Howard katz continues his series on the book of job, specifically teaching about job s three friends, on september 22nd, 20. Surprise, surprise, zophar follows the same line as his two friends. Job was a wealthy but righteous and godfearing man. However, it is probably more important to examine what their arguments provoked job to say, and that we will incorporate later. So, they badgered poor job to confess this suspected secret sin. Job doubtless was afterwards ashamed of these wishes, and we may suppose what must be his judgment of them now he is in everlasting happiness. Elihus second speech to the three friends and job gods justice and prudence vindicated. When job s three friends eliphaz, bildad and zophar heard of his adversity, they came to visit him, saying they wanted to comfort him job 2. Job rejects their inadequate explanation and challenges god to respond chaps. With his three friends job discussed the problem why a righteous god allows that a righteous man has to suffer innocently. Job was blameless, meaning no sin was found in him.
What did jobs three friends have wrong, and what did they have right. But then he turns and puts the blame for job s suffering squarely on job himself. The prose narratives date to before the 6th century bce, and the poetry has been dated between the 6th and the 4th century bce. There are three cycles of jobs friends responding to him. Misfortune befalls job, and, in three cycles of speeches, his three friends give the explanation that this must be. The speeches of jobs three friends no three job 4 27. The facts that he is far from recognizing jobs real situation, that patience is for job the hard thing as hopkinss sonnet has it,1 that the author of the book may be. The difference between job and his three friends knowable word.
Job 3 job curses the day of his birth enduring word. Eliphaz the temanite, and bildad the shuhite, and zophar the naamathite. This summary of the book of job provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of job. But the writer of the book of job is not satisfied to live that way. Stedman believes that there are four reasons that elihu is an integral part in the book of job. The book of job young elihu speaks 3237 objectives in studying this section 1 to examine elihus perspective in the debate regarding job s suffering 2 to notice how elihu appears to prepare job for what the lord will have to say summary we are now introduced to a new voice in this discussion.
He suggests that job s suffering may be a warning so that he wont sin, and then he repeats the same arguments that the three friends. At the end of the book, god gives job twice as much wealth as he had before, along with seven sons and three daughters. Three friends eliphaz the temanite, bildad the shuhite, and zophar the naamathite come from afar and express their sympathy by remaining silent and by clothing themselves in sackcloth and sitting in ashes. Author although most of the book consists of the words of job and his friends, job himself was not the author. In the book of job, it becomes clear that the first three of job s friends eliphaz, blidad, and zophar speak wrongly. While they correctly asserted that sin had to be at the root of jobs problem, eliphaz believed that god was punishing job for not doing enough good, and bildad thought job was just whining because he wanted his wealth back. Book of job simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. But they didn t actually comfort him at all, when we see the way they spoke to him later on. So if theyre not jobs friends, what are they doing there. The book of job is probably the oldest book in the bible. Not much is known about job based on the masoretic text of the jewish bible. Job s three friends eliphaz, bildad and zophar were not able to understand these ways of god.
The book s theme is the eternal problem of unmerited suffering, and it is named after its central. Each time i read through the drama of the book of job, some new theme seems to. Oct 16, 2014 heres a window to my world of study this is how i organized my attempt to understand jobs friends. Their names were eliphaz the temanite, bildad the shuhite, and zophar the naamathite. Job knew there was no great hidden scandal in his life engendering his trials. The symposium, consisting of speeches by job and by each of his three friends, tells a very different story. It is very roundabout and teaches us surprising lessons about prayer after the lord.
The book begins with the description of job as a just and upright man. God allowed satan to take away from job his wealth, his family, and his health. Their overarching belief was that job was suffering because he had done something wrong. What wasnt correct in their speeches about him that angered the lord. If so, this may roughly indicate the date of the book. The speeches of job s three friends no three job 4 27 andrew davies were in the book of job and this evening i want us to do something rather adventuresome and that is to try to look at these features of job s three friends as a whole and draw some lessons from them so wed be looking at chapters 4 to 27 not verse by verse. Job s friends insist that his plight can only be a punishment for personal wrongdoing and an invitation from god to repent. Elihu admits that the arguments of the three friends have been adequately refuted by job, but he believes he can present other ones that will show how job has been in the wrong. When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him.
Each time i read through the drama of the book of job. At a recent pastors conference on the book of job, a leader asked the attendees whether the speeches of elihu job 3237 should be trusted, like gods job 3841, or discarded, like those of job s three friends job 45, 8, 11, 15, 18, 20, 22, 25. Jobs friends accuse him of doing evil job 423 bible. Towards the end of the book, job s friends start to think that job is not good because a lot of bad things are happening to him.
