No Comfort From Job's Friends

It’s time for us to jump back into our study of the book of Job. At this point, it’s not really much of a study; it’s more of an overview, since we are covering a lot of ground each week.

Our first week gave us all the necessary background. Job is a righteous man who serves God. But Satan believes that Job's devotion is only because God has blessed him with so much. So, in order to prove Satan wrong, God allows his slanderous enemy to afflict Job. God sets limits on what Satan is allowed to do, and Satan goes right to the edge of his given boundaries.

Job loses all his riches. He loses his 10 children. He loses his physical health. And he loses the support of his wife. Everything he counted as a blessing in this life is now lost, and yet Job still responding by praising God. He is in anguish and unspeakable pain. That was the opening two chapters of the book.

Beginning in chapter 3, we hear from three of Job’s friends. They had sat with him for a week in silence mourning with him, but then Job speaks. He wishes he had never been born. That expression of grief sets of a conversation which eventually turns into a sort of debate.

Job wants some kind of relief. He wants comfort. That’s what anyone in season of intense suffering wants. And if he can’t get physical or emotional relief, he wants some kind of intellectual relief. He wants to understand why this is happening.

If you’ve ever gone through a season of intense suffering, or if you’ve been near someone who has, the question of “why” is a very common one. Even in the Psalms, we have examples of God being asked, “Why?” I’ll just give you that list, and you can study those psalms later if you like.

Psalm 10:1 says, “Why, O Lord, do you stand far away?    Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”

Psalm 22:1—My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

Psalm 42:9—I say to God, my rock: “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

Psalm 43:2—For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you rejected me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

Psalm 44:23-24—Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever! Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?

Psalm 74:1—O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?

Psalm 80:12—Why then have you broken down [Israel’s walls…?

And lastly, Psalm 88:14 asks the same—O Lord, why do you cast my soul away? Why do you hide your face from me?

Expressing the anguish and the confusion of your soul is not a problem to God. He wants us to go to Him. But we need to be careful about the way we answer that question.

Is God at fault for the evil things that happen to you? Is He at fault for the seemingly random accidents that take away the things and the people you love? Is God at fault when you get a medical diagnosis that flips your life upside-down?

The immediate answer to that question is, “No.” God is not at fault because God can never be at fault for anything. He is perfect and pure. He is holy, without sin. James 1 says that God is not tempted by evil, and He himself tempts no one. The prophet Habakkuk said God’s eyes are too pure to see evil. He cannot look approvingly at wrong.

But, and this is a massively important point. Just because God cannot be blamed doesn’t mean that God is not sovereign. It doesn’t mean that God is not ultimately responsible. The sovereignty of God means that there is nothing in this world, big or little, that God is not responsible for. And He will even use sin and suffering for His own glorious and eternal purposes.

God is not at fault. He hasn’t done anything wrong. But He is ultimately responsible.

Pharaoh’s rejection of God, and his hardened heart against Moses and the Israelites was not God’s fault, and yet God used it to magnify His power.

Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, was not God’s fault. It was Judas’ own sin and the work of Satan, but it also part of the plan God had eternally ordained.

How does that work out? How do we put those pieces together neatly? We don’t. We can’t. We have to take it by faith relying on the wisdom and goodness of God. We have to trust God through Jesus Christ.

Imagine if you were a bug crawling along, and another bug stopped you and gave you these instructions: Mark the spot where you are, and then walk 12 inches in a straight line. Then, turn right 90 degrees and walk another 12 inches. Then turn right, again, 90 degrees, and walk twelve inches a third time. When you’ve done that, you will end up right where you started?

How would that be possible? How could a bug end up in the same spot it started? You took two right turns. That would mean you’d have a perfect triangle with three right angles. It’s possible mathematically, but not in the kind of math we grew up learning. Some of you might know the answer.

That scenario is possible if the bug was crawling along a beach ball. That’s called spherical geometry. It’s three-dimensional math, not on a flat sheet of paper. That’s just a simple mathematical illustration. But think about that in the spiritual realm.

God is working and dealing in ways that we will not be able to see and perceive. He is working across eternity and in the spiritual realm. We need to trust in Him even when we don’t understand or have all the answers.

Job’s friends didn’t understand that. They wanted simple answers. They wanted it all to make sense.

