Poor Job!  The phrase: ‘with friends like these who needs enemies’ has never applied to anyone as much as it did to him.  We first meet Job living a happy and prosperous life.  He’s a man who cares about the spiritual well-being of his family (1:1-5).  He’s even commended by God as: “a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil” (1:8).[1]  You could always rely on him as he would never let you down in any way and he would help you out if you needed it.

Yet suddenly disaster strikes, and from his point of view for no apparent reason. He loses all his possessions and, in the cruellest blow of all, his children! At the point where we think: ‘it can’t get any worse’ it does, and Job is afflicted with a terrible skin disease.  Even his wife, turns against him (1:13-2:10).  Now, we have the unique privilege of seeing behind-the-scenes.  We know Satan has made two statements concerning him: “Does Job fear God for no reason?” (1:9) and: “all that a man has he will give for his life” (2:4).  Satan has attacked the validity and integrity of Job’s worship.  His premise is: ‘when life gets tough for Job, let’s see if he feels like worshiping you (God) then’. You see Satan reckons he won’t!  The issue we’re left with in the book of Job is, is God really worthy of worship?

But just when things are look completely desperate three of Job’s friends turn up.  I’ve often felt that there’s a lot of value in their initial attitude.  They understand that Job is going through a hard time and they grieve with him by keeping silent (2:11-13).  The pity is it doesn’t stay like that.  Eventually Job speaks and not surprisingly his first words are along the lines of: ‘I wish I’d never been born’ (chapter 3).  His friends start to wade-in with their thoughts and it rapidly goes downhill from there.  The trouble is Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar think that they’ve got Job’s problems solved.  Relying on the wisdom of the age, they feel Job has committed some misdemeanour which has led to God’s punishment.  What he needs to do is repent and God will return him to his former state!   But Job doesn’t see it like that.  His reaction, when paraphrased, is: “even if I have committed some wrong, this punishment is too much and therefore really unfair.” So the tension escalates.  His friends become irritated with what they perceive as Job’s stubbornness and he with their accusations.  The arguments become more antagonistic and irrational.  Eliphaz is probably the best example of this as in chapters 4 and 5 he questions whether in some small way Job has sinned. Yet later in chapter 22 he seems to totally forget how he had formally noted Job’s many good and charitable acts. Job is now a ‘tyrant’ who has oppressed the poor and disadvantaged at every opportunity!  In the end, in this section of the book from chapters 3 to 31 (except for what are probably the author’s reflections on wisdom in chapter 28) we hear a lot about man’s wisdom, some of which is good and useful, but nothing comes close to answering Job’s questions.  We come away from this feeling sympathy for Job’s two assessments.  Firstly of his friend’s council: “No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you” (12:2) and secondly of them as: “miserable comforters” (16:2).

In chapters 32 to the end of 37 we get more human wisdom from a young man called Elihu.  He has kept quiet due to his youth and out of respect for the older men.  But now angry, at what he sees as Job self-righteousness and Job’s friend’s inability to refute his arguments, he speaks up.  He says some profound things.  Elihu’s approach, that suffering could be educative, something that has been hinted at in a previous speech, was critical to John Calvin’s teaching on the book this as: ‘It forms the basis upon which Calvin understands the entire book of Job and the lessons that are to be learned throughout the book.’[2]  He is right when he accuses Job of speaking without appropriate knowledge and insight where God is concerned (34:35).  But it could be argued he suffers from the arrogance of youth from his statement: “for truly my words are not false; one who is perfect in knowledge is with you” (36:3).  Could have really been said with a straight face?[3]  His premise suffering is brought about by sin (36:7-12) is a furrow that Job’s three friends have ploughed thoroughly!  In the end perhaps Elihu can at least lay claim to the title of the original ‘Angry Young Man’.

Many years ago I heard a wonderful overview of Job.  The speaker referred to the speeches of Job’s friends and Elihu’s as ‘Dialogs in Darkness’.  The trouble is that even though some wise things are said, this is just Man’s thoughts as to how they think God should act.[4]  What Job really wants is his day in court with the Almighty to plead his case!  As the dust settles his friends no longer have anything to say, perhaps because they’re too annoyed or worn down by Job’s stubbornness.  But we desperately want what Job wants,  the voice of God and some clarity!  After all, ‘with friends like these…..’ that’s got to be preferable!

A major misconception is Job is a book all about suffering.  But, although that’s touched on, it’s not its main purpose as it’s actually a book all about God!  Derek Thomas surmises John Calvin preached on the book not because he believed it contained answers to suffering and trial.  But: ‘Rather he sought to turn the congregation in Geneva, and his own soul, to the reality of God’s sovereignty and power in the contingencies of seemingly disordered life.’[5]

But the question remains.  What can God say that speaks into the situation that Job finds himself in?  After all this is someone, who has just lost everything and is suffering horribly and, although not suicidal, has often mused that the grave would be a preferable place to be as he generally sees it as a place of rest and peace.[6]  We continue, like Job to feel that justice is yet to be done!  So the scene is set, what on earth can God say that might help satisfy Job and us?  But what the Lord says now completely undermines our assessment of the book, but ultimately it leads to what can be the only satisfactory answer!

More to follow…….!

We have four sermons that cover this introduction.  If you would like to listen just click the links below:

Job 1:1-2:20: The Storm Breaks: where’s God in a Troubled World?   

Job 2:11–3:36, 4:1-9 and 5:17-27: Dialogues in Darkness: So much for the Wisdom of Man.

Job28:1-28: True Wisdom. 

Job32:1-5, 33:1-24 and 36:1-15: Elihu the Original Angry Young Man! Do we Learn from Suffering?

[1]It’s important we understand the nature of the Old Testament righteousness to understand the context here.  This is not: ‘the righteousness of God’ (2 Corinthians 5:21) which is gifted to those who have sought to have their sins forgiven, but rather a visible moral righteousness.
[2] Derek Thomas, Calvin’s teaching on Job, Proclaiming the Incomprehensible God (Geanies House, Christian Focus Publications, 2004), 227.
[3] But we must concede that not all commentators see this statement as proof of Elihu’s arrogance as he has described God in this way back in 37:16.  ‘He could therefore mean that God was present with Job seeing that true words from and about him were being spoken.’ Hywel R. Jones, Job, An EP Study Commentary (Darlington, Evangelical Press, 2007), 253.
[4] When preaching on Job although John Calvin is very critical of the three friend’s position: ‘he nevertheless finds opportunity to formulate lessons as to the nature and character of the incomprehensible God.’ Thomas, Calvin’s teaching on Job, 154.
[5] Thomas, Calvin’s teaching on Job, 33.
[6] Job’s views on death are intriguing as generally he sees Sheol a place of rest where he will be free from the suffering of life.  Yet In 10:18-22 the themes of wishing he had never been born re-surface again and other aspects are mentioned.  Here Sheol is pictured differently.  Job uses words such as: ‘gloom’, ‘deep shadow’, ‘deepest night’ and talks of a place where ‘light is as thick darkness’.  This is very different from the peaceful rest that he spoke about in 3:21-22!