Job 6-16: Three Days of Reading in One Post

Maybe you're wondering why I'm combining three whole days worth of Bible reading into one post. Well, the Book of Job is predominately conversation between Job and his three friends: Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. There's a ton of back and forth and repetition. So to spare y'all a bunch of repetition here on A Coffee Date with God, I've decided to combine the readings.

Like I said, in these 11 chapters Job is having a big conversation with his friends. Basically his friends are convinced that the reason Job has all these nasty boils all over his body is because Job has sinned. And to their defense, this is all they know - that God punishes sinners. They don't understand the concept of trial, which I touched on in my last post.   

Job doesn't really understand it either. All he knows is that he is a righteous man, so he has absolutely no idea why God is doing this to him. (Or rather why Satan is doing this to him with God's permission.) And Job refuses to admit to sins he hasn't committed. He also can't stop asking God 'why' this is happening to him and wishing he was dead. 

Pretty much, Job is super hard on himself, and he's pretty irritated with his friends for suggesting he's sinned when he knows he hasn't. And his friends are convinced Job is a liar, and they are pretty much begging Job to admit his wrongdoing so they can all go home.

Even though there is a ton of repetition, I like that Job's faith is standing strong despite all the negativity he's dealing with. Yes, he questions God, which is a little disappointing. But I mean, everything that Job knows has been thrown for loop because of this. Yet Job never questions God's existence or His power; he's just incredibly confused.

And I'm learning the importance of being a good friend and providing Godly wisdom to those who come to me for advice. I'm learning that I can't just blindly instruct people on what to do in difficult times. I need to be sure to provide knowledge that aligns with God's Word.