Job: Part 2 - (Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar vs Job 2)

Someone doesn’t know what they’re talking about...

“What do you know that we don’t know?” (Eliphaz, 15:9)

“Be sensible and then we can talk...” (Bildad, 18:2)

“I’m irritated by your insults but I’m not done speaking my mind”. (Zophar, 20, 2, 3)

Well, now it’s getting personal. What did Job say that got under their skin? In his last reply Job was clearly frustrated with the presumptions and platitudes his friends offered because he knew they weren’t true. The presumption was...Job is a sinner and that is why God has turned his life upside down. Even in his misery, Job knew better. The platitude? Confess your sin and God will give everything back. 

Job was having none of this so he said “Everything you’ve  said, I have heard before. But, you’re wrong. You’re making things up because you don’t have a clue and I’m smart enough to see through you. You should do yourselves a big favor and keep your mouths shut. If you were doctors...you couldn’t even heal anybody!”

Ouch! As my kids used to say; “that’s gonna leave a mark!”

So, his friends ganged up on Job for round two. They said...”you think you’re smarter than we are but we won’t let you off the hook. We aren’t done with you! We’re going to talk until you start making some sense.”

1. Why are you even going on about this? It’s a cosmic truth that wicked people suffer for their sins. You aren’t an exception.
2. The evidence is clear, just look at your misery. So when you deny your sin it just proves you’re a liar.
3. Do you really think we’re too stupid to connect the dots?

And Job says, “you aren’t helping, you’re making things worse. You can repeat your false assumptions endlessly but it won’t make them true. I would never torment you this way! Leave me alone, this is between me and God.”

We should remember...from the beginning, Job never asked for advice. Job was in anguish but, not for the reasons his friends thought. They thought his anguish derived from stubbornness...Job’s unwillingness to admit his sin...preventing God from restoring him. And, as soon as Job recognized they misread the situation he wanted to be left alone...they couldn’t help with something they couldn’t understand. You see, Job was a product of the same culture as his friends. He had the same notions about God...(i.e., He blessed the righteous and punished the wicked). His anguish truly derived from his confusion. He knew the text book answer and discovered the text book answer was not true. If he couldn’t pin his pain and suffering on his sin, what was he to do? He knew confessing something he didn’t do...just to alleviate suffering was dishonest and compromised his integrity.

So...what are we to do when we don’t understand God? Pretend we understand and make something up like Job’s friends did? I’m pretty sure an ill conceived  solution for a poorly diagnosed problem won’t yield the preferred results.  But then, if I hear Job correctly, solutions are never about us...and what we do. They are always about God. 

“I know my God is in heaven and will come at last to my defense. Even after my skin is eaten by disease, while still in this body I will see God. I will see him with my own eyes, and he will not be a stranger”.  Job 19:25-27

Are we willing to say “God is God, and I am not” even when it defies all our preconceived notions?

Live boldly out there today...