(Job 2:11) They reacted with shock and grief when they saw him and then they sat with him for a week without saying anything to him. They sat with him in silence. That’s when things started to go sour.
Eliphaz, the eldest of the friends began in chapter 4 begins to point out that only those who sin are punished as Job has been punished. As we skip ahead to chapter 22, we see that Eliphaz is now criticizing Job for his misuse of his wealth and for his social injustice. Some things never change. Those same criticisms are being used today to attack people. But the truly shocking thing is that Eliphaz is Job’s friend – someone who should treat Job with love and care.
In light of today’s lesson we need to inspect our own friendships. Do we have friends who treat us harshly? How do we respond to that? Are we harsh in our treatment of our friends? How do change that? Finally, do we consider Jesus to be our friend? Jesus calls us His friend in John 15:13-15 and in that same passage tells us that we are His friends if we do what He commands us.
In Proverbs 18:24 we read, “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Jesus is that friend and we should be that kind of friend as well.
This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, June 2, 2024. It is part of a series in a Bible study curriculum called Connect 360, published by the GC2 Press of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The overall title of the current set of lessons is Praise Him in the Storm: When Life Falls Apart – A Study of Job. You can find printed and digital versions of this series online at https://gc2press.org/praise-him-in-the-storm-job-study-guide/ .Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .
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