Job 20 A Faithful Friend

A Faithful Friend

 Today it looks like we have gone to a prize fight! There’s 4 guys in the ring – Job, Bildad, Zophar and Eliphaz. They are all taking their swings, each one looking for a ‘knock out’. Each hopes for his own prize, the winning crown of victory in the sight of God. One accuses, then the next one steps up and takes a swing. This is now round 15. Job’s ‘friends’ arrived in chapter two, so the blows began in chapter three. Job took the first swing – at himself, and then Eliphaz stepped in at chapter 4 and took his first swing. From that point on we have gone around and around. The fight has intensified along the way. Now the blows are coming stronger and stronger, and things are getting just plain ugly!

Father in Heaven,

Thank You for a fresh look into the deep wealth of Your word! I ask You to bring wisdom, revelation and application to me and all who are studying with me today Sir. Give us the eyes to see, the ears to hear and hearts to receive all that You have for us. Father, expose any lies we have believed about Your word in the past, and grow us up as we study this passage of scripture today. Lord, we respect and value You and Your word above all else and purpose to be doers of the word of God and not hearers only. Bring glory to Yourself in this in Jesus name. Amen.

It looks like they need a referee to step in here because it is getting so brutal, doesn’t it? Neither does it look like a fair fight. Job was attacked and none of his buddies really knew what was at the bottom of it all. Job remains unaware of the initial reason for the attack, so here they are standing in the ring, just swinging away at the air, hoping to make a point. But where will it get them really? Zophar’s opening statements vary depending on the version we look at. Let’s look at a few…

Job 20:2-3 NKJV

“Therefore my anxious thoughts make me answer, because of the turmoil within me.
I have heard the rebuke that reproaches me, and the spirit of my understanding causes me to answer. 

KJV

Therefore do my thoughts cause me to answer, and for this I make haste. I have heard the check of my reproach, and the spirit of my understanding causeth me to answer.

AMPC

Therefore do my thoughts give me an answer, and I make haste [to offer it] for this reason.

I have heard the reproof which puts me to shame, but out of my understanding my spirit answers me.

YLT

Therefore my thoughts cause me to answer, and because of my sensations in me.

The chastisement of my shame I hear, and the spirit of mine understanding doth cause me to answer:

It seems Zophar’s flesh didn’t like what Job was saying so he just couldn’t help himself – he had to get back in the ring and take another swing, didn’t he? It seems he needed to defend himself and his cause and nobody was going to steel his thunder. How many times do we do the same thing? People say something against us and we think we immediately have to respond and make our thoughts known? This situation had gone long past comforting. And whatever good advice they may have thought they were giving in the beginning has turned into mean accusations and downright insults flying like a raging wind. We looked at God speaking through Eliphaz. In chapter 8 & 15 we saw how important our words are and that what we say and when and how we say it really matters. Being quick to listen and slow to speak and slow to get angry are of the utmost importance, right?

But  these three friends who have come to call and comfort have stayed to accuse and condemn. Ouch! As you noticed when reading this chapter, after Zophar piped in with his opening comments, he went right into a spiel about the life and hopelessness of a wicked man. We can assume he is pointing his finger straight at Job as he releases his biting words. It looks like his friends have placed him in a courtroom and are now lashing out as though they were the prosecuting attorneys. In this fight, they are determined to get their word in and come out victorious.

Have you ever been betrayed by a friend? If so then you know how painful it is, don’t you? It hurts way down deep. Friends are people we have chosen to get close to. We met them and came to know them. Perhaps we found that we had many things in common and enjoyed their presence and had a lot of fun times together.

Over time, as people get more comfortable around someone, their ‘true colors’ tend to come out if you know what I mean. The longer we are friends the more the guard gets let down and what is really underneath starts to bubble up to the surface. Sometimes it is good and others it is not. When people first meet they put on their best show looking to impress. Everyone has done it – none of us can claim innocent on this one. As the friendship developed what was hidden in the heart began to reveal itself and then problems in the relationship began to form. Being betrayed by someone who is very close to us (in our inner circle) can bring deep wounds. Let’s look at Someone who knows all about the betrayal of a friend…

Jon 18 The Entire Chapter – Please read the entire chapter and have your Bible open as you study with me. This way I can keep the pages fewer as we go here, ok?

