t need this kind of “inspiration” when someone is hurting. It sounds to me as if Zophar has taken something Job said personally. He feels dishonored by what Job has said. But as I read Zophar’s response to Job, I get the feeling that Job is very ill at this time. Look at verses 12-18 which seem to describe being sick to the stomach. Where did Zophar get this illustration of judgment on the rich? I suspect he saw Job throwing up and then used Job’s suffering to better his point in the argument. How can a sick man fight back? Zophar exploits Job’s weakness in order to bolster his side of the argument. This kind of thing happens in arguments every day. When someone feels like they are losing, they get more and more personal in their attacks. They feel attacked, so they raise the stakes. Have you done that? Has someone done that to you? When an argument gets to this point, you are better off walking away rather than continuing this escalation of insult. Truth has gone out the window, so why keep it up. We need to be careful when our understanding does the inspiring. Our understanding is always limited, partial, and favors us. Truth is unlimited, impartial and favors no one. So next time we feel like we are losing, maybe we should just close our mouths and keep silent. Here Job is suffering, going through the struggle of his life, and he is getting buried alive in the ‘comfort’ of his ‘friends.’
The Arnold Journey 