Job 2:11-13

Recently, Lori and I went on a food tour with friends to explore Ybor City, just outside Tampa, Florida. The ethnic cuisine was delicious, and we learned about the city’s namesake, Vicente Martinez-Ybor. Ybor fled Cuba in 1868 and founded Ybor City seventeen years later to relocate his cigar factory. Over the next eleven years, he built a substantial brick-making business, established an insurance company, and Ybor City became known as “the cigar capital of the world.” He was also a generous businessman, constructing houses for his workers, selling them at cost without interest, and providing a month’s salary bonus every Christmas.

However, Ybor’s wealth and entrepreneurial spirit were insignificant compared to Job’s.

“Job City” was a vast business empire with livestock, a “shipping company,” extensive land holdings, and all the necessary equipment for growing and harvesting crops, producing delicacies, and employing a large workforce. Job was the most remarkable man in all the east. The “upright and blameless” businessman treated his employees well.

With all his business dealings, Job had numerous friends and acquaintances. When he conducted business, one might imagine that Job provided them with comfortable lodging and the finest meals. He aimed to satisfy his clients, who rented his camels—”the ships of the desert”—by offering top-quality products and services. However, many friends were left speechless when Job’s life fell apart, causing them to distance themselves (which we’ll discuss later). Three friends reached out to each other and decided to visit Job to express their concern. They set a day and time to meet their friend Job in Uz.

Job 2:11
Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him.

The three men came from nearby Arabian countries. They were good friends who took the time and effort to be with Job. Remember, other friends never showed up. Eliphaz is likely the oldest, as his name was mentioned first and was the first to speak with Job. Their initial intentions were noble; they wanted to show “sympathy and comfort” to him. In their sympathy, they tried to demonstrate compassion and understanding. To “comfort” (nacham) means to express that they felt sorry for Job’s situation and regretted his pain.

Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar gathered at their meeting place, rested after their long journeys, and then went to see Job together. Their previous visit had surely been filled with conversation, food, and laughter. They had a clear image of Job from the last time they saw him. As they drew near to the garbage area where Job sat in ashes tending to his sores, they recognized him as their friend, though he appeared unfamiliar (Job 2:12). The disease had changed Job’s look. He was thin, with a gaunt and discolored face. Debilitating pain, along with oozing infected wounds, had altered his appearance. They usually found Job sitting in fine clothing at the city gate, but on this day, he sat in tattered, dirty rags at the city dump.

I remember visiting someone in the hospital who was suffering from a long illness. He had only a few days left to live. I had been praying for him, but unfortunately, I hadn’t visited him yet. The front desk at the hospital gave me his room number, and I made my way to his floor and room. When I opened the door and saw the man in the bed, I was certain I had entered the wrong room. Just as I started to turn and leave, he called my name. The illness had altered this person’s appearance so drastically that I didn’t recognize him. Perhaps you’ve experienced something similar. If so, you understand how Job’s friends felt.

Realizing that this beaten-down, unrecognizable figure was their dear friend prompted an immediate, visible, and emotional reaction. They “raised their voices and wept, tore their robes, and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven” (Job 2:12). All these actions were expressions of profound mourning (e.g., 1 Sam. 4:12, 2 Sam. 1:2, Neh. 9:1). Before they uttered a word, they were empathizing with Job’s desperate situation.

These men did not keep their distance. They sat with Job and entered his space of suffering. Job was still alive, but they mourned as if he were dead. They sat in silence, “for they saw that his suffering was very great” (Job 2:13). The three friends had much to say, but upon first seeing Job, they “sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him” (Job 2:13).

Let me make a few observations about responding to the suffering of others.

1. Job had many friends, but most kept their distance. I find this all too common. Often, those dealing with an illness or who have lost a loved one say that family and friends avoid them because they don’t know what to say and fear saying the wrong thing. Friends stop mentioning the deceased person, as if he or she never existed. They worry that the grieving person might become emotional, which makes them uncomfortable. However, when someone has lost a loved one, they want to talk about the person they love and miss.

Reach out to those who have lost a loved one, received a disease diagnosis, are undergoing treatment, or have lost a job. Let them know that you love and care for them while keeping them in your prayers.

2. Keep your words few. There’s no need to quote Bible verses or theological truths. Simply be present. The ministry of presence is powerful.

Our daughter and her husband lost their first son. J lived for seven hours and changed our lives. Brittany mentioned that one of the most meaningful things someone did was to hold her arm and say, “This is hard.” They didn’t quote a Bible verse or try to impose a theological truth, but sympathized with and acknowledged the pain. That was powerful.

Joseph Bayly was an evangelical writer and publisher. He and his wife buried three of their seven children—an eighteen-day-old, a five-year-old, and an eighteen-year-old. Bayly authored a book titled The View from a Hearse. In it, he explained what happened right after one of his children died.

I was sitting, torn by grief. Someone came and talked to me of God’s dealings, of why it happened, of hope beyond the grave. He talked constantly. He said things I knew were true. I was unmoved, except to wish he’d go away. He finally did.

Another came and sat beside me. He didn’t talk. He didn’t ask me leading questions. He just sat beside me for an hour or more, listened when I said something, answered briefly, prayed simply, left.

I was moved. I was comforted. I hated to see him go.[1]

Sometimes the greatest comfort we can offer is simply sitting in silence with those who are hurting.

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Read Job 2:11-13
Don’t miss the friends who came. Don’t be the friend who stays away.

Talking to God
Ask God to help you know how to sympathize with those in your life who are hurting.

Have Questions?
Please ask if you have any questions about today’s reading or teaching. Our team is here to assist you as you explore God’s Word. Simply submit your question below, and we will reply soon.

For a deeper study of Satan’s work and the believer’s power to resist, check out my six-part sermon series Battle Ready HERE.

[1] ^{http://www.actsweb.org/articles/article.php?c=3&d=2&i=1655}