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Devotions on the Book of Job (Thursday, Week 3)

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In our message this coming Lord's Day, we are going to learn from the mistakes of three men who said a great deal to a sufferer, and it proved to be not very helpful! The men - Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, Job’s “comforters,” as they are ironically called- say nothing for seven days (2:11–13). But after Job’s lament in Job 3 they say much! They speak for in three rounds of heated argument (interspersed with Job's frustrated replies). The speeches of the friends take up many chapters, and while there are subtle differences between them they are essentially giving the same message. We will find out how people can sound so very right, and yet be gracelessly so very wrong!

Today, let's consider the qualities of Biblical comfort. This from the commentary by Christopher Ash:

It is worth pausing to ask how “comfort” works. The Hebrew word is nacham. It is not the same as empathy. Empathy may be inarticulate, because it focuses on entering into the feelings and experience of the sufferer as best we can. But comfort must be articulate and active. Empathy may be silent, but comfort must include speech. To comfort involves speaking to the mind and heart of the sufferer in such a way as to change his or her mind and heart. Comfort is an action, sometimes called “speaking to the heart,” that hopes and intends to bring about a change in how the sufferer thinks and feels about his or her suffering. When Joseph “comforted” his brothers, he did so in such a way as to reduce their fearfulness (Genesis 50:21); his words lowered the level of their fear. The Levite in Judges 19 spoke “kindly to” (“spoke to the heart of”) his wife with a view to changing her mind and bringing her back home (Judges 19:3). Boaz cheers Ruth up when he comforts her with his words (Ruth 2:13). Joab tells David that unless he will “speak kindly to” (“speak to the heart of”) his army by speaking words to them, they will abandon him (2 Samuel 19:7). His comfort will change their minds. King Hezekiah “spoke encouragingly to” (“spoke to the heart of”) his army to make them strong and courageous (2 Chronicles 32:6, 7). Both the verb nacham and the expression “speak to the heart” refer to speaking words that bring comfort and change someone’s mind or feelings. This is what we expect Job’s friends to do.

Well- they certainly speak, as we will see. But their words betray their lack of understanding- both in what they say, and more particularly in what they do not say. There is no sympathy, no grace, and, by saying "who, being innocent, ever perished!" (Job 4:7), no cross!

1 Comment

Very interesting

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