So, this was they told Job: “Job. God is righteous. He will punish sin and reward righteousness. Since you lost so much, you clearly have sin in your life that you have not dealt with appropriately. So, confess your sin and repent of it, and God will have mercy on you.”

In your bulletin for today, you should have a page for notes that includes my own summary of the second round of this debate. We’re going to be working through those summaries and looking at the biblical text as well.

Let’s start with Eliphaz who speaks in chapter 15. Here is how I’ve summarized his message—Job, you don’t know what you’re talking about, and you don’t fear God. You are blinded by your sin and foolishness. Who do you think you are? Don’t reject our wisdom. The wicked will be destroyed.

He starts out by basically calling Job a windbag and saying he doesn’t fear God.

• Job 15:1-6

He goes on to accuse Job of being arrogant for asserting his innocence. He even has the audacity to claim that his words should be received as a comfort to Job. He says he’s being gentle.

• Look at Job 15:11

He thinks he is doing Job a favor by telling him that this is God’s judgment for some sin.

• Job 15:20

Chapters 16 and 17 are Job’s response. And despite all these men agreeing in their condemnation of Job, he continues to assert his innocence and rebuke his friends.

• Job 16:1-4

These men’s comfort is pointless. Here is my summary of the chapter. Job says: You are miserable, foolish men. You are no help to me. If our positions were flipped, I could accuse you the same way. God has brought this destruction, but I am innocent. God will vindicate me, but you stand against me.

Job agrees that God is responsible. But before the Lord he rejects an idea that this is a form of judgment or divine punishment. What Job really wants is to be able to have God enter this discussion and prove his friends wrong.

• Job 16:19-20

Job continues in chapter 17, again, asserting his innocence and rebuking his friends.

• Job 17:9-10

Coming to chapter 18, Bildad speaks up. Here’s my summary, which is in the notes—Look at yourself. Who are you to speak against us? God punishes the wicked who reject Him.

This is like a philosophical tug-of-war. Each side claims to be right. Each side claims the other side is wrong. In 18:3-4, Bildad essentially says, “Do you think we’re stupid? Do you think you’re special?”

Then he says, “Your life is a mess because you are wicked!” Look at his closing words.

• Job 18:21

What’s the implication there? “Job, you are unrighteous. You do not know God.” It’s a horrible thing for Job to hear, and so he responds again in chapter 19.

• Job 19:1-2

Here’s my summary of chapter 19—How long will you slander me? Everyone has rejected me, but I beg you to show me mercy. Why must you add to my suffering? God will deliver me, even if He takes my life. If you judge me, you will be judged.

With Job’s life ruined, he lists the people who have abandoned him or turned their backs on him. When he was rich, everyone wanted to be his friend; now, he’s a pariah, an outcast. Nobody wants to go near him. It seems to him like even God has abandoned him.

So, in verse 21 he begs his friends to show him mercy, to stop accusing him and inventing lies about him. He says, “Isn’t it enough for you that I’m dying?”

And then, he turns back to God. Even when it seems as if God has abandoned him, his faith clings to hope. This is a key passage in Job.

• Job 19:25-27

This is resurrection hope. “I have a Redeemer. I will be victorious in the end. Even if I die, I know that I will see God in the flesh.” How does that happen? Job was trusting in a resurrected body. This life is marked by pain, but resurrection and glory will come one day.

That’s the hope that you and I need to have. Job didn’t understand it fully, but we know it today.

The hope of the Resurrection is a hope in no one other than Jesus Christ. The Son of God was betrayed and put to death. Yet, He endured the cross  and the shame because of the joy set before Him.

Jesus Christ rose from the dead as a promise and as a preview of what will happen on day when Jesus comes for His people. Those who have trusted in Him and turned from their sin—those who have surrendered their lives to Him—will be instantly transformed. And one day, this entire world will be recreated as well. There will be a new heavens and a new earth.

If you’re visiting us today, please do not leave here thinking that Christianity is just about being a good person and following some set of rules. Christianity is faith in Jesus Christ as the King of kings and Lord of lords. He will return to judge the world and save His people forever. Donald Trump isn’t not our hope to fix this world. Kamala Harris is not our hope to fix this world. Our only true and eternal hope is in Jesus Christ.

Based on that eternal hope, we live in holiness. We live as citizens of a coming kingdom. We don’t do it perfectly, but we want to give this world glimpses of the glory of God and the glory of a new world.

