March 2, 2023

Passage Read: Job 1-4
Meditation Verses: 4:5-6

Thought

Wow! The first words in response to Job's expressed grief are, "Trouble comes to you and you are discouraged; it strikes you and you are dismayed." Does Eliphaz not understand what had happened to Job? Does he not realize he lost his children, all his servants and all his herds and flocks on one day, and now he is covered head to toe with painful sores? This is not the usual trouble that comes on most of us. There are those who lose everything through bad investment or business decisions and bad marriage choices, and that is huge, but they bear some responsibility. Even if they made a hugely awful choice that destroyed their whole lives, who would start with, "Why so upset over a little trouble? You know, none of us are better than God." That's like textbook example of the worst comfort.

Application

I'm called to weep with those who weep, mourn with those who mourn. They may have made a huge mistake, even sin that brought all this trouble on them, but compassion doesn't lead with rebuke, it leads with understanding, commiserating. Walk through the pain before guiding them into correction; otherwise, I just provoke a reaction against anything I say, because I rejected their suffering. Few are as righteous as Job, but how many people are suffering things that they themselves actually brought on themselves. There could be no need of correction, but only comfort. I can't know that until I really understand the situation, and I won't get full disclosure if I'm just looking for what they did wrong, not entertaining the possibility that they truly did nothing wrong.