Know: Understand the role of Job’s friends as they arrived to join him in his grieving.
Feel: Sense Job’s feeling of vulnerability and frustration as Eliphaz begins to talk about the cause of Job’s suffering.
Do: Refrain from easily judging others, while, at the same time, not neglecting the importance of biblical exhortation.
Learning Outline:
Know: Grief Counseling
A. How have others reacted to you in a situation in which you experi- enced suffering?
B What was the most helpful reaction of others toward your suffering? What do you wish they had done differently?
Feel: Eliphaz Speaks
A How wrong is Eliphaz really when he speaks about the cause and effect of sin? Why is he so wrong?
B What can we learn from Eliphaz (and Job’s reaction to Eliphaz) in terms of appropriate theological responses to suffering?
Do: Judging and Exhortation
A How, categorically, should we understand the command in Matthew 7:1 to not judge?
B Where would you place the fine line that exists between judging others and the biblical concept of exhortation?
Summary: While the arrival of Job’s friends has elements of comfort for their friend’s suffering, once they begin to speak, they carefully but, neverthe- less, mercilessly judge Job on the basis of what they understand as the correct theology. While not all is wrong in this theology, it is substantially flawed. Furthermore, easy answers and theological generalizations should never be responses to suffering.
Learning Cycle
STEP 1—Motivate
Spotlight on Scripture: Psalm 119:65–72
Key Concept for Spiritual Growth: True and good judgment can come only from God’s instruction (Heb. Torah). The psalmist recog- nized this truth in the longest of the three Torah-Psalms (Ps. 119:66), found in the book of Psalms (Ps. 1, 19, 119). Sometimes true judgment is surprisingly unorthodox, according to this world’s wisdom (1 Cor. 3:19). Whether wisdom is unorthodox or conventional, we need to make sure in our application of it that we do not take over God’s role in judging (as Eliphaz did), lest we be judged.
Just for Teachers: Who has been at the scene of suffering and not tried to provide an easy answer in an attempt to make some sense out of what is nonsensical, even to provide some kind of hope, regardless of how distorted that hope might seem? “Maybe God allowed your son to die in the car accident because He knew that, later on in life, he would turn his back on God and the church.” While these attempts almost seem to ring with a tone of absurdity from the comfortable armchairs of normal life, nevertheless they suddenly rear their mis- shapen heads in moments of suffering, launched by well-meaning neighbors, friends, and even family members. Job’s friends are no exception, and perhaps we should not be too quick to judge them, because, after all, they came to comfort Job.
Opening Discussion: While working as missionaries in the beautiful country of Bolivia, in South America, a man and his family received tragic news. The man’s father had passed away in a domestic accident on the other side of the world. After the initial shock, the missionary walked up from his house to speak to the administrators of the institution where his family was working at that time. He needed to inform them of his loss and to figure out the logistics of traveling home to attend to his father’s funeral and estate.
Afterward, he didn’t remember much of what he told the adminis- trators. But one thing he did remember clearly: a moment when four men—including himself—were sitting together on a bench in the gardens in front of the administration building, all crying and holding on to one another for support. The administrators were shedding their tears in sor- row over his loss. Through the shiny curtain of his own tears and pain, the man suddenly came to appreciate Job’s friends a tiny bit more. For they arrived from all sorts of different directions, they sat for seven days with Job, and they wept and shared in his pain without saying a word (Job 2:11–13). What can we learn from Job’s friends at this point in the story?
STEP 2—Explore
Just for Teachers: It is probably easy during this lesson study to be critical toward Eliphaz and condemn his wrong theology as heart- less and far removed from God’s love. However, we might then find ourselves in the same position that Eliphaz took toward Job’s suffer- ing: condemning Eliphaz according to a scheme of right and wrong theology, which does not always fit reality. As much as we should stay away from the ways in which Eliphaz and Job’s other friends condemned him, we should probably stay at least as far away as that from condemning his friends for their wrong theology and merciless approach to Job’s suffering.
The more important question here is how we as Seventh-day Adventists can lessen the suffering around us and find appropriate words for the ones who experience it.
