Job’s Friends Blame Job for the Calamity (Job 4-23)

Job’s Friends Blame Job for the Calamity (Job 4-23)

https://www.theologyofwork.org/old-...e-on-special-significance-for-our-work-job-24


Way too many times I've had Christians blame another person's issues on sin. They put the blame on the person, saying things like....there must be sin in your life. It's a simple quick answer requires no thinking. It makes you look good while blaming sin in the other person's life. Job's friends are alive and well in the church.

From the article. "We may be born, struggle to survive, and die under the thumb of a corrupt government that keeps its people in poverty and oppression. These are merely a few work-related examples. In a million other ways, we may suffer serious, grievous, unfair harm that we can never even understand — much less remedy — in this life. By God’s grace, we hope never to become complacent in the face of injustice and suffering. Yet there are times when we cannot make things right, at least not right away. In those situations, we have only three choices: make up a plausible, but false explanation about how God allowed it to happen, as Job’s friends do; abandon God; or remain faithful to God without receiving an answer. "

Job’s Friends Blame Job for the Calamity (Job 4-23)

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As we see in the book of Job, God said that Job's friends had not spoken rightly. They all had assumed that Job was at fault, therefore he suffered those calamities. At the same time Job also repented for what he had said. But in the end God blessed Job.

I have met Christians who blame anything that happens to you on sin. They say, there must be sin in your life. You're having these struggles because of sin. You ask them, "What sin?" They say, "I don't know. You have to figure it out for yourself, but it's your fault" Job's friends are alive and well in the church. Other's give the right answer...."I don't know why this happened to you, but I will pray for you" The article is right, sometimes there are no answers.

Sin is a huge factor in our problematic lives, yet we're also subject to time and chance as Ecclesiastes expresses. Like Job, we also have an Adversary who loves to cause misery in our lives as God's people.

We need to be very careful with judgement of sin in people's lives. Perhaps, God is allowing them (us) to suffer like "righteous Job" to build character and put the devil to shame once again.