Read:
Zophar is the third friend of Job’s to speak. By this point, Job is maintaining his innocence before God—not claiming that he has never sinned, but trusting that his sins are forgiven because of God’s grace. Zophar is annoyed. He speaks without compassion and with sharp words, even going so far as to say Job deserves worse than what he got.
As hard as that is to hear, Zophar isn’t entirely wrong. The Bible is clear that all of us are sinners. In Romans, Paul writes that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23, NLT). A holy and perfect God cannot ignore sin. His justice requires that it be paid for.
Out of mercy, God sent his Son, Jesus, to do what we could never do for ourselves. Jesus lived without sin, so he didn’t owe a debt of his own. His death was enough to pay for our sins. God’s justice was fully satisfied, and his mercy was fully displayed. We are saved not by our efforts, but by faith in what Jesus has already done for us.
Zophar actually understood many true things about God. He spoke about God’s greatness, his sovereignty, and his justice. But he missed something essential:
But he missed God’s mercy.
As we encourage one another to fully follow Jesus, we can’t lose sight of that. Without mercy, there is no hope. Mercy is at the heart of the Gospel, and it’s good news that’s meant to be shared!
Pray: God, thank you for your mercy., Give me opportunities to speak about what Jesus has done and point others to the hope we have in you. Help me speak truth with grace, always. Amen.