Read Job 2—3

THREE FRIENDS

When Job’s three friends … 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. Job 2:11

All three of Job’s friends were old (Job 32:6), but we assume that Eliphaz was the oldest. Eliphaz put great faith in tradition (15:18–19), and the God he worshipped was an inflexible Lawgiver. Bildad was a legalist. For some reason, Bildad was sure that Job’s children had died because they also
were sinners (8:4). The man seemed to have no feeling for his hurting friend.

Zophar was surely the most dogmatic of the three. He is merciless and tells Job that God is giving him far less than he deserves for his sins (11:6)!
Interestingly enough, Zophar speaks to Job only twice. Either he decides he is unable to answer Job’s arguments or feels that it is a waste of time trying to help Job. All three men said some good and true things, as well as some foolish things; but they were of no help to Job because their viewpoint was too narrow. These men perfectly illustrate Dorothy Sayers’ statement, “There’s nothing you can’t prove if your outlook is only
sufficiently limited.”

Something to Ponder
What can you learn about being a friend from Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar