We have been considering the various tests Job endured as Satan attacked him. The longest test came as a result of the visit of Job’s friends. At first they comforted him in his pain and loss by just quietly sitting with him for seven days. That is usually the best thing friends can do for someone undergoing great loss, stress and pain.
The moment these friends opened their mouths Job was introduced to what I call the psychological test. His raw faith was hanging onto God. Now his actions, attitudes and affirmations were being questioned. This put him on the defensive. To stand his own ground against the barrage of accusations he tended to overstate his own case. The dialogue was long, hot and heavy. A heap of smoke, but little fire. The hole he was in was getting bigger and deeper.
In the midst of the dialogue he expressed a few convictions and affirmations of his faith, eg, he said, “I know that my Redeemer lives” in Job 19:25, and in Job 23:10, “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me I will come forth as gold.”
On the other hand, he cursed the day he was born. He complained and was bitter. He lashed out at his accusers. The longer they talked the more the dialogue became a “shame and blame” diatribe that tested their friendship to the limit. In that environment it’s easy to exaggerate and fabricate.
There is excruciating pain endured in times of psychological distress. In the darkness of the valley of the shadow of death Job held on by faith. He persevered in spite of his deep distress and God rewarded him.
