Job
2:11–13 (RSV)
11 Now
when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they
came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and
Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to condole
with him and comfort him. 12 And when they saw him from afar, they did not
recognize him; and they raised their voices and wept; and they rent their robes
and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. 13 And they sat with
him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him,
for they saw that his suffering was very great.
NOTE: Job's friends
started out so well. They comforted him without saying a word, which is the
best thing a person can do. They did not throw out "trite" religious
phrases, or try to convince him how special he was that God would test him. They
started out well. They wept with him and they said nothing. Of course, the
problem was that they had to find a solution, and so they would talk, and they
would conclude that there must be something Job had done wrong to be the victim
of such horrendous pain--it really is a variation on the health and wealth
gospel--do good and be blessed; do bad and not be blessed (suffer pain). But at
this point, their behavior is exemplary. The other interesting thing is that
they could find 7 days to just sit with Job. Today, we would be lucky to find
one hour to just sit with a friend. If it was family, we would do better,
potentially staying at the hospital for days. But this is not family, only a
close friend. I wonder what that says about us? We would do well to learn a
lesson from Job's friend. The importance of time and the importance of silence,
when a person is in great suffering.
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