Burunche’s Blog

Eliphaz: Job Does Not Fear God

“Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied: “Does a wise man answer with empty counsel or fill his belly with the hot east wind? Should he argue with useless words or speeches that serve no purpose? But you even undermine the fear of God and hinder meditation before Him. For your iniquity instructs your mouth, and you choose the language of the crafty. Your own mouth, not mine, condemns you; your own lips testify against you.

Were you the first man ever born? Were you brought forth before the hills? Do you listen in on God’s council or limit wisdom to yourself? What do you know that we do not? What do you understand that is not clear to us? Both the gray-haired and the aged are on our side—men much older than your father. Are the consolations of God not enough for you, even words spoken gently to you? Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash, as you turn your spirit against God and pour such words from your mouth?

What is man, that he should be pure, or one born of woman, that he should be righteous? If God puts no trust in His holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in His eyes, how much less man, who is vile and corrupt, who drinks injustice like water?

Listen to me and I will inform you. I will describe what I have seen, what was declared by wise men and was not concealed from their fathers, to whom alone the land was given when no foreigner passed among them. A wicked man writhes in pain all his days; only a few years are reserved for the ruthless. Sounds of terror fill his ears; in his prosperity the destroyer attacks him. He despairs of his return from darkness; he is marked for the sword. He wanders about as food for vultures; he knows the day of darkness is at hand.

Distress and anguish terrify him, overwhelming him like a king poised to attack. For he has stretched out his hand against God and has vaunted himself against the Almighty, rushing headlong at Him with his thick, studded shield. Though his face is covered with fat and his waistline bulges with flesh, he will dwell in ruined cities, in abandoned houses destined to crumble. He will no longer be rich; his wealth will not endure. His possessions will not overspread the land. He will not escape from the darkness; the flame will wither his shoots, and the breath of God’s mouth will carry him away.

Let him not deceive himself with trust in emptiness, for emptiness will be his reward. It will be paid in full before his time, and his branch will not flourish. He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes, like an olive tree that sheds its blossoms. For the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of bribery. They conceive trouble and give birth to evil; their womb is pregnant with deceit.”

WOW! With friends like Eliphaz, Job certainly doesn’t need any enemies! Even though Eliphaz has allegedly come to mourn with Job, it is now quite apparent that Eliphaz has had a far different agenda all this time. Eliphaz has been sitting in the background just WAITING for the chance to dump on Job, and now he’s dumping with a vengeance.

“But you even undermine the fear of God and hinder meditation before Him. For your iniquity instructs your mouth, and you choose the language of the crafty. Your own mouth, not mine, condemns you; your own lips testify against you.”  Even though Job has continued to honor God despite his frustrations with Him, Eliphaz now accuses Job of unbelief and lies about God. It’s almost as if Elphaz hasn’t listened to a thing Job has said but has been structuring his attack all the time he has been with Job.

“What do you know that we do not? What do you understand that is not clear to us? Both the gray-haired and the aged are on our side—men much older than your father.” Eliphaz wants to believe that he has tapped into ancient wisdom while Job has not; meanwhile, Job has worshiped God for years while Eliphaz’s knowledge is all second – hand.

“Are the consolations of God not enough for you, even words spoken gently to you?” What consolations and what gentle words are we talking about? So far, Job’s friends have engaged in a lot of verbiage devoid of either consolation or gentleness. Now Eliphaz is mounting an attack that is anything but gentle.

“What is man, that he should be pure, or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?” One might well ask, “Who is Eliphaz, that he should be pure or righteous? And then Eliphaz continues to give gory details about all the suffering of the wicked, implying that Job must be suffering because of his wickedness. But Eliphaz is very wrong. Most of us can think of prominent wicked people who appear to enjoy a luxurious life style, not the deprivation Eliphaz is describing. Again, Eliphaz appears to have been envying Job for a long time. Now that Job has lost everything, Eliphaz chooses to believe that God is punishing Job for secret sins, and frankly Eliphaz is thrilled. It’s almost as if Eliphaz is hoping that Job will suffer even more.

APPLICATION: Of all the so-called friends who have come to sympathize with Job, Eliphaz is by far the hardest – hearted. Eliphaz accuses Job of things Job never said and beliefs Job never held. Eliphaz also has a very high opinion of himself, perhaps because he is the oldest in the delegation. (Note the references to “men much older than your father.”It’s as if Eliphaz views Job as a cockroach that God is attempting to eliminate. Eliphaz believes Job to be harboring secret sins; meanwhile, Job actually has been found blameless before God and it is that purity that has attracted Satan’s attention.

Sadly, we encountered someone with an Eliphaz spirit in a church prayer ministry. We had just returned from our first mission term, a grueling two-year mission assignment. We had reservations about the project before we started, and every one of those reservations had been proven true. We had been under intense spiritual and physical attack and had received little or no encouragement from our fellow missionaries or from the group that had sent us in the first place. When we reported problems that had existed long before we arrived on the mission field, our sending agency blamed us. Now we were in a large church with a prayer ministry, hoping for some comfort and relief. Imagine our despair when the leader of the prayer ministry immediately informed us that we should take full responsibility for everything that had gone wrong.

We were devastated! This woman failed to get any details from us before reaching this conclusion and we could only assume that she was angry that the project hadn’t turned out to be a text book success. There might also have been another thing in play as well. Since our first term, we have encountered a number of people within the Christian community who have probably been called to do something and who have refused that call. Such people are incredibly resentful of those of us who have answered the calling God has placed on our lives. Such people rejoice when they see a missionary suffer because that validates their refusal to respond to God.

We learned two things from this disaster: never trust someone who has not been a full – time missionary for several years to understand problems on a mission field. Short – term missionaries may easily come back with their rose – colored glasses firmly in place. The second thing we learned was to thoroughly investigate any group offering counseling before trusting ourselves to that group. Blessedly, we later counseled with Rick Fowler at Minrith Meier Clinic in Dallas. Rick succeeded in undoing much of the damage the first group had done, but he had a difficult time. (Rick grew up on a mission field.) The time spent in Dallas was helpful for a number of reasons and eventually led to a great deal of healing.

