Friends The book of Job has many messages that are so relevant to society and to man. For instance Job’s friends that came to him in his time of need to sympathize but stayed to accuse. Were they simply influenced by the Devil to create doubt in Job’s lowest time or are they a representation typical of man. To accuse and judge without due cause or need for proof. Upon seeing Job Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar see his suffering so great and pain so deep. They sat in silence for seven days and nights.
Once the silence is broken the comfort they had to offer took the form of doubt and blame. Eliphaz subtly suggests to Job, that a man of wealth and prosperity must have sin. Eliphaz accuses based on his personal beliefs not based on God’s word. Bildad reprimands Job for his crying for understanding. He is certain there must be sin.
Bildad even points to the deaths of Job’s children and says that they sinned and they paid for those sins with their lives. He goes on to say that Job should ask for forgiveness and it will come. Bildad has love for God but not God’s love as well as no faith in man. Zophar is by far the loudest and most adamant accuser. Zophar once again shows no faith in Job and tells Job to stop whining and just ask for forgiveness. Zophar’s accusations seem to come from deeper source within Zophar.
Once again Job’s friend uses his knowledge of the world to judge Job rather than having faith in Job through his strength in God. The friends each accuse Job of sin and show no faith in there fellow man and they make their judgments in the name of God. Job spoke out after each of his friends but not to defend or justify himself. It seemed he was praying aloud to God.
The Term Paper on Tells Job God Asks Eliphaz
... sins. Only then will the past be totally forgotten. Job replies by saying that what Zophar has just said, anyone can know. God destroys man's ... refuses to sin. Job had three friends: Eliphaz the Tema nite, Bildad the Shu hite, an Zophar the Namath ite. These three friends heard of ... all hope of escape from continuous terror and torment. His friends answer him in a series of three rounds, the first ...
Questioning the reason for his suffering but never wavering. His faith in him self was shaken and yet Job just assured God of his faith in him, but wondered what Gods plan was. Job understood that life was brief and no matter if you were a servant or a king your faith in God should be the same. The friends not seeing the remarkably strong faith Job possessed.
They could only accuse and cast their lines of judgment upon Job much like our society today. Our laws state innocent till proven guilty, but in our mind it usually stands to reason guilty until proven innocent. We often make a judgment based on where there is smoke there is fire. A mans faith can not be measured by man. We can only see the actions that he commits before our eyes. We can not see what lies in a man’s heart.
That is only for God. The fact that these three men were tools of the Devil or spoke on their own free will may not be a clear fact. Unwillingly or not they sought to undermined Job’s faith at the cost of their own. God did command that they respect Job for they had spoken wrongly and in vain, but how often in our world dose God come to rally for the wrongly accused in such a blatant manner. So when our friends or neighbors cast judgment upon us or we judge them.
Are we not simply showing a lack of faith in our fellow man, wouldn’t it stand to reason that we are showing a lack of faith in God. After all we are made in his likeness and we are all God’s children.
