JOB 2; 11 - 13 JOB'S THREE FRIENDS

JOB 2:  11 - 13
JOB'S THREE FRIENDS

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   11) When Job's three firends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him.  12) When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him;  they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads.  13) Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights.  No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.  Job 2:  11-13  (NIV)

COMMENTS ON TEXT

   First of all, three is one of the symbols of completeness.  So, upon learning of Job's difficulties, Job's three friends came to sympathize with him and to comfort him.  Why did Job's three friends arrive and then just sit quietly?  Have you ever known someone who was hurting so badly, whether emotionally, or physically, and all you could do was just cry with them?  Sometimes there are no words to convey that you understand they are hurting; no words to comfort them.  Sometimes, just being with them speaks louder than words.

COMMENTARY FROM LIFE APPLICATION STUDY BIBLE  NIV

   According to Jewish tradition, people who come to comfort someone in mourning should not speak until the mourner speaks.  Often the best response to another persons suffering is silence.  Job's three friends realized that his pain was too deep to be healed with mere words, so they said nothing.  Often we feel we must say something spiritual and insightful to a hurting friend.  Perhaps what he or she needs most is just our presence, showing that we care.  Pat answers and trite quotations say much less than empathetic silence and loving companionship.

   In the end, what broke Job's patience was not the suffering, but not knowing why he suffered.  Job and his three friends all had the same view of life:  good things happen to good people, and bad things happen to bad people.  What he couldn't understand was why he was suffering so much when he was sure he had done nothing to deserve such punishment.

   Often we suffer consequences for bad decisions and actions.  Job's willingness to repent and confess known wrongs is a good guideline for us.  Sometimes suffering shapes us for special service to others.  Sometimes suffering is an attack by Satan on our lives.  And sometimes we don't know why we suffer.  At those times, are we willing to trust God in spite of unanswered questions?   As I've said before, "If not God, then what?"
 

TRY ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE

   What if bad things happened to everyone all the time?  We don't DESERVE anything good from God.  We receive good from Him because of His mercy, not because we deserve it.  It is like I had a million dollars and gave you a hundred thousand of it because I wanted to, not because you deserved it.  I have known people in my life who were totally dependent upon others for their everyday care...some were born that way, others suffered physical harm that left them that way.  Some of the greatest people I have known are those who depend upon others for their daily care but are still some of the biggest warriors for His Kingdom!

    Most of us can pray.  And it doesn't cost a penny.  Prayer is heavy artillery in our spiritual combat.  Think about that.



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