Bible Commentary
How do we respond adequately to people who are undergoing suffering? How can we be compassionate like Job’s friends, who sat and mourned with Job for seven days, while, at the same time, not falling into the cli- chés of easy answers to the bewildering situations that life throws at us? How can we deal with our own suffering from a biblical perspective?
I. Grieving (Review Job 2:11–13, Ecclesiastes 7:2, and Psalm 30:5 with the class.)
Job’s friends come and sit with him for seven days, which possibly gives origin to the Jewish mourning ritual called “sitting shiva (seven)”—seven days of empathy and compassion. It is interesting to note that it is Job who breaks the silence at the end of the seven days in an attempt to pro- cess his grief.
There are some common denominators in how we as humans process grief. As Christians, we can help others (and sometimes ourselves) by being mindful of these steps:
The cause of our pain needs to be accepted as reality. There is an interesting tendency in the human mind to close our mental doors on the things we don’t like, hoping that, in this way, they will somehow disap- pear. If you’d like to process your pain and suffering, the first step is to accept it as reality.
The second step in the “grieving process” is the willingness to actually suffer pain and loss. Nobody likes to suffer. It’s human instinct to avoid pain. However, if we’d like to move toward inner healing, we have to be willing to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, as Psalm 23:4 puts it. Pain needs to be confronted and expressed.
If you want to process your pain, you need to reintegrate yourself into life. If your spouse or child has passed away, you might want to return to the familiar places you visited together. It is not healthy to live a life that tries to avoid everything that might remind you of your loved one. To walk along the same beach you’ve always walked together might be a painful experience but also the beginning of something new. Sometimes we spend so much time carefully framing our memories and filling our lives with them that there is no space for new life. Memories are good and important, but life goes on. Our life should not be a dusty museum of photographs of the deceased.
The last step is saying goodbye to your loved one. Be it the late spouse or the lost fetus, the lost job or the deceased pet—the pain of loss occurs on all levels. But we have to reach the point where we consciously say, “Goodbye.”
Consider This: How were you helped through the grieving process, accord- ing to these four steps?
II. Eliphaz Speaks (Review Job 4 and 5 with the class.).
The initial response to Job’s lament in chapter 3 comes from Eliphaz the Temanite. (Teman is located in Edom; in Genesis 36:11, Teman is a descen- dant of Eliphaz, who is from the line of Esau.) One almost wishes that Eliphaz the Temanite had remained silent, but, unfortunately, he speaks. His words (Job 4, 5) are marked by retribution theology, establishing a direct relationship between Job’s sin and God’s punishment. He introduces his words in a most positive light, commending Job for his role as a counselor to others in earlier times (Job 4:1–4). But then he changes his tone in verse 5 (“But now trouble comes to you” [NIV]), indicating that the innocent do not perish (Job 4:7, 8). He justifies this claim with his personal observations but also with some secret divine revelation that has come to him in a strangely described dream (Job 4:12–16), both highly subjective sources of knowledge.
In the next chapter, Eliphaz then drives the point home, concluding that Job must have acted like a fool (Job 5:1–5) and finalizing with an appeal for Job to turn to God (Job 5:8), repent, and seek divine favor once more (Job 5:11–18). The big problem is that, while there is a relationship between obedience and blessings (or disobedience and curses) that is biblical, in most cases, the situation is more complicated than our human observations can untangle. Our responsibility is to build up the broken reed and not tear it down (Isa. 42:3), something Eliphaz royally fails to do.
Consider This: Why is it so easy to fall into the same reasoning that Eliphaz used in his speech?
III. Judging and Admonition (Review Matthew 7:1, 2; Romans 3:19; and Heb- rews 12:5 with the class.)
Many commentators have pointed out the apparent contradiction between the categorical statement of Matthew 7:1 (“Do not judge”; compare also Rom. 2:1; 14:10, 13; James 4:11, 12; 1 Cor. 4:5) and other statements in the Bible that seem to encourage judgment (for example, 1 Cor. 2:15; 5:12, 13; 6:1–4). Context plays an important role in resolving this tension: while the Bible clearly prohibits judgment that is based on human tradi- tion or on a hypocritical attitude, it encourages judging according to God’s standards and His Word (John 7:24), but foremost in love.