Heres a window to my world of study this is how i organized my attempt to understand job s friends. Jobs three friends, eliphaz, bildad, and zophar, have. But satan the accuser comes before the lord, and god allows him to test job. One of the real challenges of preaching job is that its such a long book. Why wasnt elihu included in gods scolding to jobs friends. False train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it prov. First cycle of speeches 414 objectives in studying this section 1 to examine the counsel of job s friends, what their observations were, and upon what they based their conclusions regarding job s suffering 2 to consider job s response to his friends, how he took their advice, and how he continued to. The first of the three, eliphaz, acknowledges that job has been a source of.
My question is, why was god so angry at job s friends. And why he complimented job in the end contrary to his friends. This is the final time satan is mentioned in the book of job. The reader who desires to unlock the rich theological treasures contained in the book of job should assume its literary unity. The fact that after answering job god turns to his three friends is an act of mercy.
Job s three friends eliphaz, bildad and zophar sermon index. Throughout the book, job, his wife, and his friends speculate on why he, an upright man, suffers. What did jobs three friends have wrong, and what did they. There are three cycles of job s friends responding to him.
Dec 29, 2016 the most hurtful comments of jobs friends,barry york study from the bible and be encouraged to grow your faith. They are also the three friends that pay job a visit to console him. The names of his friends are eliphaz, bildad, and zophar. The word temanite probably indicates that he was an edomite, or member of a palestinian people descended from esau. Chapters 28 and 3237 were probably later additions. Quiz 3 bible 104 with washington at liberty university. Jobs friends insist that his plight can only be a punishment for personal wrongdoing and an invitation from god to repent. The books theme is the eternal problem of unmerited suffering, and it is named after its central. Have fun with this and im sure you will uncover major mysteries related to the book of revelation as well. Apart from these three friends, job had one more friend named elihu.
So far he had kept quiet and had not said anything. God rebukes job s three friends and orders them to make a sacrifice. Job s three friends, eliphaz, bildad, and zophar, have historically been known for offering lengthy speeches that resulted in their being condemned by god job 42. After this job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. Sep 22, 20 howard katz continues his series on the book of job, specifically teaching about job s three friends, on september 22nd, 20. Well, they definitely give us something to think about. His three friends, eliphaz the temanite, bildad the. It is found in the third section of the biblical canon known as the ketuvim writings. The strange way god arranges to forgive desiring god.
Not only do they incur the indignation of job and his other friend elihu, but god himself rebukes them, saying to eliphaz, i am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant job has. These guys have plenty to say, and job isnt their biggest fan. Pdf the arguments of jobs three friends david clines. God is just, and job must have done something to offend him.
A younger man who remain silent until job said he could speak, he was angry at job and his other three friends. The book of job, book of hebrew scripture that is often counted among the masterpieces of world literature. The book of job demands that we see ourselves in the faces of jobs friends. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Lets see how this main point plays out in the debates.
How the book of job makes us better friends and better. Wisdom, judgement, and knowledge, also represented by the three daughters in the story that are not consumed but rather are the consumers. Regrettably, jobs friends are not able to endure the mystery of his suffering, so they jump to conclusions about its source. The characters in the book of job consist of job, his wife, his three friends bildad, eliphaz, and zophar, a man.
Job with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. The words of jobs wife jobs three friends the world view. Apr 21, 2020 in other words elihu disagrees with both sides of the argument. The first of the three, eliphaz, acknowledges that job has been a source of strength to others job 4.
An initial theme found early in the book of job is the concept of fair weather friends lacking true loyalty and a thinly veiled jealousy over jobs wealth. Now when job s three friends heard of all this evil that was come on him, they came every one from his own place. Jan 04, 2010 one of the strangest things about the book of job is how the three friends eliphaz, bildad, and zophar are restored to job and to god. From chapter 4 to 31 job conversed with his three friends, eliphaz, bildad. The most hurtful comments of job s friends,barry york study from the bible and be encouraged to grow your faith. Interpretations of elihu in job biblical hermeneutics. It is unwise to pull an isolated verse from the book of job and use it to.
Most of the book tells about job and his friends talking. Job s friends simply didnt know enough to offer intelligent comfort. These three friends that come to comfort job are all female. The speeches of jobs three friends include many inaccuracies, primarily involving why god allows people to suffer. Job prays for gods forgiveness of them and god accepts his prayer. On the other hand, by justifying himself, job was condemning god as being unjust. Given how christians are yet inclined to look for a divine reason behind catastrophes and personal tragedies. What did jobs three friends have wrong, and what did they have. The book of job concludes with god prospering job once again and blessing him with twice the wealth.