What can those of us who counsel the grieving learn from Eliphaz? Try as much as possible to really listen to someone, rather than simply biding your time until you can jump in with your pre-conceived notions. And above all, be genuinely kind. Don’t blather on about gentleness while you are lacerating someone’s feelings. God hates liars.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be sensitive to the hurting so that we bring healing and not more damage. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Job Laments the Finality of Death

“Man, who is born of woman, is short of days and full of trouble. Like a flower, he comes forth, then withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure. Do You open your eyes to one like this?

Will You bring him into judgment before You? Who can bring out clean from unclean? No one!

Since his days are determined and the number of his months is with You, and since You have set limits

that he cannot exceed, look away from him and let him rest, so he can enjoy his day as a hired hand.

For there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its tender shoots will not fail. If its roots grow old in the ground and its stump dies in the soil, at the scent of water it will bud and put forth twigs like a sapling. But a man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last, and where is he?

As water disappears from the sea and a river becomes parched and dry, so man lies down and does not rise. Until the heavens are no more, he will not be awakened or roused from sleep. If only You would hide me in Sheol and conceal me until Your anger passes. If only You would appoint a time for me and then remember me. When a man dies, will he live again?

All the days of my hard service I will wait, until my relief comes. You will call, and I will answer; You will desire the work of Your hands. For then You would count my steps, but would not keep track of my sin. My transgression would be sealed in a bag, and You would cover over my iniquity.

But as a mountain erodes and crumbles and a rock is dislodged from its place, as water wears away stones and torrents wash away the soil, so You destroy a man’s hope. You forever overpower him, and he passes on; You change his countenance and send him away. If his sons receive honor, he does not know it; if they are brought low, he is unaware. He feels only the pain of his own body and mourns only for himself.”

““Man, who is born of woman, is short of days and full of trouble…. For there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its tender shoots will not fail. If its roots grow old in the ground and its stump dies in the soil, at the scent of water it will bud and put forth twigs like a sapling. But a man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last, and where is he?”  Job really has a grudge against God and he wants to make sure God knows it! Why should God have made humans so ephemeral, their lives so short, only for them to die and disappear? At least trees can bring forth new buds from stumps. According to Job, God handles trees more fairly than He handles humans. At this point, Job believes he will never have any more children, so there will be nobody to carry on his name.  

But Job is a bit confused because later on, Job continues. “If only You would hide me in Sheol and conceal me until Your anger passes. If only You would appoint a time for me and then remember me. When a man dies, will he live again?”  Job isn’t really sure whether he wants to live or die, but Job is sure that God is not just. Why can’t God just allow Job to enjoy the remainder of his short life without persecuting him?

“All the days of my hard service I will wait, until my relief comes. You will call, and I will answer; You will desire the work of Your hands. For then You would count my steps, but would not keep track of my sin. My transgression would be sealed in a bag, and You would cover over my iniquity.” Despite earlier accusing God of unfairness, Job continues to hope that God will again recognize him and give him relief. But this momentary spark of hope is followed by more despair.

“But as a mountain erodes and crumbles and a rock is dislodged from its place, as water wears away stones and torrents wash away the soil, so You destroy a man’s hope. You forever overpower him, and he passes on; You change his countenance and send him away. If his sons receive honor, he does not know it; if they are brought low, he is unaware. He feels only the pain of his own body and mourns only for himself.” Job views himself as a mountain that has crumbled away, with nothing left to show for his life.

APPLICATION: Job is angry with God because life is so short and death so permanent. Why is this anger a good sign? While Job may be angry with God, he is nowhere near ready to commit suicide. Job still wants to live and he wants life to be better. Even though Job asks God “why don’t you just hide me in Sheol?” Job is not really serious. If God hides Job somewhere, then God can also retrieve Job and make him suffer more.

People who struggle with depression do not commit suicide when they are on the way down or when they are at their lowest. A severely depressed person doesn’t have the energy to commit suicide. It is people who are recovering so they are strong enough to do something and hopeless enough for suicide to seem desirable.

Notice something else: throughout all of Job’s complaints, he never ceases to acknowledge God’s power or His sovereignty. Job might be angry with God because he thinks God is punishing him unfairly, but he still believes that God rules the universe. Job’s problem is not a lack of faith; Job is angry because he believes God is the Author of everything good. Job feels God has arbitrarily singled him out to torment him when God can easily do him good instead. “God, why can’t You pick on someone else for a change?”

If this is your first exposure to the Book of Job, I don’t want to spoil it for you by revealing the ending. But there is a happy ending to Job’s sufferings. Why then does God make Job endure all this physical and emotional suffering?

Wealth and ease teach very few lessons. Most people learn far more from poverty and struggle than from comfort. Job is no different. As we continue through Job, we watch Job gradually being refined as God strips away Job’s cherished beliefs about himself. Eventually, God does reveal Himself to Job in a mind – blowing fashion. Many of us might identify with Job, and if you do, hang on. God has yet to write the last chapter in your story!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust where we cannot see. Help us to believe in Your goodness and mercy and grace even when they seem to delay in arriving. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Job Reproves His Friends

“Behold, my eyes have seen all this; my ears have heard and understood. What you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you.

Yet I desire to speak to the Almighty and argue my case before God.

You, however, smear with lies; you are all worthless physicians. If only you would remain silent; for that would be your wisdom!

Hear now my argument, and listen to the plea of my lips. Will you speak wickedly on God’s behalf or speak deceitfully for Him? Would you show Him partiality or argue in His defense? Would it be well when He examined you? Could you deceive Him like a man? Surely He would rebuke you if you secretly showed partiality. Would His majesty not terrify you? Would the dread of Him not fall upon you?

Your maxims are proverbs of ashes; your defenses are defenses of clay. Be silent, and I will speak. Then let come to me what may. Why do I put myself at risk and take my life in my own hands? Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. I will still defend my ways to His face.

Moreover, this will be my salvation, for no godless man can appear before Him.

Listen carefully to my words; let my declaration ring in your ears.

Behold, now that I have prepared my case, I know that I will be vindicated. Can anyone indict me? If so, I will be silent and die.

Only grant these two things to me, so that I need not hide from You:

Withdraw Your hand from me, and do not let Your terror frighten me. Then call me, and I will answer, or let me speak, and You can reply.