Consider This: What place does biblical admonition have in the Chris- tian life?
STEP 3—Apply
Just for Teachers: It seems so natural for us to connect suffering with sin. Often we base our connection on subjective sources similar to the ones Eliphaz used to build his case.
Thought/Application Questions:
When we talk to others about the character of God, what sources are we using for our argument? Are they based on anything other than the Bible?
Should we ever connect suffering with sin? If yes, when, and under what circumstances?
STEP 4—Create
Just for Teachers: As Seventh-day Adventists, we are sometimes accused of being legalists in the way that we think of Job’s friends as legalists. The good news is—we are not!
Class/Individual Activities:
Create a list of dos and don’ts concerning the question of Sabbath obser- vance. Then discuss this list with your class and raise the important ques- tion: Is this list of permissions and prohibitions the best way to go about Sabbath observance? Why, or why not?
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Key Texts: Job 4:1–21, Matthew 7:1
The Student Will:
Learning Outline:
Summary: While the arrival of Job’s friends has elements of comfort for their friend’s suffering, once they begin to speak, they carefully but, neverthe- less, mercilessly judge Job on the basis of what they understand as the correct theology. While not all is wrong in this theology, it is substantially flawed. Furthermore, easy answers and theological generalizations should never be responses to suffering.
Learning Cycle
STEP 1—Motivate
Spotlight on Scripture: Psalm 119:65–72
Key Concept for Spiritual Growth: True and good judgment can come only from God’s instruction (Heb. Torah). The psalmist recog- nized this truth in the longest of the three Torah-Psalms (Ps. 119:66), found in the book of Psalms (Ps. 1, 19, 119). Sometimes true judgment is surprisingly unorthodox, according to this world’s wisdom (1 Cor. 3:19). Whether wisdom is unorthodox or conventional, we need to make sure in our application of it that we do not take over God’s role in judging (as Eliphaz did), lest we be judged.
Just for Teachers: Who has been at the scene of suffering and not tried to provide an easy answer in an attempt to make some sense out of what is nonsensical, even to provide some kind of hope, regardless of how distorted that hope might seem? “Maybe God allowed your son to die in the car accident because He knew that, later on in life, he would turn his back on God and the church.” While these attempts almost seem to ring with a tone of absurdity from the comfortable armchairs of normal life, nevertheless they suddenly rear their mis- shapen heads in moments of suffering, launched by well-meaning neighbors, friends, and even family members. Job’s friends are no exception, and perhaps we should not be too quick to judge them, because, after all, they came to comfort Job.
Opening Discussion: While working as missionaries in the beautiful country of Bolivia, in South America, a man and his family received tragic news. The man’s father had passed away in a domestic accident on the other side of the world. After the initial shock, the missionary walked up from his house to speak to the administrators of the institution where his family was working at that time. He needed to inform them of his loss and to figure out the logistics of traveling home to attend to his father’s funeral and estate.
Afterward, he didn’t remember much of what he told the adminis- trators. But one thing he did remember clearly: a moment when four men—including himself—were sitting together on a bench in the gardens in front of the administration building, all crying and holding on to one another for support. The administrators were shedding their tears in sor- row over his loss. Through the shiny curtain of his own tears and pain, the man suddenly came to appreciate Job’s friends a tiny bit more. For they arrived from all sorts of different directions, they sat for seven days with Job, and they wept and shared in his pain without saying a word (Job 2:11–13). What can we learn from Job’s friends at this point in the story?
STEP 2—Explore
Just for Teachers: It is probably easy during this lesson study to be critical toward Eliphaz and condemn his wrong theology as heart- less and far removed from God’s love. However, we might then find ourselves in the same position that Eliphaz took toward Job’s suffer- ing: condemning Eliphaz according to a scheme of right and wrong theology, which does not always fit reality. As much as we should stay away from the ways in which Eliphaz and Job’s other friends condemned him, we should probably stay at least as far away as that from condemning his friends for their wrong theology and merciless approach to Job’s suffering. The more important question here is how we as Seventh-day Adventists can lessen the suffering around us and find appropriate words for the ones who experience it.
