Surely God will never do wickedly, nor the Almighty pervert justice. Who gave Him charge over the earth? Or who appointed Him over the whole world? If He should set His heart on it, if He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath, all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust. “If you have understanding hear this; listen to the sound of My words: Should one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn Him who is most just? Is it fitting to say to a king, ‘You are worthless,?’ And to nobles, ‘You are wicked?’ Yet He is not partial to princes, nor does He regard the rich more than the poor; for they are all the work of His hands…” Job 34: 12-19, NKJV.
Gracious God, today we come humbly before Your throne of mercy. We ask that You will guide our study, and bring us into all truth! In the name of Jesus!. Amen.
Today we leave the area of the unknown (what was happening behind the scene of Job’s calamities), and come to the first part of the dialogue between Job and his friends. The first person to speak is Eliphaz. Before we look at what Eliphaz and his two companions had to say, I would like us to take a look at the following passage found in Ecclesiastes, ” To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under the sun: …a time to keep silence, and a time to speak…” (3: 7). It is very important to know the seasons… and to respect them!
Sometimes, there is just nothing to say! Your greatest contribution to some situations is simply, silence. At times it is a hug; at other times it is just being an ear to listen; or, a shoulder to cry on. We need the Holy Spirit to show us what is needed; and how to minister it. The example of Job’s friends is quite fitting to illustrate when a “time to keep silence” is appropriate.
“Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place-Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment to come and mourn with him, and to comfort him… So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was great” (2: 11, 13, NKJV). Emphasis provided. If all that Job’s three friends had done was, sit with him on the ground, in silence, for seven days and seven nights, they would have fulfilled, to perfection, their resolve to, “mourn with him and to comfort him[!]”
Many times the ones who are mourning do not hear what you have to say anyway! They are in so much pain, that they look at you without seeing you; and they listen to you without hearing you! So oftentimes, your greatest gift to them is the gift of silence. Many, years ago, a dear friend of mine died in an accident. We had worked together in church, and this young man, who was a little younger than my brother, was just a delight to work with! He was very responsible, and very respectful, very insightful, and a wonderful Christian. He and his mom were very close. The entire church family was affected by his death.
When my husband and I went by to visit the family, we were greeted by his mother. She seemed very grateful to see us. We spoke a while, and expressed our profound sympathy over her loss. She and I wept together; and after a while, my husband and I left. About a week later, I received a telephone call from her. She said, “Sister Duncan, I understand you came by the house, but I do not remember anything about the visit! There is very little that I remember about the past few weeks.” Her pain had completely blotted out everything we had said.
In the case of Job, as we shall see; though his pain was great, it would seem that his friends’ comments brought him even further pain. We will continue.