The first part of the chapter shows Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane where the troops had come from the office of the high priest to arrest Him. And how did they know where Jesus was? His close friend and confidant Judas had accepted a bribe to let them in on one of Jesus’ regular places to meet with His disciples. Right there we see the first friend that bailed out on Him. Judas had been hand-picked by Jesus. In the beginning we can imagine that Judas was very excited to be called to walk alongside the Master and learn His ways like the other eleven that the Lord had chosen. Judas had been a trusted friend and he had been made responsible for the ministries’ funds. But what nobody knew until after much time had passed – nearly three years, was that Judas had an issue with money. This would come out on more than one occasion. He got upset when the following happened…

John 12:3-8

Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.

But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”

So a man that had an amazing calling on his life to spread the Gospel after having had the great honor and privilege of walking beside Jesus, learning from Him and watching how things were to be done when He would leave, would sell his dear friend and Lord out for thirty pieces of silver… 

Matthew 26:14-16

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

Because Judas had displayed great concern over money, he was a prime target for satan to get into him and use him to betray the Master. Jesus had given Judas the same opportunity He had given the others. Each one in the inner circle had been called and given a chance to do the work of the kingdom of heaven and be called a friend of Jesus. Look at this…

John 15:15

No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.

Looking back into chapter 18 of John, we see another close friend and confidant betray Jesus – his name is Peter. Another close friend. We have seen a lot of passion in Peter. He had been zealous to follow Jesus and do anything. He was even willing to die with Him…

Matthew 26:31-35

 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

 But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”

Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.”

Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”

Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples.

Peter was so certain of his devotion to Jesus (or so he thought) that he was willing to die and he insisted (pride) that he would never be made to stumble. It would be a few short hours later that what he had said would backfire on him causing him to grieve greatly over his betrayal to his closest and only true friend. What came out of Peter was a strong sense of fear of man and fear for his own life. He bailed out on Jesus when others began asking if he was one of them. The pressure had become too much for him. 

We can see some things that came out of the hearts of Jesus’ two friends here, can’t we? Judas had a love for money and Peter was full of fear – both of them would stumble because of their lack of love for the Master and faith and trust in Him. Looking at Jesus’ own words above we see that when He would be struck, all of His closest friends would be scattered. What friend would He have left standing in the greatest trial of His life? None – no, not one. Does this sound like Job’s situation right now? He has already expressed that he felt like everyone including God, his family and friends; even his servants and basically anybody around was against him. He felt very alone. I think we have all been able to relate to this all too well at some time or another.

And now the three guys who had been his long time buddies who supposedly came to comfort have stuck around to get into a fighting match with him. Talk about kicking a man when he is down! I have shared a lot of my testimony about how my friends also scattered when I went into my trial starting back in 2003. By the time a month passed, I had not one of my ‘so called’ friends or acquaintances left standing – not one! When I needed the most help in my entire life I had no one to turn to.

It is true that I had made some very poor choices. And it is true that I was pretty determined to go the way I went. But what if someone had stuck around to talk it out with me in a loving and understanding, yet firm and correcting way? What if someone from the church would have come forward when they heard of the tragedy and stepped up to minister to me and help me get past the junk and get some real help before I did all that damage? I had gone to that church for about 23 years and I had become an integral part of it. I knew a lot of people and I was closer to some than others. But when the word got out about what I had done, they were all gone. They wanted nothing to with me. Does it sound a little like what Job was facing?

In John chapter 18 Jesus proceeded to go through His many trials as they hurled insults and accusations at Him and He was completely innocent. He had done no wrong. Yet, because He loved us all so much, every person that would ever live, He was willing to be the best friend any person could ever have. He would not only stand by us in our time of trial, but He would go to court in our place! He would take all the insults, all the beating, the mocking, the curse (crown of thorns) and allow it to be placed on His holy and sinless head. He had become a human man, setting aside His mighty weight and glory so He could become a friend of ours and make us a friend of God through the trials that we were called to stand in.

