Who can refute a sneer? This was the question William Paley, a famous Christian of an earlier century, asked. He was referring to a clever book in which Christianity was not argued against, but rather laughed at as absurd. It can feel excruciating to be laughed at. Job's friends, who were initially horrified at his predicament, have reached the point where they are actually laughing at the absurdity of Job's speeches. For them, the world is very simple and they find it extraordinary that Job cannot see it.

In today's reading (Job 12:1-13:19), he speaks to his friends. In 13:20-14:22, he speaks to God.

In 12:2-6, Job accuses his friends of laughing at him (v. 4). They are so arrogant; they think they are the people who really understand things. So they look down their noses at Job in his misfortune.

In verses 7-12, Job mimics what his friends have said to him. They are saying that their system is so simple that even animals, birds, the earth, or fish can understand it. They are the senior people whose long life has given them good understanding (v. 12). ″So,″ they are saying, ″why won't you listen to us? Everybody else–even the fish!–knows this is true.″ But what Job's friends are saying is shallow. In a mocking tone, Job says that if the fish can understand it, then perhaps there is more to the world than this!

In the next section (vv. 13-25), Job looks around at the world as it is. What he sees is a lot more complicated than ″good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people″. He speaks of what we call natural disasters, when things are torn down, when there is drought, when God sends floods (vv. 13-15). These things do not fit into a simple system.

In verses 16-21, Job looks at disasters that happen to different people–rulers, judges, priests, trusted advisers, elders, nobles, and the mighty. If they trusted in Job's friends' simple system, some of them would be in for a terrible shock.

The world is more complicated than that–a lot more complicated. Nations go up and down (v. 23) and leaders can go mad (v. 24). The world is a wild place. Job wants to face this head-on, and not pretend that a simple moral system explains it all.

In 13:1-12, he accuses his friends of telling lies about God. Job wants to speak directly to God himself (v. 3) and resolves to do so; he knows it is dangerous (″Though he slay me″, v. 15), but he must do it.