Sermons
With Friends Like These...
Series: Endurance In Days Of Extremity - The Journey And Journal Of JobWITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE…
Sermon Outline By Terry Siverd
Cortland Church of Christ / February 12, 2017
Many of us would likely agree that the book of Job can be somewhat intimidating.
Our struggle to understand this Old Testament book is exacerbated by its mixed style.
Most of us have no problem reading the prologue (chapters 1-2) which is written in prose and is easy to read.
Although the precise identity of Job’s Adversary and his bartering with God can be difficult to fully comprehend.
Likewise, the brief epilogue (chapter 42) is written in prose and is also quite easy to read and grasp.
The difficulty comes in reading chapters 3-41.
These chapters are poetry and ancient mid-eastern poetry is often confounding to modern day westerners.
For this reason I have urged you to read from a more modern translation, perhaps even a paraphrase.
Typically, a paraphrase attempts to capture the general sense of a text rather than offering a word-for-word translation.
An added difficulty is the structure of the book.
At the risk of over-simplifying, the book of Job is really not that confusing once you get the big picture.
This extensive block of poetic passages (chapters 3 thru 41) can be broken down as follows.
Job’s lament (chapter 3)
Job’s dialogue with three friends/counselors (chapters 4-31).
Eliphaz offers advice; Job responds … Bildad counsels; Job responds … Zophar give guidance; Job responds.
This happens in three rounds. In the third round Zophar is absent - - perhaps his has gone home.
In chapters 32-37 another character named Elihu, makes an appearance offering an extended monologue.
Finally, in chapters 38-41, God speaks.
The book closes (chp 42) with Job making a confession, God making a condemnation and Job receiving restoration.
All in all, Job’s journal includes seven characters:
God … An Adversary (Satan) … Job … And his four counselors: Eliphaz … Bildad … Zophar … and Elihu.
This morning I want to offer an abbreviated overview of the dialogue between Job and Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar.
We must not be too hard on Job’s counselors. We sometimes speak of them as Job’s friends.
While they may indeed be Job’s friends - - and well-intentioned at that - - their advice leaves much to be desired.
This point has given us today’s tongue-in-cheek sermon title: With Friends Like These (Who Needs Enemies).
As a “head’s up”, two things are worth noting early on.
(1) In spite of his dire circumstances, Job recognizes the shortcomings (faulty arguments) in the advice of his friends.
As evidence of this, note Job 16:2, where Job takes umbrage to their advice saying, sorry comforters are you all.
(2) If we fast-forward to Job 42:7-9, we read of God’s condemnation - - not of Job - - but of Job’s counselors.
God is angry with Job’s three friends, saying to them - - you have not spoken of Me what is right… (vs.7b).
God directs them to offer up a burnt offering for themselves and ironically tells them that Job will pray for them (vs.8).
As to Elihu, he is somewhat of a younger mystery man about whom we shall have more to say later on.
Job’s three friends serve as antagonists.
In anatomy an antagonistic muscle is one that opposes another muscle. Nic Wildman could tell us more about this.
In pharmacology, an antagonistic drug is one that counteracts or neutralizes another drug. Recently I had an
allergic reaction to a Z-pack (an annoying itchy rash). My dermatologist prescribed an antagonistic med/anti-histamine.
In literature, an antagonist is “one who opposes and actively competes with another; an adversary”.
In Hemingway’s novel, The Old Man And The Sea, Santiago catches a huge marlin. While he fights to bring
it ashore, he encounters antagonistic sharks that consume the marlin before he can reach land.
In the story of Job, Job “friends” serve as antagonists.
While they play the role of being comforters they actually serve to further intensify Job’s pain.
In some ways they could be interpreted as Job’s adversaries - - Satan personified.
This is a sobering thought - - the idea that you and I as friends and counselors to others could be misleading them.
In the New Testament the apostle Paul spent the latter half of his life fighting against The Adversary/Satan.
Paul’s opponents did not have horns and a pitchfork, but the were labeled a synagogue of Satan (Rev.2:9 & 3:9).
Paul’s antagonists were called: wild beasts (1Cor.15:32) … carnivorous dogs (Philp.3:2)… and a roaring lion (1Pet.5:8).
Paul is confronted with those who wanted to remain entrenched in the Old Covenantal realm rather
than accepting the New Covenant. In this sense Paul’s antagonists were co-workers with Satan.