Bible Commentary
How do we respond adequately to people who are undergoing suffering? How can we be compassionate like Job’s friends, who sat and mourned with Job for seven days, while, at the same time, not falling into the cli- chés of easy answers to the bewildering situations that life throws at us? How can we deal with our own suffering from a biblical perspective?
I. Grieving (Review Job 2:11–13, Ecclesiastes 7:2, and Psalm 30:5 with the class.)
Job’s friends come and sit with him for seven days, which possibly gives origin to the Jewish mourning ritual called “sitting shiva (seven)”—seven days of empathy and compassion. It is interesting to note that it is Job who breaks the silence at the end of the seven days in an attempt to pro- cess his grief. There are some common denominators in how we as humans process grief. As Christians, we can help others (and sometimes ourselves) by being mindful of these steps:
Consider This: How were you helped through the grieving process, accord- ing to these four steps?
II. Eliphaz Speaks (Review Job 4 and 5 with the class.).
The initial response to Job’s lament in chapter 3 comes from Eliphaz the Temanite. (Teman is located in Edom; in Genesis 36:11, Teman is a descen- dant of Eliphaz, who is from the line of Esau.) One almost wishes that Eliphaz the Temanite had remained silent, but, unfortunately, he speaks. His words (Job 4, 5) are marked by retribution theology, establishing a direct relationship between Job’s sin and God’s punishment. He introduces his words in a most positive light, commending Job for his role as a counselor to others in earlier times (Job 4:1–4). But then he changes his tone in verse 5 (“But now trouble comes to you” [NIV]), indicating that the innocent do not perish (Job 4:7, 8). He justifies this claim with his personal observations but also with some secret divine revelation that has come to him in a strangely described dream (Job 4:12–16), both highly subjective sources of knowledge.
In the next chapter, Eliphaz then drives the point home, concluding that Job must have acted like a fool (Job 5:1–5) and finalizing with an appeal for Job to turn to God (Job 5:8), repent, and seek divine favor once more (Job 5:11–18). The big problem is that, while there is a relationship between obedience and blessings (or disobedience and curses) that is biblical, in most cases, the situation is more complicated than our human observations can untangle. Our responsibility is to build up the broken reed and not tear it down (Isa. 42:3), something Eliphaz royally fails to do.
Consider This: Why is it so easy to fall into the same reasoning that Eliphaz used in his speech?
III. Judging and Admonition (Review Matthew 7:1, 2; Romans 3:19; and Heb- rews 12:5 with the class.)
Many commentators have pointed out the apparent contradiction between the categorical statement of Matthew 7:1 (“Do not judge”; compare also Rom. 2:1; 14:10, 13; James 4:11, 12; 1 Cor. 4:5) and other statements in the Bible that seem to encourage judgment (for example, 1 Cor. 2:15; 5:12, 13; 6:1–4). Context plays an important role in resolving this tension: while the Bible clearly prohibits judgment that is based on human tradi- tion or on a hypocritical attitude, it encourages judging according to God’s standards and His Word (John 7:24), but foremost in love.
Consider This: What place does biblical admonition have in the Chris- tian life?
STEP 3—Apply
Just for Teachers: It seems so natural for us to connect suffering with sin. Often we base our connection on subjective sources similar to the ones Eliphaz used to build his case.
Thought/Application Questions:
STEP 4—Create
Just for Teachers: As Seventh-day Adventists, we are sometimes accused of being legalists in the way that we think of Job’s friends as legalists. The good news is—we are not!
Class/Individual Activities:
Create a list of dos and don’ts concerning the question of Sabbath obser- vance. Then discuss this list with your class and raise the important ques- tion: Is this list of permissions and prohibitions the best way to go about Sabbath observance? Why, or why not?