You can be part of that world and be spared eternal judgement if you will humble yourself before Jesus Christ and call out to Him for mercy. Believe in His death and Resurrection. Believe that He is worthy of all your allegiance. Trust Him in life and in death. That’s what it means to follow Christ.

This idea that following Christ means this life is going to get immediately better is not a biblical idea. It’s a cheapening of God’s grace and of God’s eternal plan.

There are so many people who fall into this trap, and one of them was Zophar, Job’s third and final friend in this second discussion. This is the final time he will talk in the book, and he gets right to the point. Maybe he’s just tired of all this back-and-forth. Maybe he’s tired of what he considers to be Job’s stubbornness.

Here's what he says. This is my summary of chapter 20. He says—The happiness of the wicked is short-lived.

You can read the chapter for yourself. It’s a description of the destruction of the wicked. What’s he saying? He’s saying, “Job, you are a wicked man. That’s why God took all your stuff. No wicked man will enjoy life in the long run.”

Zophar understands God’s character, but he wrongly assumes it only applies in the physical and temporal span of this life. He assumes these truths are going to show up in a way he can immediately perceive.

Look at the final words of Zophar.

• Job 20:27-29

Is Zophar right? Do all those who reject God come to regret it in this life? No, he’s wrong. Some might face temporal consequences in this life, but not all.

To prove Zophar wrong, Job needs to cite exceptions. If this were an iron-clad guarantee, then there should be no wicked person who appears to have enjoyed their life. But Job has seen it happen.

Here’s my summary of Job’s response in chapter 21—I have seen the wicked prosper, enjoy life, and die in peace. You are all liars.

• JOB 21:1-2

There’s the same word we sat at the beginning of this cycle—“comfort.” Job is saying, “Do you want to really comfort me? Then stop talking. Stop sharing your opinions, because they’re wrong, and listen to what I have to say. Hear me out. That’s how you’ll comfort me.”

Job contradicts Zophar’s argument by saying that he has seen wicked men live a long and happy life. He saw their children prosper. He saw them be given glamorous funerals and people say good things about them. He saw them get noble tombs. He has seen evil people die without expressing any regrets.

Job says, “Go ask the men who travel along the roads. They’ll tell you that they’ve seen it. Evil men can live very happy lives from our perspective. And since you’re wrong about that, you’re also wrong about saying that my suffering is a judgment for my sin.”

Job knows which answers are wrong, but he still doesn’t know what the right answer is. He is busy fighting off his friends, but he hasn’t gotten any real answers.

The final verse of chapter 21 says this.

• Job 21:34

This theological, philosophical, and intellectual tug-of-war isn’t over. And Job cannot be comforted.

There are still about 20 chapters left in the book. But this is how the second cycle of debates ends. Looking back at this exchange, I see a good reminder for us with regard to the criticism and attacks we will face as disciples of Jesus Christ.

With regard to criticism, there’s a reminder here that eventually critics run out of things to say. Eventually, they just say the same things over and over again. They just say them louder and more forcefully.

Job’s friends aren’t saying anything new. And they’re not responding logically or biblically to Job. But Job isn’t changing the way they were hoping, so they just get more and more desperate and more and more condescending.

You need to be ready for that. That kind of opposition can even come from within the church. People can claim to honor God but they will not come in a helpful way. Don’t be that kind of friend. But be prepared to face those kinds of people.

You want people who are going to point you to the word of God, not to their own opinion, or to their own assumptions about what God is doing.

Another lesson we can take away from this second round of debates is that no matter how severe the pain and the opposition is, we need to persevere in hoping in God.

We don’t need to respond to stubbornness and anger with more unrighteous anger. We won’t always have all the answers, but we don’t need to.

Like Job, we can simply say, I know that my Redeemer lives. I know that God will give me victory in the end. I can’t answer all the questions, but I am hoping in Jesus Christ and in the Resurrection.

Like Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15, apart from the resurrection of Jesus Christ, there is no real hope. Don’t settle for something less, something far cheaper.

The wicked may prosper and the righteous may suffer, but this life is just the prologue to eternity. In eternity, the wicked man will not rejoice. And the righteous man will not suffer. But the fulfilment of that promise is not in this life.

Job, by the way, is starting to tread into dangerous territory. He asserts his innocence, but he’s almost starting to expect, or even demand, that God give him answers.

God Himself is going to enter this debate, eventually, and He will speak directly to Job. But for that, we’ll have to wait a little more.