Job 2:11-13
Job's Three Friends
11 When Job's three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. 12 When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. 13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.
When we read Job and think about his three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar (also Elihu comes later) we often see them in a negative light...They had come probably from a distance to see him...They were in support of him...There just being there was good...It was a compliment for the friends to visit him in his sufferings...
These are three great friends...They come and visit him when Job is very sick...Job is so sick the three old friends can hardly recognize him...Because they could not recognize their old friend they began to weep...Most of us have been with friends and family who are suffering...Sometimes they don't look like their old self...We feel sorry for them and we can begin to weep, like the friends of Job...
For seven day and seven nights the three friends observe how great his suffering is...For these seven days they do not say a word to him...
So for seven days they watch, support him, and observe...Then they open their mouths and things start to go downhill...We know it goes downhill, because in the end God tells Eliphaz that He is angry with him, because what he spoke about Him was not right...The three friends who came to visit and support Job were now in Job's hands...God tells the three friends whatever His servant Job prays for the three He will accept and not deal with them according to their folly (that they had been speaking)...
The three had accused Job of sinning and thus causing his sufferings...Job kept telling them he could not remember sinning and he did not think he had sinned...But the three friends kept telling him that basically the righteous always prosper and the innocent do not get sufferings like Job was having...
Good innocent people do suffer...Friends with the best of intentions say and do things during these times that can impact the suffering, family, and friends...We should think twice and three times before we speak in these situations...
Part of Job's suffering, was because of things he did not know... God never gave Job a reason for his sufferings...Job after God finishes speaking, realizes there are many, many things beyond his understanding...Job realizes God is sovereign over everything, including his health...
God's presence changed everything for Job...God had been with Job during this entire suffering experience...Job was now at peace...Job would pray for his misguided friends...His healing would be complete...