How many are my iniquities and sins? Reveal to me my transgression and sin. Why do You hide Your face and consider me as Your enemy? Would You frighten a windblown leaf? Would You chase after dry chaff? For You record bitter accusations against me and bequeath to me the iniquities of my youth. You put my feet in the stocks and stand watch over all my paths; You set a limit for the soles of my feet. So man wastes away like something rotten, like a moth-eaten garment.”

“What you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you. Yet I desire to speak to the Almighty and argue my case before God.”

Not only is Job fed up with his friends, but he is equally fed up with God. While traditional courtesy forbids Job from telling his friends to leave off and go home, he wants them to realize that his beef is with God. God is the One who has allowed these calamities and now Job wants to plead for himself before God.  

Evidently, in the past, Job has had a vibrant prayer life, an ongoing dialogue with God. But now God is silent and all Job can hear are the voices of his accusers. There is an old saying that “It is far better to remain silent and to be thought wise than to open your mouth and to remove all doubt.” Most of us may appear wise as long as we don’t begin speaking. That is why Job is advising his friends, “If only you would remain silent; for that would be your wisdom!“

“Will you speak wickedly on God’s behalf or speak deceitfully for Him?”  Job’s friends have been pretending that they speak for God; yet, Job is certain none of them really know God in the first place. Why? Because people who really know God are far less ready to give easy answers and platitudes than people who only think in meme – type phrases. People who truly know God are far more willing to listen and to remain silent, allowing God to work. The longer we spend with God, the less apt we are to try to act as an amateur providence, inflicting our will on someone in God’s name. Job’s friends have been trying to fix him with words, a useless endeavor.

“Your maxims are proverbs of ashes; your defenses are defenses of clay.” How many of us have been tempted to say something similar to those who have come as advisors only to accuse us unfairly?

“Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.”  If you do not remember anything else from this chapter, remember verse 14. Job’s faith in God is so complete that he is willing to accept death as God’s perfect will for him. Do not misunderstand; Job still wants the opportunity to argue directly with God. But Job is willing to accept God’s will. Job’s accusers know nothing of such faith.

“Only grant these two things to me, so that I need not hide from You: Withdraw Your hand from me, and do not let Your terror frighten me. Then call me, and I will answer, or let me speak, and You can reply.”  Finally, Job addresses God, asking that God remove His terror and then call Job to speak. This challenge seems amazing, seeing that Job is addressing the Lord of the Universe. But Job believes so firmly that he is righteous that he is even willing to throw down this challenge to God.

APPLICATION: Reading the Book of Job, we marvel at Job’s presumption. Here is one little guy sitting somewhere scratching his boils with a broken piece of pottery and yet he is demanding an audience with the Lord of the Universe. Sounds crazy, no? But Job’s complaints and accusations are the same ones that sufferers have lodged against God ever since creation.

One of my aunts contracted polio during the 1952 epidemic, the last major polio epidemic to hit the U.S. before the vaccine was developed. For the next several years, my aunt was paralyzed from the neck down and forced to live on rocker beds and iron lungs while her family cared for her. My three cousins lost most of their childhood and my uncle lost his health, all while caring for my aunt. I am sure my uncle must have asked God “Why?” many times. I have no idea how God answered him.

In 1980 we lost my beloved mother to a very rare form of cancer that made its own steroids. These steroids depressed her immune system so much that she developed brain abscesses containing two different kinds of fungi. Although my mother was a non-smoker, the cancer was a form of lung cancer generally associated with smoking. My mother’s death tore a hole in our family as well as in our small – town community. In the end, all we could do was to trust that God knew better than we did, but that did not lessen the suffering for any member of my family.

Accidents, illnesses, earthquakes, wars – disasters are everywhere. Job compared himself to a windblown leaf or to chaff. Our lives hang by a thread maintained only by the mercy of God. In the end, the best thing to do is to trust when we cannot see or understand. “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.”

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many are suffering and are losing hope. Help us to trust where we cannot see, being willing to believe that You are our Deliverer and Protector. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Job Presents His Case

“Then Job answered: “Truly then you are the people, and wisdom will die with you! But I also have a mind; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these? I am a laughingstock to my friends, though I called on God, and He answered. The righteous and upright man is a laughingstock.

The one at ease scorns misfortune as the fate of those whose feet are slipping. The tents of robbers are safe, and those who provoke God are secure—those who carry their god in their hands. (Or “though God keeps them in his power “)

But ask the animals, and they will instruct you; ask the birds of the air, and they will tell you. Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? The life of every living thing is in His hand, as well as the breath of all mankind.

Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes its food? Wisdom is found with the elderly, and understanding comes with long life. Wisdom and strength belong to God; counsel and understanding are His. What He tears down cannot be rebuilt; the man He imprisons cannot be released. If He holds back the waters, they dry up, and if He releases them, they overwhelm the land.

True wisdom and power belong to Him. The deceived and the deceiver are His. He leads counselors away barefoot and makes fools of judges. He loosens the bonds placed by kings and fastens a belt around their waists. He leads priests away barefoot and overthrows the established. He deprives the trusted of speech and takes away the discernment of elders. He pours out contempt on nobles and disarms the mighty. He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into light. He makes nations great and destroys them; He enlarges nations, then disperses them. He deprives the earth’s leaders of reason and makes them wander a trackless wasteland. They grope in the darkness without light; He makes them stagger like drunkards.”

For days – perhaps even weeks, Job has been enduring accusations cloaked as admonishments. Job has listened, hoping for some small crumb of comfort but receiving only ashes and acidic remarks that have seared his soul. Now Job has finally has had enough!

“Truly then you are the people, and wisdom will die with you! But I also have a mind; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these?” Job’s friends have done nothing except quote popular proverbs all the time they are accusing him of secret sins. Then they have attempted to cover themselves by making pious statements about a God whom they don’t actually know.

“I am a laughingstock to my friends, though I called on God, and He answered.” Job’s problem is not that God has withheld answers but that God has answered and Job isn’t happy with the results. Job wants relief and relief is not appearing. And Job’s friends are getting on his last nerve.

“The one at ease scorns misfortune as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.”  Job’s friends aren’t suffering; therefore, they assume that Job deserves his agony. Centuries later, Solomon will write, “Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar poured on a wound, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.” (Proverbs 25:20) This proverb describes Job’s friends precisely!

