Job 16:2b, “miserable comforters are you all.”
No one intends on being “miserable comforters,” yet, like Job’s friends, we all have the potential to be just that – “miserable comforters.” As we mentioned in previous devotions, the first seven days, Job’s friends sat in silence, as they withheld their words. They offered the comforting presence of friends in a time when words were insufficient. It was when they opened their mouths and began talking that they became “miserable comforters.”
What did they do wrong? They tried offering simplistic theological explanations for Job’s experience. They accused Job of hidden sin, that brought this catastrophe on himself. Job’s friends could not accept the fact that bad things often happen to good people, without there being a just cause. But the purpose of the book of Job is not an attempt to explain human suffering, but rather to show believers that a person’s faith can survive life’s most difficult challenges.
Additionally, the book of Job shows the harmful effects of the most well-intentioned friends with judgmental attitudes. What if they were right? What if their accusations had been true, that Job had unconfessed sin? Would it have lessened the pain of losing ten children? No! More than likely, it would have led Job to feel guilty for the loss of his children. If we are going to comfort friends or family during their loss, it would be best to leave our judgmental attitudes at home, lest we become “miserable comforters.” Let us be present, display empathy, offer our condolences, and limit our words to that of loving encouragement.
GEC (Grief Education Center) 