Job Chapter 11 - Will a Man of Words be Righteous

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Transcript

Welcome to the InAllWisdom Podcast,

A Daily Podcast dedicated to wisdom for life.

I am Jim Donnelly, your host.

Stay tuned to this episode about wisdom for life.

I have completed a commentary on

The book of Ecclesiastes, all 222 verses.

My book title is:

Ecclesiastes Amplified: A Collection of Wise Words 

We have set the publication date for 2025.

In the meantime, I am working on 

the book of Job, 

all forty-two chapters, all 1070 verses.

My book title prompts 

a different approach to understanding

the book of Job: 

My book title is: 

Job True Story – Well Written:

Subtitled: A Story About a Mighty God Who Does Not Distance Himself from Human Suffering 

Job is forty-two chapters long. A daily Podcast will allow me to read through the entire book of Job every month. Some days I will read connecting chapters, because they belong together. And a nice surprise is that each day of the month whether the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 16th will represent a chapter in Job. So, on the 25th of any month, you can expect a Podcast on Job chapter 25.  

So, each Podcast will start with a reading from a chapter in the book of Job. I am taking this trek through Job for you and with you. Because most people on planet earth have never heard the true story of Job. 

Reading a chapter a day, will help them. It will also help many of you who know the book of Job but have never read it all. When reading along in the book of Job it is often very hard to figure out who is speaking, and harder still sometimes, to understand what they said.

Lastly, for each month of this Podcast I will choose a different version of the English Bible from which to read. This method will help us all to understand better what has been written for us. 

Today’s Podcast is from Job Chapter 11:2 

The title: Will A Man of Words Be Righteous?

I don’t know about you; but I sure get confused as to who is speaking and who is being spoken to. And also, how many are in the audience surrounding Job. Is is just his three friends? Or are there unseen spiritual beings present as well? Is the accuser still on stage? Is the Yahweh present at this point; or does He just arrive later in the whirlwind? I bet you have even more questions; like how is this even edifying?

Well stay tuned to this podcast; we are just getting started in Job chapter six, another pivotal chapter in the book of Job.

Allow me first to read Job chapter 11. It is 20 verses long. 

Today I am reading from The New Jerusalem Bible. 

The Book of JOB    Chapter eleven:

Zophar of Naamath spoke next. He said: 2 Is babbling to go without an answer? Is wordiness a proof of uprightness? 3 Do you think your talking strikes people dumb, will you jeer with no one to refute you? 4 These were your words, ‘My conduct is pure, in your eyes I am free of blame!’ 5 Will no one let God speak, open his lips and give you answer, 6 show you the secrets of wisdom which put all cleverness to shame? Then you would realise that God is calling you to account for your sin. 7 Can you claim to fathom the depth of God, can you reach the limit of Shaddai? 8 It is higher than the heavens: what can you do? It is deeper than Sheol: what can you know? 9 It would be longer to measure than the earth and broader than the sea. 10 If he intervenes to close or convoke the assembly, who is to prevent him? 11 He knows how deceptive human beings are, and he sees their misdeeds too, and marks them well. 12 Hence empty-headed people would do well to study sense and people who behave like wild donkeys to let themselves be tamed. 13 Come, reconsider your attitude, stretch out your hands towards him! 14 If you repudiate the sin which you have doubtless committed and do not allow wickedness to live on in your tents, 15 you will be able to raise an unsullied face, unwavering and free from fear, 16 for you will forget about your misery, thinking of it only as a flood that passed long ago. 17 Then begins an existence more radiant than noon, and the very darkness will be bright as morning. 18 Confident because there is hope; after your troubles, you will sleep secure. 19 When you lie down to rest, no one will trouble you, and many will seek your favour. 20 But as for the wicked, their eyes are weary, there is no refuge for them; their only hope is to breathe their last.” 

The New Jerusalem Bible (Job 11:1-20). (1985). Doubleday.

And now, for today’s Podcast titled:

Will A Man of Words Be Righteous? – Job 11:2

I will focus on two things only in order to explain what the writer has written. Zophar asks:

“Shall a multitude of words go unanswered, and a talkative man be acquitted? (Job 11:2, NASB).

The writer of Job writes a Hebrew word form, only one time in the entire book.  It is translated “words”. 

It first occurs in the Hebrew Bible as follows: “Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” (Exodus 4:10; NASB). 

“I have never been eloquent” can be translated more literally: “I am not a man of words”.  Further, “slow of tongue” contains the idea of “a heavy tongue”. Now this record of Moses being a “man of slow speech” can be matched here with the opposite. The man here in Job 11 is “a man of lips” or “a man of words” 

That is the first thing I wanted to bring to your attention.

The second thing is the “form: that Eliphaz saw but couldn't discern or understand, (see, Job 4:16). Because there seems to be a shoutout here to the book of Deuteronomy, which happens to be a book of many words. But more to the point we read: “Then the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form – only a voice.” (Deuteronomy 4:12, NASB). 

This is how chapter eleven begins. I am persuaded that Job’s words do not add up to the “many words” of the writings of Moses, most of which are actually the Lord speaking to Moses, and then recording what he had heard.

I want to stop here. So please ponder these things. 

 Because the question has been established: “Will a man of words be righteous? Or,  Will a man of words be acquitted?”

We have come to the end of today’s InAllWisdom Podcast. 

A Daily Podcast dedicated 

to wisdom for life. Thank you for listening!

Please join with me again for another interesting episode about Wisdom for Life as He works in us for His good pleasure. 

Until He COMES ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory, “The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; 

The Lord lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace. “