“The life of every living thing is in His hand, as well as the breath of all mankind…True wisdom and power belong to Him.” Even in the midst of suffering, Job still speaks rightly about God. Job affirms that God is the One who promotes and who destroys, raising up kings and kingdoms and bringing them to ruin. God remains sovereign.

APPLICATION: Job wants relief and he wants it RIGHT NOW!!! The situation appears intolerable and suffering continues unabated. Job’s problem is not a lack of faith; Job knows who God is, how powerful He is, and what He can do. What irks Job is that he does not understand why God is prolonging his suffering. God can certainly end this mess if He chooses, so why isn’t He ending it? Why drag this out any longer? What is the point?

Let us face it, suffering hurts! Not only is Job suffering physically, but the very people who should have brought consolation have brought accusations and platitudes instead. There is nothing wrong with Job’s brain; before the disasters began, he was one of the biggest businessmen in the Middle East. Job did not become wealthy by being stupid. Few things are more frustrating than listening as people drone on about things you already know, thereby implying that you are a dunce.

James 1:2-4 tells us, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”  Nobody likes to suffer; however, God knows us intimately and wants to perfect us. Unfortunately, suffering is one of God’s main tools.

One meditation I read recently compared suffering to the tension required to shoot an arrow. Unless a bowstring is pulled to a certain point, the arrow will never reach its target. In the same way, many times God puts us under tension to achieve a certain purpose. Left to ourselves, our bow strings would remain slack, relaxed, and useless. Here, God continues to pull Job’s emotional bow strings.

 When I was a kid, we used to play Monopoly, a board game in which our movements were controlled by rolling dice or selecting cards that told us how many places we could advance on the board. Sometimes an unlucky person would land on a square that ordered them to go to jail, making it impossible for them to gain any advantages. A lucky person would pull a “get out of jail free” card that would allow that person back into the game. Job is desperately seeking a “get out of jail free” card.

There have been many times during our missionary careers in which pressures have mounted while relief has delayed. We have begged for deliverance, and instead things have become even worse. In such situations it helps to remember what C. H. Spurgeon taught about the Exodus. Spurgeon taught that when God’s time came for the Children of Israel to be delivered, nothing could have delayed them for another second.

Acts 2:1 begins with the phrase, “And when the Day of Pentecost had fully come…” As soon as everyone and everything was in place, God sent His Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The world would never be the same. God may allow us to suffer, but He will sustain us in the suffering. Psalm 30:5 tells us that “weeping may last for a night but joy comes in the morning.” Eventually, our suffering did and joy did come to us.

Are you at the end of your rope? Do you feel as if your hands are slipping? Ask God for the strength to hold on; He will sustain you. The same God who allows you to go through difficult times will also give you His strength so that you can endure.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, there are many of us who feel as if we are at the end of our ropes and the ropes are fraying! Help us hold on and trust that You will see us through all this. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Zophar Rebukes Job (Ecclesiastes 1:1-11)

“Then Zophar the Naamathite replied: “Should this stream of words go unanswered and such a speaker be vindicated? Should your babbling put others to silence? Will you scoff without rebuke? You have said, ‘My doctrine is sound, and I am pure in Your sight.’ But if only God would speak and open His lips against you, and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know then that God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves.

Can you fathom the deep things of God or discover the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens—what can you do? They are deeper than Sheol—what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea. If He comes along to imprison you, or convenes a court, who can stop Him? Surely He knows the deceit of men. If He sees iniquity, does He not take note? But a witless man can no more become wise than the colt of a wild donkey can be born a man! 

As for you, if you direct your heart and lift up your hands to Him, if you put away the iniquity in your hand, and allow no injustice to dwell in your tents, then indeed you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and unafraid. For you will forget your misery, recalling it only as waters gone by.

Your life will be brighter than noonday; its darkness will be like the morning. You will be secure, because there is hope, and you will look around and lie down in safety. You will lie down without fear, and many will court your favor. But the eyes of the wicked will fail, and escape will elude them; they will hope for their last breath.”

As if Job doesn’t have enough problems, now Zophar the Naamathite weighs in with his accusations. If Zophar’s remarks are an indication of friendship, then Job doesn’t need any enemies! 

First, Zophar accuses Job of shooting off his mouth and babbling. “Will you scoff without rebuke?” But Job hasn’t been scoffing; if anything, Job has been extolling the virtues of God and lamenting the fact that God appears to have hidden Himself. “Know then that God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves.”  How is Zophar so certain that Job has been a horrible sinner? Or is Zophar simply guessing, based on the idea that God is punishing Job for some secret wrong – doing?

“Can you fathom the deep things of God or discover the limits of the Almighty?” What a fine – sounding phrase! Too bad Zophar follows that up by implying that God is punishing Job. Zophar even goes so far as to compare a witless man to a donkey. While Zophar doesn’t come out plainly to accuse Job of stupidity, he certainly implies it.

Finally, Zophar attempts to redeem himself by mouthing platitudes about how wonderful Job’s life will be if Job will just repent. “Your life will be brighter than noonday; its darkness will be like the morning.” Zophar concludes by making a statement about the wicked in an attempt to appear sagacious. “But the eyes of the wicked will fail, and escape will elude them; they will hope for their last breath.”

APPLICATION: Zophar gives us a perfect example of a guy who hasn’t bothered to get his facts straight before putting his mouth in gear. Zophar alternates between accusations and pious pronouncements. But there’s a major problem: the mere fact that a statement about God is true does not mean it has to be used at this point.

Zophar appears to believe that God is sitting in heaven waiting to zap sinners with lightning bolts. Obviously, Job must have done something awful; look how he is suffering. One wonders which god Zophar worships and if it’s the kind of demon that demands continuous sacrifices.

Once more, Job’s afflictions include lacerating comments from self-styled friends. Yet another thing is also obvious: Job’s friends know nothing about God and very little about life. Zophar certainly has never suffered; otherwise, he would be wiser and more compassionate in his comments.

1 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” When we suffer, we generally focus all our attention on ourselves, never realizing that God has far more in mind than just giving us a tough time. Suffering can be very helpful, as long as we are willing to learn everything we can from it and not merely sink down in a morass of self – pity.

