Good morning! I'm excited you're back.
Here's your devotional text for Tuesday, December 12.

 

Sometimes, the worst part of a trial isn’t the trial itself. It’s how people treat you during the trial. That was the case for Job. 

 

After he experienced five horrific attacks by the devil himself, three of his friends came to him because they wanted to “comfort him.” Job 2:11. They came, cried with him, and for an entire week they just sat there with him, not speaking a single word (Job 2:12-13). That was actually the best thing they did. From that point onward, the story goes south.

 

All that Job needed was pity (see Job 19:21). But those insensitive and overly zealous friends didn’t get that. They didn’t understand the reason for Job’s suffering (neither did Job, by the way). For some strange reason, they thought they had to speak up for God now and justify His character. After all, if Job was suffering, he must have done something wrong, right?!

 

Maybe you have had “friends” like this. You share that your mother got cancer, and the first thing they say is, “Well, no wonder she was eating meat her whole life.” Comments like these are not only totally insensitive and un-Christlike, but they are also unbiblical. The Bible shows us that there are many reasons for pain and suffering. It is not our job to assign the latest trial to a specific category. “He is suffering now because of X.” We don’t always know!

 

If you study the next few chapters of Job, you will quickly see that Job’s friends tried to categorize Job’s trial. They tried to find a “logical reason” for Job’s suffering. Eliphaz indirectly accuses Job of being a foolish man (Job 5:1-4); then, he thinks Job needs some sort of major correction from God (Job 5:17-19). After that, Bildad takes over and insinuates that either Job or someone in Job’s family must have sinned (Job 8:8, 20). Then, Zophar says that Job is being punished for his sins, and he would actually deserve way more punishment (Job 11:3, 5-6). What kind of friends are those?! To top it all, Zophar then declares, “Just repent, and all your problems will go away!” Job 11:13-17.

 

Then Job speaks up. At first, he tries to subtly defend himself, but in chapters 12 and 13, he becomes bolder. Job tells his friends that they don’t know what they’re talking about; God’s ways are higher, He is way bigger, and He is much wiser. Real wisdom comes from the LORD, not from humans. And then comes this amazing phrase that has comforted saints and echoed throughout the centuries: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust Him.” That’s a “But If Not” attitude. I will serve God no matter what happens to me. Why? Because I love Him, I know what He has done for me; I know that He is love, that He is perfect, and that He never makes a mistake.

 

Study Job 13:15. Why did Job say these words? Would God want to kill Job? Why (not)? How would you describe Job’s relationship with Jesus?

 

Read Job 13:1-13. What can you learn about Job’s friends from these verses? How does Job picture God here? How do you personally see God’s character when a tragedy shatters your life? Is it important to have an accurate picture of God in these moments? Why (not)?

 

 

Study Job 13:13. Why does Job want to be alone?

Write down some bullet points about how you would talk to a friend who goes through a similar trial. What would you say to him/her?

 

Study Proverbs 14:32. Why does the righteous person have “hope” in his death?

Was Job hopeful when he talked to his friends that day? Why (not)?