Job accuses god of being unjust and not operating the world according to principles of justice, and his friends believe that job s sin caused his suffering. Zuck, the book of job, and paragraph summaries of job 431, unpublished class notes in 303 old testament history ii. When jobs 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. It is a parable much like what yahushuwah used when he walked the earth. As a result, they repeatedly encourage job to admit his wrong and repent so that god would bless him again. Eliphaz, bildad and zophar, jobs three friends, were all sure that job must have had some dirty secret at the root of his newfound troubles. Although most of the book consists of the words of job and his friends, job himself was not the author. The book of job may be divided into two sections of prose narrative, consisting of a prologue chapters 12 and an epilogue chapter 42. Wailing loudly, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air over their heads to show. The speeches of jobs three friends no three job 4 27 andrew davies were in the book of job and this evening i want us to do something rather adventuresome and that is to try to look at these features of jobs three friends as a whole and draw some lessons from them so wed be looking at chapters 4 to 27 not verse by verse.
Eliphaz the temanite, in the old testament book of job chapters 4, 5, 15, 22, one of three friends who sought to console job, who is a biblical archetype of unmerited suffering. The most hurtful comments of jobs friends bible study. No creature comes into the world so helpless as man. Jobs friends simply didnt know enough to offer intelligent comfort. Since their discourse with job takes up a large portion of the book of job, it would be hard to completely disregard them and what they had to say. At one point job, weary of their unhelpful rhetoric, told them, you are miserable comforters, all of you. It means he says, that they sat with him a considerable length of time before they opened the question discussed in this book, not that they sat precisely seven days and seven nights, and said not so much as one word to him the book of the patriarch job. The hebrew book of job is part of ketuvim writings of the jewish bible. If gods power is absolute, and gods law is that the righteous are rewarded and the wicked are punished, then jobs predicament is his own fault. He goes beyond the argument presented by the three friends. The book of job reminds us that theologically illiterate communities are unsafe places for people to process brokenness and suffering.
Whilst mourning the death of his children three friends increasingly challenge and berate him suggesting that he must have. The book of job covers a multitude of themes reflecting the multitude of individual states of the walk of the believer as represented by the children of israel and their history. He suggests that job s suffering may be a warning so that he wont sin, and then he repeats the same arguments that the three friends made. The three friends are the protagonists in the story and are also three nations. One of the strangest things about the book of job is how the three friends eliphaz, bildad, and zophar are restored to job and to god. Professor lee supposes that this is not to be taken literally. The point of the book of job is to teach us that the mystery of evil is a mystery of a wartorn and unfathomably complex creation, not the mystery of gods allcontrolling will. Dialogue of job with his friendsthe solutions of jobs three friends and elihu. The less you know, the more dangerous you are to people in pain. Job s opening monologue and dialogues between job and his three friends job laments the day of his birth. After job had excepted his suffering and forgiven his three friends what did job restoration involve he gave job twice as much as he had before, was blessed with the company of his brothers, sisters, and friends. The characters in the book of job consist of job, his wife, his three friends bildad, eliphaz, and zophar, a man named elihu, god, and angels one of whom is named satan. His three friends, eliphaz the temanite, bildad the shuhite and zophar the naamathite, console him. There were three exchanges each between job and his friends.
Aug 06, 2012 the book of job covers a multitude of themes reflecting the multitude of individual states of the walk of the believer as represented by the children of israel and their history. Regrettably, job s friends are not able to endure the mystery of his suffering, so they jump to conclusions about its source. An initial theme found early in the book of job is the concept of fair weather friends lacking true loyalty and a thinly veiled jealousy over job s wealth. Jobs three friends, eliphaz, bildad, and zophar, have historically been known for offering lengthy speeches that resulted in their being condemned by god job 42. Jobs opening monologue job 3 seen by some scholars as a bridge between the prologue and the dialogues and by others as the beginning of the dialogues, and three cycles of dialogues between job and his three friends job chapters the third cycle is not complete, the expected speech of zophar being replaced by the wisdom poem of. My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant job has. Now when jobs three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own. So elihu has no intention of trying to settle the matter the way the three friends did. Below is a page from my study notes that i have been working on for quite some time. Elihus third speech to job the advantages of piety. Sermon may 2016, by pastor doug batchelor, the senior pastor of the granite bay seventhday adventist church. What did job s three friends have wrong, and what did they have right. Misfortune befalls job, and, in three cycles of speeches, his three friends give the explanation that this must be punishment from god for his sins, and they urge him to repent.
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