So we leave Job, still suffering from his boils, still scratching himself with a piece of pottery, and still listening to those who should be comforting him as they pontificate. One wonders if the lousy advice from so-called friends might not be the worst suffering of all! The worst part of the situation is that these friends who claim to be speaking for God are not. But ignorance is no obstacle when someone  decides to sound off.

Perhaps you find yourself in the same position as Job. Don’t despair. The opinions of your friends do not necessarily reflect God’s opinion. Wait quietly and ask God to reveal Himself. God is far more compassionate than your friends!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help those of us who are trying to comfort others to be sensitive and to be Your hands and feet. And for those who are suffering, show them Your mercy, love, and grace. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Job’s Plea to God

“I loathe my own life; I will express my complaint and speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say to God: Do not condemn me! Let me know why You prosecute me. Does it please You to oppress me, to reject the work of Your hands and favor the schemes of the wicked?

Do You have eyes of flesh? Do You see as man sees? Are Your days like those of a mortal, or Your years like those of a man, that You should seek my iniquity and search out my sin—though You know that I am not guilty, and there is no deliverance from Your hand?

Your hands shaped me and altogether formed me. Would You now turn and destroy me? Please remember that You molded me like clay. Would You now return me to dust? Did You not pour me out like milk, and curdle me like cheese? You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. You have granted me life and loving devotion, and Your care has preserved my spirit. (Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion; the range of meaning includes love, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and mercy, as well as loyalty to a covenant.)

Yet You concealed these things in Your heart, and I know that this was in Your mind: If I sinned, You would take note, and would not acquit me of my iniquity. If I am guilty, woe to me! And even if I am righteous, I cannot lift my head. I am full of shame and aware of my affliction.

Should I hold my head high, You would hunt me like a lion, and again display Your power against me. You produce new witnesses against me and multiply Your anger toward me. Hardships assault me in wave after wave. Why then did You bring me from the womb? Oh, that I had died, and no eye had seen me! If only I had never come to be, but had been carried from the womb to the grave.

Are my days not few? Withdraw from me, that I may have a little comfort, before I go—never to return—to a land of darkness and gloom, to a land of utter darkness, of deep shadow and disorder, where even the light is like darkness.”

Job is fed up! After all these years of serving God and of worshiping Him, Job feels he deserves better treatment than this. “Let me know why You prosecute me. Does it please You to oppress me, to reject the work of Your hands and favor the schemes of the wicked?“ Job is seriously wondering if God has created him just to set him up for destruction. Does God play dice with the universe? “Please remember that You molded me like clay. Would You now return me to dust?”

Yet in the midst of all this angst, Job continues to affirm the goodness of God. “You have granted me life and loving devotion, and Your care has preserved my spirit.” Job’s problem is not that he doesn’t believe in God; Job’s problem is that he does believe and now God is disappointing him. If Job didn’t believe in God in the first place, when all these calamities appeared, he would have followed his wife’s advice, cursing God and dying. But Job can’t die; despite all the despair, despite the running sores full of pus and all the other sicknesses, Job’s body refuses to quit.  

“Are my days not few? Withdraw from me, that I may have a little comfort, before I go—never to return—to a land of darkness and gloom, to a land of utter darkness, of deep shadow and disorder, where even the light is like darkness.” Job just wants the suffering to end! But God has other ideas.

APPLICATION: Recently a pastor friend shared a story about one of his friends who was in such despair that he ran his car off the 4^th story of a parking garage in a suicide attempt. But the man didn’t die; instead, he lost both legs below the knees when they were crushed in the fall. Our friend and another church member visited this fellow in rehab and learned that even as his car was falling, he regretted the suicide attempt. Eventually, the man received two artificial legs and became so proficient in their use that nobody could tell there had ever been any problem. Before the accident, the man’s marriage was failing; afterwards, his wife helped nurse him back to health. After the man’s recovery, he and his wife did divorce but they have remained friends. God has healed this man’s body and his spirit and he has a moving testimony to the goodness of God and the way in which God delivered him even when he attempted suicide. Blessedly, the suicide attempt failed and the man has helped countless others who are at the brink of despair to make wiser choices.

God could have allowed the infections from Job’s sores to turn into overwhelming sepsis so that Job would become confused and finally die, but He did not; instead, God preserved Job’s life and his ability to think clearly. Why did God allow Job’s suffering to last as long as it did? God knew exactly what He wanted to work out in Job’s life. At the same time, God was looking down the centuries to see all the people who would ever gain encouragement and comfort from Job’s story. God doesn’t simply have 20/20 vision; God has infinity vision and God always, always, always has far more goals in mind than we can possibly imagine.

1 Corinthians 13:8-10 tells us, “Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect (complete) has come, then that which is in part will be done away.” Nobody ever has a handle on all wisdom or knowledge, no matter how intelligent or insightful they are. God is the only One who knows the human heart. God is the only One who knows the end from the beginning. And God can deliver us from our own lousy choices, even when we run cars off 4-story parking garages to try to kill ourselves.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You so that when we suffer, we don’t lose hope. Help us continue to look to You as our only Source of deliverance. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Job: How Can I Argue with God?

“Then Job answered: “Yes, I know that it is so, but how can a mortal be righteous before God? If one wished to contend with God, he could not answer Him one time out of a thousand.

God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has resisted Him and prospered? He moves mountains without their knowledge, when He overturns them in His anger. He shakes the earth from its place, so that its foundations tremble. He commands the sun not to shine, and seals off the stars. He alone stretches out the heavens, and treads on the waves of the sea. He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, of the Pleiades and the constellations of the south. He does great things beyond searching out, and wonders without number.

Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him; were He to move, I would not recognize Him. If He takes away, who can stop Him? Who dares to ask Him, ‘What are You doing?’ God does not restrain His anger; the helpers of Rahab cower beneath Him. How then can I answer Him or choose my arguments against Him? For even if I were right, I could not answer. I could only beg my Judge for mercy. If I summoned Him and He answered me, I do not believe He would listen to my voice. For He would crush me with a tempest and multiply my wounds without cause.

