“‘But if it were I, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him.”
~ Job 8:5
Hi James and Ellen,
What would you say to a good kid friend who had something really terrible happen in his or her life? What would you like a good kid friend say to you if something really terrible happened in your lives? What would you say to a good kid friend who had something very special stolen from him or her? What would you like a good kid friend say to you if you had something really special stolen from you? Do you have good kid friends? Are your good kid friends good kid friends with other kids? What would you like a good kid friend do for you if something really terrible happened in your lives? What would you do for a good kid friend if something really terrible were to happen in his or her life? Would you like a good kid friend listen to you if something really terrible should happen to you or would you want your good kid friend tell you what he or she thinks is the reason why you had something terrible happen to you. Would you listen as a good kid friend to a good kid friend of yours if something really terrible should happen to him or her or would you want to tell your good kid friend as a good kid friend what you think is the reason why you think that something terrible has happened to him or her? When something bad or terrible happens to a kid – like you, you do not want to believe that it has happened. You will want to pretend the really terrible thing really did not happen. You will then feel really sad inside. You will want to talk to a good kid friend or your teacher or your dad and/or ma or . . . you then may feel angry. Do you think that it helps when a kid who calls himself or herself your good kid friend thinks that he or she needs to tell you why he or she thinks why something terrible happened to you? How do you think a good kid friend of yours will feel if you think that you just need to tell your good kid friend as his or her good kid friend your reason why you think that something terrible happened to him or her? Bad and sad things happen all the time to guys, gals and kids. You will have good kid friends get hurt, get sick, have accidents, have things stolen from them and have deaths in their families. There will be times when it will feel as if life is no longer fun. Why do you think that there are times when life no longer feels like fun?
Job lived sometime between 3000 and 4000 years ago. Job was a really good guy who had an ongoing personal relationship with God. Job lived his life to please and bless God. Job would one day have livestock, slaves, kids and good health. Job the next day would have an enemy steal all his livestock – which included sheep, camels, donkeys and oxen, and the enemy would kill most of Job’s slaves, a really strong wind would knock down Job’s house while his kids were having a party – resulting in all of Job’s kids being killed and really bad sores would appear all over Job’s body. How do you think that Job felt after all those terrible things happened to him? Your grandpaa thinks that Job probably wanted his life to end. It seems without reason and in a very short time, Job lost about everything that he had ever had. What would you say to Job if you considered yourself a good friend of Job? Would you go to Job, put your arm around Job and say nothing to Job? Your grandpaa thinks that that would be the very best thing at this time that you could do for Job. Would you though go to Job, not put your arm around Job and begin to tell Job what you thought Job had done wrong for God to have to discipline or punish him in such an awful, terrible way? Your grandpaa thinks that that would not help any guy, gal or kid who has had something terrible happen in his or her life.
Three guys – Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, who knew Job called themselves friends of Job. These three guys thought that they had a mandate to tell Job why they thought Job was being disciplined or punished by God in such a terrible horrific way. Eliphaz was the first guy to tell Job that he thinks that Job has to have sin or unrighteousness in his life. Eliphaz – in Job 5, tells Job that he thinks that Job is resentful now of God for what God had done to him by having all of his things stolen from him and having his kids killed. To be resentful means to be angry or bitter about something or at someone. Eliphaz thinks that Job should be more humble about his attitude regarding all the terrible appalling things that had happened to him. Eliphaz tells Job that he thinks that Job has to accept God’s discipline or punishment – as he thinks that Job probably deserves God’s discipline or punishment. Eliphaz did get it right when he told Job in verse 8 “‘But if it were I, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him.” At the same time that Eliphaz thinks that he is giving counsel to Job – which is Eliphaz telling Job what he thinks, Eliphaz really is saying things to Job that are untrue. Eliphaz refers to fools in the context of Job’s really dreadfully terrible situation that Job finds himself. Why do you think that the book of Job is a book in the Bible? The Job Book teaches guys, gals and kids who God – before He created planet Earth, specially chose to be His specially elected guys, gals and kids that a specially elected guy, gal and kid while he or she is living on planet Earth will at times go through unjust and unfair suffering. The Job Book teaches God’s specially elected guys, gals and kids how to patiently suffer. The Job Book teaches guys, gals and kids who are wanting to help guys, gals and kids who are suffering unjustly or unfairly how to help these guys, gals and kids – and how guys, gals and kids can help you when you are unjustly or unfairly going through a time of suffering. There very possibly will be a day when you will find yourselves in a comparable place that Job found himself – or you will have a good kid friend who will find himself or herself in a comparable place that Job found himself. Are you going to listen while you have your arm around your kid friend when he or she finds himself or herself in a similar situation that Job did or are you going to pull an Eliphaz and . . .
Job 5 (176)