Job
Job can be a tough book to read through. Jobs "friends" aren't very comforting to him at all, just accusing. They wanted him to confess sins that he didn't commit.
I can't imagine how Job must have felt. In pain and then feeling like his friends continued to tear him down. He still believes that God is Almighty.
Job 28:28 Behold that the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
I have always asked the question "How long did Job suffer?" I felt like I got some clarity on this in
Chapter 29:2 "Oh that I were as in months gone by, as in the days when God watched over me....."
Job was thinking that, just months ago he was watched over by God and things were good. So my thought is that Job may have suffered for "months". How many I still am not certain. But I felt like it clarified that it wasn't "days" or "years".
I read in a commentary that Job truly was a righteous man, as we read in the beginning of Job. God said, "Have you considered My servant Job? There is none like him, upright and blameless, God fearing and turns away from evil." However when his "friends" started accusing him of sin he got defensive and started to justify himself rather than God.
What I can take from Jobs account is that when friends are suffering - pray for them, encourage them. If you feel like it is because of sin in their live you better pray and ask Lord for guidance and seek Him before condemning a friend.
Always remember the scripture Matthew 7:4-5 Or how can you say to your brother," Let me take the speck out of your eye," and behold, the log is in your own eye? "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brothers eye.
Regardless of sin or not sin in a friends life. We should approach in Love and with Gods word. What a better way to do this than by getting equipped by reading the bible through the year.
I must admit that reading through this part of Job has made me realize that I am much like Job's friends. I often feel that people who are going through a difficult time may be "getting what they deserve" due to some sin in their life. However, I have to question whether I should also be "getting what I derserve" for sin in my life. As a family, we are going through some difficult things, and I know God has his hand in it all.
ReplyDeleteI also like when God tells Job, "Gird up your loins like a man." This made me laugh - I kept picturing God saying, "Come on Job, put your big boy pants on!" I am not sure that is what it means, but sometimes God must get sick of our whining!
When our own children question us, we like to tell them that we know best and to do it because "I said so". As grown ups we don't like this response from God either. But we can't see the outcome or that He does know best and that what we are going through is just training for something better.