Zophar, one of Job’s friends, expressed his dismay over Job’s earlier defense. He said: “Therefore my thoughts impelled me to answer, for my heart was impatient. I heard a rebuke that insulted me, but a spirit of understanding answered me.” (Job 20:2-3). Zophar conveyed that his inner dismay was not only because of Job’s argument, but also because of the rebuke that he perceived as reproaching him. However, rather than empathizing, Zophar reverted to his old logic, that suffering is the result of sin, and that the wicked will not last long (vv. 4-5). For Zophar, history had taught that the wicked’s success was temporary. He described their lives as towering, but eventually fading away like a night’s dream (vv. 6–8). This image is both poetic and evocative, of a person who was once exalted, one day being forgotten as if he had never existed.

Interestingly, however, while Zophar’s statement contains an element of truth—that evil ultimately has no future—he fails to apply it appropriately. He accused Job of being wicked, when in fact Job was not suffering because of his sin, but as part of a divine plan that was greater than humans could understand. Zophar saw the truth, but he applied it wrongly. He quoted the eternal principle of the transience of evil, but he did not understand Job's suffering.

Bible friends, sometimes something we see as "truth" may not be a blessing to others, if the truth is applied blindly and as if it has universal value in all contexts and points of view. Realize that truth can be a hurtful tool if delivered at the wrong time and context. Like Zophar, even though he conveyed the reality that evil and pride do not last long, he failed to understand that not all suffering is the result of sin. He judged Job from the outside without delving into the depths of his heart.

Let us learn to see the world in all its complexity. Including how each person processes through all the events they experience, assesses the events based on their own perspective, and tries to speak out loudly in the midst of situations that may be so difficult to speak out. Appreciation of the process and the perspectives that shape it makes us realize that our opinions will be meaningful if they take them into account. When that happens we can truly empathize with the suffering of others rather than just looking around with a side eye and based on our own judgment alone.