Verses 1-6
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Zophar here thinks that Job is claiming to be totally sinless, which is untrue. Job knew he had sin, like we all do (Job 7:21, 9:2,28). Job simply knew that there was no specific sin that caused his present suffering.
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Zophar then adds, “God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves” (verse 6). He believes that Job not only deserved the suffering he endured, but that he actually deserved more!
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Although it is generally true that all men deserve death and hell, because we all have sinned, not every suffering in this life is a chastisement for our own sin.
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Be careful how you understand and teach about suffering to others. Do not be so quick to tell someone, when they're suffering, that they're “getting what they deserve” because this isn't always the case. You too could be deemed a “miserable comforter” (Job 16:2).
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Verses 7-12
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In verse 3 Zophar accused Job of empty speech, and now he accuses him of being empty-headed (verse 12). His idea is that God is so transcendent that Job could never understand God's ways. Ironically, Job's friends denounce Job's understanding while believing that their own understanding is correct.
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Don't be too quick to indict someone's else's understanding of God while exalting your own. All in all, God's ways are hard to understand, so don't be overconfident in what you think you know.
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Verses 13-20
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Now Zophar gives Job advice that he should really be giving himself. He tried to teach Job that if he would only repent of his sin, he would be restored and forget his misery. Job's friends all needed to repent of some pride.
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Although he was accurate in saying that Job would be restored and forget his suffering (Job 42), he taught that Job would have to repent first. But, again, Job did not have some specific sin to repent of. Job was already a “blameless and upright man who feared God and shunned evil.”
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Take Zophar's words with a grain of salt. First, do repent of sin; it will generally bring greater security, rest, and faith.
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Secondly, do not quickly propose repentance as advice for a person who is suffering, to try to restore them, if there is not sin that's evident.