Troublesome Comforters

August 18

Job 15-17

Psalm 93

Proverbs 20:22-23

2 Corinthians 6:14-18

Troublesome Comforters

“Then Job answered and said, ‘I have heard many such things; Troublesome comforters are you all.  Is there no end to windy words? Or what pains you that you answer?  I too could speak like you, if your soul were in the place of my soul.  I could compose words against you and shake my head at you.…My friends are my scoffers; my eye weeps to God.’”  Job 16:1-4, 20 LSB

When Job’s friends found out what had happened to him, they dropped everything and rushed to be with him.  These were obviously good friends who loved Job and his family and wanted to be there in his time of suffering.  Often, when we are facing difficulty we just need to know that people care.  They had great compassion and wept with him.  Knowing that other people love you enough to grieve for you is healing and comforting.  Then they got down on the ground and sat with him. They didn’t stand over him telling him how he should feel, they got down in the pain with him.  They lowered themselves to be with him in the darkness and grief staying there for 7 days and 7 nights without speaking a word just crying and moaning with him.  Those are friends!  I’m not good with silence.  Those of you who have the gift of mercy are much better at this than I am.  I like to help fix and serve, but I’m not as good at sitting and listening.  That does not excuse me from doing that when needed.  We all need to be quick to listen and slow to speak. (James 1:19, Proverbs 17:28, 29:20, 18:13)

After they did so good, then they messed up.  Although well-intended, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar ended up sounding like know-it-alls who lacked compassion and empathy.  They were limited in their knowledge about life and theology.  They have a narrow theology that believed all calamity results from personal sin.  After they sat with him for seven days, they opened their mouths and words came out that were like arrows piercing Job’s heart.  Instead of support, they gave condemnation and accusation.  Job accurately called them troublesome comforters.  There is a time and place for everything and his friends had their timing all wrong.  Please don’t misunderstand me.  I believe that we all need friends who are honest and tell us what we need to hear and not what we want to hear.  It is easy to find people who will go along with anything we want to do and give us ungodly counsel.  We all need people who will hold us accountable, point us to Jesus and help us stay on the right path.  That was not what was happening here.  Job’s friends did not know what they were talking about.  They had not sought God before they told Job what they thought.  Their words were not from God as evidenced by God’s condemnation of them.  If we are not sure what God wants us to share with someone, we should just keep our mouths shut and offer quiet support and love.  We do not want to be troublesome comforters. We want to offer encouragement and support to our friends, but the best way to do that is through much prayer and seeking God for wisdom asking Him to give us the right words.