He does not let me catch my breath, but overwhelms me with bitterness. If it is a matter of strength, He is indeed mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him? Even if I were righteous, my mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would declare me guilty.

Though I am blameless, I have no concern for myself; I despise my own life. It is all the same, and so I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’ When the scourge brings sudden death, He mocks the despair of the innocent. The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; He blindfolds its judges. If it is not He, then who is it?

My days are swifter than a runner; they flee without seeing good. They sweep by like boats of papyrus, like an eagle swooping down on its prey. If I were to say, ‘I will forget my complaint and change my expression and smile,’ I would still dread all my sufferings; I know that You will not acquit me. Since I am already found guilty, why should I labor in vain? If I should wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye, then You would plunge me into the pit, and even my own clothes would despise me!

For He is not a man like me, that I can answer Him, that we can take each other to court. Nor is there a mediator between us, to lay his hand upon us both. Let Him remove His rod from me, so that His terror will no longer frighten me. Then I would speak without fear of Him. But as it is, I am on my own.”

Amazing! Job is suffering and miserable, having lost everything that would make life tolerable. His friends are proving to be fiends bringing accusations. Despite all this suffering, Job still speaks of God’s greatness, His power, His righteousness, and justice. It is this response that separates Job from his friends. Job’s friends don’t really know God; they only know about God and that information is second – hand and scanty. It is because the distance between Job’s friends and God that they can blather on about a God whom they have never actually met.

Job is certainly frustrated with God as evidenced by some of his statements. “If one wished to contend with God, he could not answer Him one time out of a thousand.” “How then can I answer Him or choose my arguments against Him? For even if I were right, I could not answer. I could only beg my Judge for mercy. If I summoned Him and He answered me, I do not believe He would listen to my voice. For He would crush me with a tempest and multiply my wounds without cause.”

At this point, Job’s problem is simple: Job has known God for years and has worshiped Him for all that time, but now he feels God is refusing to give him any relief or respite. “He does not let me catch my breath, but overwhelms me with bitterness.” Job is beginning to doubt God’s justice; after all, Job has tried to live righteously and God is allowing disasters to crush him. “When the scourge brings sudden death, He mocks the despair of the innocent. The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; He blindfolds its judges. If it is not He, then who is it?”  

Finally, Job continues to live in mortal terror of God. As far as Job can see, God has brought all these calamities on him, so how can Job possibly defend himself? “For He is not a man like me, that I can answer Him, that we can take each other to court. Nor is there a mediator between us, to lay his hand upon us both. Let Him remove His rod from me, so that His terror will no longer frighten me. Then I would speak without fear of Him. But as it is, I am on my own.” Job is losing all hope.

APPLICATION: If anybody ever shared the sufferings of Job, it might have been Nelson Mandela, the famous South African leader. This is what Wikipedia says about Mandela: “A Xhosa, Mandela was born into the Thembu royal family in Mvezo, Union of South Africa. He studied law at the University of Fort Hare and the University of Witwatersrand before working as a lawyer in Johannesburg.” Mandela was educated and had a bright future; however, when apartheid came, Mandela did everything he could to oppose it. For working against apartheid, Mandela eventually was sentenced to life imprisonment and spent twenty-seven years in three different prisons.

Despite suffering from tuberculosis acquired while in prison, Mandela eventually gained his freedom and became the head of the South African government. Ignoring all that suffering, Mandela refused to harbor resentment and even formed a committee headed by Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu that investigated crimes committed by both the supporters of apartheid and those opposing it to bring peace and healing to South Africa. Once free, Mandela worked on healing wounds. Mandela’s most famous saying is this: “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”

Mandela was a strong Christian whose faith helped sustain him during those long years in prison. Mandela recognized the sinfulness of man while also recognizing the justice and righteousness of God. Nelson realized that it was man’s sinfulness that led to apartheid and that apartheid was not God’s will for South Africa.

While we may never suffer as much as Nelson Mandela, many of us find ourselves at the mercy of those who are prime exhibits of man’s sinful nature. Vicious bosses, jealous co-workers bent on sabotaging our efforts, economies that tank, leaving our savings worthless – there is no end to the ways in which we can suffer. But behind all this, God is still there and He is still working. God’s nature has not changed nor will it. Hang on to that thought and don’t become discouraged! Eventually God delivered Job, and God is fully capable of helping you as well.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to continue to trust in Your everlasting goodness even when things seem difficult. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Bildad: Job Should Repent

Then Bildad the Shuhite replied: “How long will you go on saying such things? The words of your mouth are a blustering wind. Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right? When your children sinned against Him, He gave them over to their rebellion. But if you would earnestly seek God and ask the Almighty for mercy, if you are pure and upright, even now He will rouse Himself on your behalf and restore your righteous estate. Though your beginnings were modest, your latter days will flourish.

Please inquire of past generations and consider the discoveries of their fathers. For we were born yesterday and know nothing; our days on earth are but a shadow. Will they not teach you and tell you, and speak from their understanding?

Does papyrus grow where there is no marsh? Do reeds flourish without water? While the shoots are still uncut, they dry up quicker than grass. Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so the hope of the godless will perish. His confidence is fragile; his security is in a spider’s web. He leans on his web, but it gives way; he holds fast, but it does not endure. He is a well-watered plant in the sunshine, spreading its shoots over the garden. His roots wrap around the rock heap; he looks for a home among the stones. If he is uprooted from his place, it will disown him, saying, ‘I never saw you.’ Surely this is the joy of his way; yet others will spring from the dust.

Behold, God does not reject the blameless, nor will He strengthen the hand of evildoers. He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with a shout of joy. Your enemies will be clothed in shame, and the tent of the wicked will be no more.”

It never fails! Suffer long enough and sooner or later, somebody will turn up accusing you of secret sins. Sometimes these same people will even exhibit a salacious interest in the exact nature of those sins, in hopes of  reveling in juicy details. But what if there are no juicy details? What if you have done nothing to deserve your current suffering? Protestation of your innocence in such situations doesn’t help; your accusers will only claim that you are attempting to hide your sins. This is precisely what Bildad the Shuhite is doing, and his accusations are so vicious that they must be lacerating Job’s soul.

