Job 6-14: Job's "Friends"

Before I begin this devotional, let me remind y'all that for the entirety of 2020 we will be looking at the entire Bible chronologically. Perhaps some of you have been slacking in your daily devotionals lately, or perhaps you are merely looking for something to keep you more on-track. Reading the Bible chronologically this year is a great opportunity to solve both of these problems. Grab a buddy and ask him if he wants to do it with you, start reading, and when you're done with the text for the day, read my blog post! If you haven't started yet; don't worry. Take an extra hour for the next day or two to catch up, and you'll be glad you did! I can guarantee you this one thing: you'll only be more behind tomorrow if you don't start today! Once again, here's the schedule: Chronological Bible Plan

With all of that being said, we come this morning to the first cycle of Job's interactions with his so-called "friends." In the book of Job, chapters 3-37 consist of three cycles of interactions between Job and his friends, which makes up the body of the book. These interactions are difficult to understand, so I wanted to give y'all a few notes for looking at them, that you might understand them better as you walk through them in your devotional time.

Firstly, let us note that Job's friends are not bad guys. Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar (Job's three friends) and even Elihu (who shows up later) are not bad guys trying to mess with Job. They are legitimately his friends who are trying to give him legitimate advice. We know this because in Job 2:11-13 we see his friends mourning along with Job for an entire week straight, not giving him any counsel initially (which is a great pattern for counseling by the way). Job's friends were good people. Their effectiveness and quality of advice is a separate issue, but they were legitimately trying to help Job.

Secondly, let us note that Job's friends did not have bad theology. One common misconception about Job's friends is that they simply didn't know the things of God as well as Job did, and they thus gave him bad advice. Although this is partially true, we must realize that Job's friends did not have bad theology. They knew of God's grandeur (11:7-10) and his perfect justice (8:2). However, where they messed up is in the application of their theology. They thought that since God was perfect and Job was sinning that Job must have sinned. However, we find that that simply isn't true.

Thirdly, Job was not completely innocent, kind of, sort of. Some people read Job using Job 1:22 as an entire paradigm for the whole book: "In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong." Is this verse inspired and true? Yes. But it was most likely referring to the first two chapters of Job, and not the rest of the book. Although Job was a righteous man (as we see in the first two chapters), he was not a perfect man. Many references could be given, but Job knew this as well. Even when he calls himself "blameless," he is not saying that he is not a sinner, but rather that even amidst his trials, he has kept his integrity by not denying the Lord. However, we find at the end of the book that Job certainly did overstep with his words, thus he received the rebuke of the Lord and had to repent of his actions (Job 38-42). Nevertheless, as we read the book of Job (especially this middle part) let us realize that the line of Job's righteousness and his overstepping is often blurry. Don't get bogged down in trying to figure out where Job overstepped and where he was righteously expressing his emotion to God. It is good to ask these questions, but we must not get bogged down by them, lest we miss the point of the book.

Lastly, you will not understand everything in the book of Job. Don't get bogged down by trying to understand the depths of the book of Job. Even the greatest of theologians have questions about this book. However, the important part is to understand the broad picture of the book of Job, which we will certainly consider in these devotionals.

With all of that said, let us briefly summarize the chapters before us today. It is clearly seen from all of Job's friends in chapters 4, 8, and 11, that Job's three "friends" think that he has done something wrong. This is a logical response, for why would God be punishing someone so greatly who has not sinned? Thus all of Job's friends tell him that he should repent of his sins, and thus receive restoration. Bildad's words in 8:3-6 summarize the counsel well: "Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert the right?. . .If you will seek God, and plead with the Almighty for mercy. . .surely he will. . .restore your rightful habitation."

However, Job does not agree with his friends, because he knows that he has not done anything wrong. He states that his friends have not helped at all, and that he wishes that they depart from him: "As for you, you whitewash with lies; worthless physicians are you all. . .withdraw your hand from me, and let not dread of you terrify me" (13:4, 21). Job's friends think that his friends are punishing him for his sins, but Job knows that this is not so, because he has not sinned. Thus, Job thinks that he is in the right to contend and argue with God (13:3), even asking the Lord to leave him (14:4).

From these great chapters, we find ultimately that the trials that we are experiencing are not always because of our wrongdoing. Does God use earthly trials to punish us for our sins? Sometimes, but not all the time. Although we do reap what we sow, the Lord often (always?) has a greater purpose behind our trials. We often do not know of this purpose, but we ought to trust the Lord with it nevertheless. We ought not to regard our trials as a result of our sin (like Job's friends did) nor argue and contend with God in distrust of his sovereignty, love, and justice (which Job did). We must respond in a different way to trials, a way that we will find as we continue to look at the book of Job.