It was really our day in court. But when Jesus took Barabbas’ place on the cross, He displayed His great love for the worst of sinners – us. He took our place proving Himself to be the only truly faithful Friend we would ever know in all eternity – hallelujah! It is said that in order to have good friends, we must first be good friends to others. I don’t suppose I was ever much of a friend to anyone in my life before my crisis. I had never been taught how to be a faithful friend. And every time I made a friend, (that was the easy part – I was very sociable) then I would be yanked up and relocated somewhere far away from them and end up starting all over. I never had the chance to develop any long lasting relationships. This broke my heart.

All I ever really wanted in life was to love and be loved. I wanted a wonderful family and many friends who I could love and certainly receive love from them. That was the thing I wanted most in this world and it was the thing that always seemed to slip through my fingers. I knew so little about how to live life, or how to be a faithful friend to anyone. I gave people parties but they never gave me one. I remember one time when my youngest daughter was about 9 years old she wanted to give me a party. I don’t know who all she called. We had a lot of acquaintances at the church I raised them in. But of all the people she called, there was only one gal who showed up. My husband wouldn’t even join us.

We sat there in the basement and my daughter felt so bad because she wanted to make that day special for me. And on more than one occasion I had gone right into self-pity because nobody made a big deal about my birthday. I guess it made me feel unloved and not very valuable. I always thought of birthdays as a time to celebrate someone’s life. I would get sad pout and this only caused my husband to go further away from me when I would do that. Who could blame him?

The point I have learned about friendship is that we have to be a faithful friend to others before we can ever hope they will be faithful back. People have to come to really know our heart. People need ‘forever friends’. But now, after all I have been through and seen, I see that all I am here for is to give to others – I am not here to receive. Jesus gives to me all that I need. He is my faithful Friend and He alone is the only one who will never let me (or you) down.

People will hurt us. Nobody has reached the mark of perfection yet, though there are some who are well on their way. Everyone has slipped up in this area at some time or another. But when we look at our ‘so called’ friends who have bailed out on us, let’s take a look inward and see if there hasn’t been a time or two that we have not been so faithful ourselves.

Rather than looking to man to satisfy some need we have, let’s look to the only one who can truly satisfy our every need, including the need we all have for a faithful friend. Let’s look to Jesus. The crown He wore that contained the curse (thorns represent the curse) was replaced by the crown of life because of His faithful sacrifice – hallelujah! None of us ever has to feel like we don’t have a true friend ever again – glory to God - thank You Jesus! Job and his friends will have a few things to learn about friendship before this is all over, won’t they? But one thing we know for sure – we don’t go through the trials of this life without getting some kind of results. If we look to the Lord, those results can be glorious so that nothing is wasted, amen?!

Questions:

Why did Zophar think he had to speak?

What was the main theme of his discussion?

Who stood in the courtroom for you and showed Himself to be Most faithful Friend you will ever have?

Describe ways you can prove yourself to be a faithful friend to others.

Proverbs 18:24

A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

There are three main points to consider from today’s study… 

In order to have good friends we have to be good friends

Real friends won’t bail out when the going gets tough

Jesus is the only true friend who will never let us down 

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for sending me the best Friend I will ever have in this life or the life to come! You came into the trial of my life and You showed Yourself faithful! Thank You Lord! There is no friend like Jesus – there is no God other than You! Lord, help me to see ways that I can be a better friend to others, not looking to them for what they can do for me. Show me how to be the best friend I can be so people can see my one true Friend, Jesus shining through me. In Jesus name! Amen!

Who can you stand with as a faithful friend right now?  

And God Said… You fill in the blanks.

        

Zechariah 6:9-15

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “Receive the gift from the captives—from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have come from Babylon—and go the same day and enter the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah. Take the silver and gold, make an elaborate crown, and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Then speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying:

“Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH!
From His place He shall branch out,
And He shall build the temple of the Lord;
Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord.
He shall bear the glory,
And shall sit and rule on His throne;
So He shall be a priest on His throne,
And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”’

“Now the elaborate crown shall be for a memorial in the temple of the Lord for Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah. Even those from afar shall come and build the temple of the Lord. Then you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. And this shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”