Day 004: When Job’s Friends Get It Right

¹⁷  “Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty. ¹⁸  For he wounds, but he binds up;  he shatters, but his hands heal. 

Job 5:17–18, ESV

Through the Bible: Job 1-5

I admit I haven’t been very kind to Job’s three friends in my own preaching, teaching, and writing. I’ve often pointed out that they were doing just fine for the seven days they sat in silence with Job (Job 2:13), and only got in trouble when they opened their mouths.

In my defense, I feel like I’m on pretty solid ground when I think of them as bad friends, because God Himself rebukes them in Job 42:7:

⁷ After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.

But here’s the problem: In Job, not everything the friends say is wrong, and the Bible itself is proof. Job 5:17-18 is a perfect example. Eliphaz’s assertion that God disciplines those He loves is so true that it’s repeated at least three other times in the Bible (see Proverbs 3:11; Hebrews 12:3; Revelation 3:19). The next thought, that God wounds but he also heals, is also echoed three other times in the Bible (see Deut. 32:39, 1 Sam. 2:6, and Hosea 6:1).

I’m sure as we continue through Job I’ll find more examples of what Job’s friends get right about God. Conversely, there are lots of things Job says about God that don’t sound right. So I admit I’m a little confused by Job 42:7. It’s God speaking, so it must be true. But what am I to take away from this?

Here it is for me: The only being in the entire Universe that is always right and never wrong is God. The rest of us have an infinitely worse batting average. Sometimes we are right, sometimes we are wrong. Sometimes those who are overall headed in the wrong direction still give good advice. And sometimes, those who are on the right path give the wrong advice.

If nothing else, this should prompt us to evaluate advice with discernment. We should be discriminating– not naively accepting advice from a godly source without weighing it against Scripture. We should also not dismiss advice simply because it comes from someone who is not walking closely with God. Again, weigh it against what Scripture, prayer, common sense, and believers you respect say.

Once you have done the hard work of searching the Scripture and seeking God in prayer, the most important factor in determining whether to trust someone’s counsel is the arc of their lives. Does it bend toward God or does it curve toward evil? I pray, Father, that the arc of my life bends toward You. That way, even if I am dead wrong in the counsel I give someone, You won’t rebuke me for not speaking the truth about You.

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