1. “The words of your mouth are a blustering wind.” Gee, thanks, Bildad! Job has just poured out his heart to you and this is all you can say?
2. “When your children sinned against Him, He gave them over to their rebellion.” HUH? How does Bildad know anything about Job’s kids? Or is Bildad offended because Job’s children never invited him to any of their parties?
3. “Please inquire of past generations and consider the discoveries of their fathers.”  Oh great! Now Bildad is trying to back – pedal and cover up his lacerating remarks by invoking the wisdom of elders who never knew him. The “Everybody knows” arguments can seem effective until you begin to examine them. Who is “everybody?” What knowledge do these people actually have? And why are you inflicting this so-called knowledge on a grieving father? Even if something is true, is this the appropriate time and place to bring it out?
4. Bildad goes on to speak of plants dependent on water and of spider’s webs, comparing the wicked (Job) to such ephemeral things. The unstated implication is that Job must have secretly sinned so that his wealth and health are as fleeting as spider webs and papyrus plants. But spiders can rebuild their webs and papyrus can actually tolerate a fair amount of drought.
5. “Surely this is the joy of his way; yet others will spring from the dust.” Hmm. Is Bildad referring to himself as one of the “others” who will spring from the dust? Certainly sounds as if Bildad has been envying Job.

6. “Behold, God does not reject the blameless, nor will He strengthen the hand of evildoers. He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with a shout of joy.”  Hmm. Here Bildad is adding a pious statement on the end, presumably in hopes of redeeming himself after saying all these horrible things to Job. While this is a true statement, Bildad’s use of it certainly appears hypocritical.

APPLICATION:  Yet another one of Job’s friends is speaking out, and his statements are even more cruel than the statements made by those before him. The crux of Bildad’s arguments is that Job and his children must have committed terrible sins, for which God has killed Job’s children and is now punishing Job.

The appalling aspect of Bildad’s accusations is that he appears to be gloating over Job’s misfortune. Even though Bildad has sat seven days and nights presumably grieving with Job, it appears that Bildad has simply been biding his time until he can dump all his misconceptions on Job.

“It was God’s will for this tragedy to happen.” Not necessarily. In 1955 we nearly lost my father in a head – on collision with a drunk driver. The driver in question had turned to alcohol when television collapsed his business running the local movie theater. God did not force that man to drink, nor did God force that man to sit behind the steering wheel of his vehicle. The man’s wife was so afraid of his erratic driving that she got out of the car just a mile before the man ran into my father. God did create that man with free will, the ability to make choices, and it was wrong choices that resulted in that near – fatal accident. (Dad actually had an out of body experience in which he approached the gates of heaven, only to be sent back.)

Recently, there were earthquakes in Syria and Turkey that claimed more than 40,000 lives. Many of the buildings that collapsed were apartment buildings that were not built to withstand earthquakes. God did not force those architects to design weak buildings, nor did He force the contractors to do anything that might have contributed to the collapse of those buildings.

The mere fact that a statement is true does not necessarily mean that you should share it those who are mourning. Bildad has assumed that since he has sat with Job for seven days and nights, he has earned the right to say anything he wishes. Bildad is wrong for three reasons: truths can only be shared when someone is prepared to receive them; nobody gets over grieving in just a few days or weeks or even months; Bildad is speaking from wrong motives. Bildad doesn’t want to console Job; he wants to accuse and gloat, bringing Job down further.

There’s an old adage that says, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything!” Bildad never learned that truth. As long as Bildad was sitting with Job, he was consoling Job; Bildad’s mistake was opening his mouth. May God help us so that we do not copy Bildad!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, You are the Comforter and You are the only One who truly knows the human heart. Help us to be sensitive to those who are grieving so that we heal wounds, not inflict them. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.  

Job Continues: Life Seems Futile

“Is not man consigned to labor on earth? Are not his days like those of a hired hand? Like a slave he longs for shade; like a hired hand he waits for his wages. So I am allotted months of futility, and nights of misery are appointed me. When I lie down I think: ‘When will I get up?’ But the night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn. My flesh is clothed with worms and encrusted with dirt; my skin is cracked and festering.

My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle; they come to an end without hope. Remember that my life is but a breath. My eyes will never again see happiness. The eye that beholds me will no longer see me. You will look for me, but I will be no more. As a cloud vanishes and is gone, so he who goes down to Sheol does not come back up.

He never returns to his house; his place remembers him no more. Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

Am I the sea, or the monster of the deep, that You must keep me under guard? When I think my bed will comfort me and my couch will ease my complaint, then You frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions, so that I would prefer strangling and death over my life in this body. I loathe my life! I would not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath.

What is man that You should exalt him, that You should set Your heart upon him, that You attend to him every morning, and test him every moment? Will You never look away from me, or leave me alone to swallow my spittle? If I have sinned, what have I done to You, O watcher of mankind? Why have You made me Your target, so that I am a burden to You? Why do You not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity? For soon I will lie down in the dust; You will seek me, but I will be no more.”

To say Job is in despair would be an understatement. Job’s miseries continue to multiply. Flies have laid eggs in the wounds and now the maggots are hatching and squirming all over Job, making the itching far worse. EWWW!  The nights seem endless, fraught with nightmares and horrifying visions, probably because Job is running fevers from his infected sores. Job feels that all he has to look forward to are “months of futility and nights of misery.”

Job has lost all hope and feels that strangling and death are preferable to his current suffering. Job believes that he must have sinned against God so that God has made him a target. Job is begging God for forgiveness and death as a quick way out of his suffering.

APPLICATION: Job’s descriptions of the depths of his despair are classic and well worth studying. Although there are those who never suffer through depression, many people find themselves identifying with Job. We are Facebook friends with two families whose sons have horrible medical problems. These poor little kids lurch from one crisis to the next, while their families continue to struggle to maintain any modicum of normalcy for the sick kids and for their well siblings.

Families who suffer through major medical problems with a child are at high risk for fragmentation. Parents find themselves emotionally and financially drained. Well siblings feel neglected. If the children recover from their medical problems, parents may find themselves favoring those children over their healthy siblings in attempts to compensate for the suffering the sick children have endured. Sometimes there is no money for things the healthy siblings need because medical bills and travel have consumed it all. Sometimes marriages fail over such problems. One spouse remains the advocate for the sick child while the other spouse is trying vainly to maintain the rest of the family. Spouses under such stress can find themselves at such a distance from each other that the gulf appears impossible to bridge.

