Heres some more notes on Jobs situation and his friends attitudes.
Job’s friends where well meaning they meant to see the end of Job’s suffering yet they added to it. Here is a guy who is in mental anguish and great physical pain and discomfort. Jobs Faith never waivers he knows he has done no wrong, yet his (well meaning ) friends can’t see this.
Their view of pain and suffering is as the consequence of sin, and although this may be true in some cases, we can see that in this case it certainly is not. By chapter 15 this turns into a dispute ,
The best way to help hurting people is to listen your heart and not just your ears. We should let them know we understand and sympathize, we understand their pain. Don’t argue with logical reason,., be kind and patient even in bitter words, build bridges not walls.
I like how wiersbe put it:
“there is true consolation in Faith, but it is not dispensed in convenient doses as cough medicine. It can be shared only by those who know what it’s like to be so far down in the pit that they feel as though God has abandoned them. If you want to be a true comforter, there is a price to pay; and not everybody is willing to pay it. Paul wrote about this in 2 Corinthians 1:3-11”.
“God does not comfort us to make us comfortable, but to make us comforters. God’s comfort is never given it is always loaned. God expects us to share it with others.” John Jowett.
So another question arises out of this, that to comfort others we need to under stand suffering, those who suffer understand more, so can can be of great help one suffering . Just ask Jesus??? Another point I see is that this flies in the face of the Health and wealth (prosperity) teaching.
The point that I keep seeing is that throughout all this agonising pain and suffering and his friends adding to his grief, Job remains a man full of integrity!
This brings me to nearly the end of the book of Job where God is Addressing Job directly and God has rebuked jobs friends.
Phil