JOB’S THREE FRIENDS

JOB’S THREE FRIENDS I was listening to a study on Job today, and I had forgotten how much there is to learn from his three friends. When Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar heard what happened to Job, Scripture says they had “made an appointment together” to go mourn with him and comfort him. Job 2:11 KJV They had talked before they ever got there. They made the trip together. Then they saw Job, barely recognized him, and sat on the ground beside him for seven days and seven nights without saying a word. That was probably the best thing they did. The trouble started when they opened their mouths. They became convinced Job’s suffering had to mean Job had done something wrong. Instead of being friends to a man who had lost nearly everything, they started trying to explain why it happened and what Job must have done to deserve it. Job finally tells them exactly what he needed. “To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend.” Job 6:14 KJV He needed compassion from his friends, not accusations. By the end of the book, God Himself rebuked them for speaking wrongly about Him. There’s a pretty serious lesson in that. You can mean well, know Scripture, have plenty to say about God, and still be a terrible friend to somebody who’s hurting. Sometimes you don’t need to explain their suffering. Just sit with them. #MoreJoyMinistries