BACK TO THE TEXT OF JOB
In his book, Let God Be Gone, Ray Steadman characterizes these “friends” in a caricaturish and comical way.
He gives each friend a title that describes their distinctive confrontational styles.
Eliphaz the Elegant.
Most likely the oldest of the three, he speaks with eloquence and a polished courtesy (at least at the beginning).
He appears to have some experience at saying unpleasant things in a somewhat gracious way.
Bildad the Brutal
Bildad is brutally frank and plainspoken. He doesn’t mince his words.
He is a bull in a china shop. Just call him Brutus Bildad.
Zophar the Zealous
He is full of passion and emotion.
He tries to move Job with emotional appeals.
As to what exactly these three “antagonistic friends” (oxymoron) were trying to tell Job,
we might say it is one central message delivered in triplicate.
This morning we will focus on the words of Eliphaz.
As I just mentioned, Eliphaz’s arguments are basically representative of all three of Job’s friends.
As your work you way through this section of Job’s journal (chapters 4-31) let me recommend two things.
As you read the speeches of each of these three “sorry comforters” (all three rounds of dialogue),
try to summarize their arguments with just a few words supported by a few key Scriptures.
Likewise, take note of Job’s responses to each of their speeches.
Likewise, highlight Job’s counter-arguments with a few words and a couple of key verses.
This morning we will concentrate on chapters 4, 5, 6 & 7.
In chapters 4-5 Eliphaz offers his counsel and then in chapters 6-7 Job responds.
(In the text that follows I will be using a mix of Today’s English Version, The New English Bible and the NASV).
Eliphaz begins his critique of Job by praising his past behavior.
4:1-5 / Job, will you be annoyed if I speak? I can’t keep quite any longer. You have taught many people and
given strength to feeble hands. When someone stumbled, weak and tired, your words encouraged him to stand.
Now it’s your turn to be in trouble, and you are stunned to face it.
4:7-8 / Think back now. Name a single case where a righteous man met with disaster. I have seen
many people plow fields of evil and plant wickedness like see; now they harvest wickedness and evil.
4:17 / Can anyone be righteous in the sight of God or be pure before His Creator?
5:6-8 / Evil does not grow in the soil, nor does trouble grow out of the ground. No! Man brings trouble on himself,
as surely as the spark fly up from a fire. If I were you, I would turn to God and present my case to him.
5:11-12 & 17 & 27 / Yes, it is God who raises the humble and gives joy to all who mourn. He upsets the
plans of cunning men, and traps wise men in their own schemes, so that nothing they do succeeds.
Happy is the person who God corrects! Do not resent it when He rebukes you.
Job, we have learned this by long study. It is true, so now accept it.
Job responds to Eliphaz.
6:1-4 / If my troubles and griefs were weighed on scales, they would weigh more than the sands
of the sea, so my wild words should not surprise you. Almighty God has shot me with arrows,
and their poison spreads through my body. God has lined up His terrors against me.
6:8 -10 / Why won’t God give me what I ask? Why won’t He answer my prayer?
If only He would go ahead and kill me! If I knew He would, I would leap for joy, no matter how great my pain.
But it is still my consolation, And I rejoice in unsparing pain, that I have no denied the words of the Holy One (NASV).
6:24-25 / Teach me, and I will be silent; And show me how I have erred. How painful are honest words!
But what does your argument prove? (NASV). You are talking nonsense (TEV).
6:28-30 / Look me in the face. I won’t lie. You have gone far enough. Stop being unjust.
Don’t condemn me. I’m in the right. But you think I am lying - - you think I can’t tell right from wrong.
Job vents to God ? 7:7a & 11 / Remember that my life is but a breath…Therefore, I will not restrain
my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
7:17 & 20-21 / Why is man so important to You? Why pay attention to what he does? Have I sinned?
What have I done to Thee, O watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target, so that I am a burden to myself?
Why do you not pardon my offense and take away my guilt?… Note: Job is not unaware of man’s selfishness (1:5)
Finally, let’s close with two important applications from this study.
- As friends and counselors to those in serious pain and heartache we must choose our words carefully.
We are not the Judge! Job’s friends are reprimanded by God (42:7 / You have not spoke of Me what is right).
(2) God can handle our venting. He is our Creator and He knows our humanity quite well.
He is more than able to look beyond our frustrations and outbursts of anger to see if our heart truly belongs to Him.
