Other than being mentioned in the book of Job, nothing more is known about his three friends. Given their words and individual approach to Job’s suffering, one can readily discern that these men were not dullards but rather men of great intellect and wisdom. It’s not a stretch to conclude that between the three, the entirety of what has come to be known as philosophy in our modern age was proffered to Job as an explanation for his suffering, concentrated in the handful of words each of them spoke.
Eliphaz was clearly an empiricist, given to utilitarianism,
who insisted that all knowledge is based on experience derived from the senses.
In his discourse, he constantly pointed out the things he’d seen, heard, and
experienced as proof positive that what Job was going through was a direct
result of something he’d done to displease God. His conclusions were not based
on things he’d read but rather on things he’d seen, and the prism through which
he saw Job’s condition was one of empiricism. Eliphaz thought in
straightforward lines based on lived experience. If this, then that, and it
must be so because all I’ve ever witnessed has confirmed the truth of it.
On the other hand, Bildad is what we can readily define as a
traditionalist. He is a man for whom history is of paramount importance because
learning from history means never repeating the mistakes of the past in the
present. History was his forte, and his insistence upon the things which have
been a guiding light for the things which are and which will be is evident in
his utterances. Others have come before us, as others will follow, and we have
not attained the zenith of wisdom by any means. He calls back to the former age
and the things discovered by their fathers as a means of explaining Job’s
predicament.
Then there is Zophar the Naamathite, a textbook rationalist
if ever there was one, who bases the entirety of his discourse on reason and
logic rather than a religious belief or emotional subtext. The prism through
which he sees Job’s situation is one of causality because, in his mind, there
must be a cause for every effect. To Zophar, there will always be a logical,
rational, lucid, and analytical reason for why something is happening at any
given moment, and to him, Job was no exception. Due to his predisposition
toward rationalism, of Job’s three friends Zophar tried the hardest to convince
Job that he had sinned because, in his understanding, he saw no other
possibility than this.
When the hubris of man collides with the wisdom of God, there
can only ever be one clear winner. It won’t even be close. Whether the
philosophies of men or their long-held beliefs, they aren’t even in the running
when stacked up against the wisdom of God. There are things men suspect; then
there are things God knows. There is the wisdom of man, which is nascent on its
best day, and then there is the wisdom of God, which dwarfs the most brilliant mind
of any age without even trying.
Insisting that we know the mind of God because we attended
junior college and have a piece of paper confirming that we’re biblical
scholars of world renown when even one such as Job, whom God considered
blameless and upright and who sought to know Him all the days of his life
wouldn’t make such a claim calls into question whether our estimation of our
own understanding isn’t baselessly inflated.
It’s more difficult by far to convince someone who is sure of
their position and who believes they have attained all truth that things are
not as they seem to their eyes than it is someone who is genuinely and
sincerely seeking after truth. It takes less time to write on a blank slate
than it does to clear it of preexisting scribblings so that you can write upon
it anew.
Those who’ve already determined they know everything they’ll
ever need to know are looking for either confirmation of their preconceived
notions or an echo chamber where their opinions are spoken back to them by
others of like mind. Such individuals detest the idea of iron sharpening iron
or having to defend their position biblically and in any meaningful way.
If history has proven anything, it’s that people can be
rooted in a particular belief and be genuine in their assertions yet still be
wrong because the litmus test isn’t whether or not notable figures agree with
us or a given denomination has given the green light to our machinations, but
whether God agrees and consents. The whole world can think you’re right, but if
God says you’re wrong, you’re wrong, and there’s no two ways about it.
Although all three of Job’s friends sat on different branches
of the philosophical tree and made cogent arguments defending their
conclusions, although all three were well-educated men who had more than a
passing understanding of deeper truths those of their day likely did not
possess, ultimately they were wrong because they neither knew the mind of God
nor did they have insight into what was truly going on with Job.
If something you feel certain about is contradicted by the
Word, your feelings and certainty matter, not a whit. The Word is the final
authority in all manners spiritual, and we must defer to it even if it means
swallowing our pride and admitting our errors.
Job’s response to Eliphaz was straightforward enough,
insisting that to him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend,
but neither Bildad nor Zophar took the rebuke to heart. I’m hurting over here,
and the best you can do is kick dirt in my eye. Perhaps a bit of grace, a bit
of kindness, a bit of empathy would be warranted, don’t you think? Nope, you
did something; we know you did because that’s the way it’s always been. Cause
and effect, buddy, there’s no escaping it. Your suffering is a direct
consequence of something you did; you just have to think about it and figure
out what it was.
Posted on 21 January 2025 | 12:18 pm
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