Essay/Term paper: Friends-the book of job

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Religion

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. Elephaz 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
a 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. 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