Image from 1392 - artist unknown.
Now Job's friend Zophar speaks. It's interesting, isn't it? Taken separately and out of context, many of these verses would probably be "good advice," or at least commonly-given advice. And yet, push come to shove, Zophar doesn't get it either. In life, it isn't as clear as "good things happen to good people" and "bad things happen to bad people." It isn't like that at all! And Job knows this to be true first hand.
Reflection questions:
-What has the book of Job taught you?
-Would you recommend it to others?
-What verses of Zophar's speech did you identify with?
-Which of Zophar's sentences made you cringe?
-Which of Zophar's sentences made you cringe?
Zophar speaks as though he might believe Job has done no wrong but not really, like he doubts his friend...Good friend, huh ? Verses 13-15 stood out to me, because like you said Pr. Em, they seem like something good to say but I read it like "wow, Zophar you sure seem to be so smart" almost again, like he felt Job was not being honest about some sins he has committed. The first 12 chapters are reminder to me that life sometimes isn't fair, and when struggles come along it's easy to blame ourselves that we must have done something wrong to deserve this punishment. What I relate to most so far in Job is that when these things happen, you kind of find out who your true friends are and aren't. Who really "gets it", who really knows your heart. You find out who will stand by you, and who will turn and not support you. This is always a good lesson for all of us.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is becoming clear that many of Job's friends really "do not" get it. I'm looking forward to meeting his friend who does understand in the coming chapters!
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