Job 15 – 16

Job is once again be assured by his friend Eliphaz with stating how his view is Job is paying for sin. Job finally unloads on them and rebukes their friendship. Verse 16:2 starts this onslaught:

Job: All the things from you sound the same.
        You are all terrible as comforters!

How many times has this happened with you? Your friends know how to fix the problem and will quickly tell you. Or they will point out the obvious, like “does that hurt” as you have a stream of profanities coming from your mouth while dancing like a wild man. Sure we all have them and often need to just say stop. Job does this since what he needs is comfort and what he gets is aggravation.

Verse 16:5 points out the other key issue here:

But I believe I would use my words to encourage you;
        my lips would move only to offer you relief.

As much as we’d like to voice our opinions, Job knows when to “bridle his tongue” (James 1:26) and just be there for someone. That’s what we must learn to do, control our opinions until we know the whole story. As they eventually learn they were wrong.