While the same thing can also happen when adults develop medical problems, the stress of a child’s illness seems to bring particular challenges. For those of us who are not embroiled in such suffering, the problem we face is this: how best can we help support families such as these? If possible, we can discuss the situation with the parents. Perhaps we can help with the healthy siblings by transporting them to their normal activities, thus freeing their parents from that burden. Perhaps we can spend time in the hospital with the sick child so that parents can get a break, do some shopping, or even just get some much – needed sleep. Perhaps we can help financially-buy that band uniform, get that equipment for an activity. But what is NOT helpful is asking parents; many times parents are so exhausted that they can’t think of anything apart from the current crisis. May God help us so that we can come along side those who are struggling to help them!

Prayer: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be sensitive to the needs of others, particularly families facing disastrous medical problems. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Job Replies: My Complaint Is Just

Then Job replied: “If only my grief could be weighed and placed with my calamity on the scales. For then it would outweigh the sand of the seas—no wonder my words have been rash. For the arrows of the Almighty have pierced me; my spirit drinks in their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me.

Does a wild donkey bray over fresh grass, or an ox low over its fodder? Is tasteless food eaten without salt, or is there flavor in the white of an egg? My soul refuses to touch them; they are loathsome food to me. If only my request were granted and God would fulfill my hope: that God would be willing to crush me, to unleash His hand and cut me off!

It still brings me comfort, and joy through unrelenting pain, that I have not denied the words of the Holy One. What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What is my future, that I should be patient? Is my strength like that of stone, or my flesh made of bronze? Is there any help within me, now that success is driven from me?

 A despairing man should have the kindness of his friend, even if he forsakes the fear of the Almighty. But my brothers are as faithless as wadis, as seasonal streams that overflow, because of the ice and the inflow of melting snow, but ceasing in the dry season and vanishing from their channels in the heat. Caravans turn aside from their routes; they go into the wasteland and perish. The caravans of Tema look for water; the travelers of Sheba hope to find it. They are confounded because they had hoped; their arrival brings disappointment.

For now you are of no help; you see terror, and you are afraid. Have I ever said, ‘Give me something; offer me a bribe from your wealth; deliver me from the hand of the enemy; redeem me from the grasp of the ruthless’?

Teach me, and I will be silent. Help me understand how I have erred. How painful are honest words! But what does your argument prove? Do you intend to correct my words, and treat as wind my cry of despair? You would even cast lots for an orphan and barter away your friend. But now, please look at me. Would I lie to your face? Reconsider; do not be unjust. Reconsider, for my righteousness is at stake. Is there iniquity on my tongue? Can my mouth not discern malice?”

Job feels that nobody in the history of the world has suffered the way he has and that God has forsaken him. But at least Job can comfort himself with the thought that he has remained true to God. “It still brings me comfort, and joy through unrelenting pain, that I have not denied the words of the Holy One. What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What is my future, that I should be patient? Is my strength like that of stone, or my flesh made of bronze? Is there any help within me, now that success is driven from me?”  Hmm! It seems that Job has been looking within himself for help, counting on his success to save him, rather than trusting in God. But success is always fleeting and can evaporate in a moment, as Job is learning.  

 Job has hoped that even if he has failed himself somehow, his friends will be able to comfort him. now things are even worse because Job’s friends are a complete disappointment. Look at the vivid descriptions Job gives.
“A despairing man should have the kindness of his friend, even if he forsakes the fear of the Almighty. But my brothers are as faithless as wadis, as seasonal streams that overflow, because of the ice and the inflow of melting snow, but ceasing in the dry season and vanishing from their channels in the heat. Caravans turn aside from their routes; they go into the wasteland and perish. The caravans of Tema look for water; the travelers of Sheba hope to find it. They are confounded because they had hoped; their arrival brings disappointment.”

Wadis in desert areas are the same all over the world. The only time a wadi has water is when it rains or snows in the mountains and the wadis get the run-off. Sometimes this flooding can be catastrophic, and it’s a wise person who stays out of the wadi bed at any time of the year. The members of any caravan depending on water in a wadi can readily find themselves wandering off into the desert and dying. Job has been hoping that his friends will bring comfort; however, they seem far more interested in preaching to him than in helping him. The most bitter thing of all is the realization that Job’s friends think he must have committed some secret sin to have brought divine retribution down on his head. “Reconsider, for my righteousness is at stake. Is there iniquity on my tongue? Can my mouth not discern malice?”

APPLICATION: Once more, we realize that there are those who comfort and then there are those who gloat. Even though Job’s friends have sat silently with him for seven days and nights, even though they have seen how much Job is suffering, despite all this, Job’s friends are not interested in encouraging but in inflicting their own self – righteousness on Job. Through the itching and the pain and the stench from the sores, Job is aware of his friends’ mixed motives and confronts them.

Reading the Book of Job, one wonders why Job’s friends would behave in such a fashion. The friends have traveled from some distance to be with Job and have then dedicated seven days and nights to grieving with him.  That’s a lot of effort just to come and be nasty to someone. Have these friends been envying Job? Has there been a point in the past where Job has confronted one or more of them with their bad behavior and have they smarted under what they have perceived as criticism? Some of the dialogue coming from Job’s friends would suggest they are those who are seeking revenge for a previous hurt. We don’t know; we only have this record. And who recorded the Book of Job in the first place? Was it one of the friends? Job himself? We don’t know; we only know that this book has been accepted as Scripture for thousands of years.

Many of us can probably identify with Job at this point. Only this morning I have been communicating with a friend who is a nurse. My friend’s mother, also a close friend of nearly forty years, is dying with metastatic breast cancer and suffering the effects of radiation used to relieve her bone pain. For a health worker, few things are more frustrating and agonizing than watching someone you love suffer and being totally unable to relieve that suffering. But for Job, the pain of being misunderstood is proving to be just as agonizing as his losses and his physical suffering. May God help us so that we do not make the mistakes of Job’s friends!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be sensitive to the suffering of our friends and to wait for Your leading. Help us to actually be comforting and not condemning. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.