1. Care Deeply (2:11-13)
2. Speak Wrongly (42:7)

Open your Bibles to the book of Job. Last week, we began looking at this wonderful book of the Bible, which has much to teach us about trials and suffering. We began by looking at the first two chapters.

In chapter 1, we are introduced to Job, who was identified as a righteous man. He was described as being “blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil” (Job 1:1). He was a family man, having 7 sons and 3 daughters. He was a wealthy man, owning 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He was the greatest man of his time. God said of Job, “There is none like him on the earth” (Job 1:8).

As the story progresses we are taken into heaven, where there is a meeting of sorts, with the LORD and the angelic beings, in which the angelic beings came “to present themselves before the LORD” (Job 1:6), whatever this means. Of greatest importance, Satan himself was at this meeting. And a conversation takes place between the LORD and Satan.

Job 1:7-11
The LORD said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.”

Satan was convinced that Job only served God because of the blessings that he received from God’s hand. God knew otherwise, and to prove his point, God let Satan do as he pleased.

Job 1:12
And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

And Satan went out and brought disaster upon all that Job owned, and upon all of his family. The Sabeans came and took away all of his 500 yoke of oxen and all his 500 donkeys, and killed all of the servants who cared for them. A fire from heaven came and burned all of his 7,000 sheep and all of the servants who shepherded them. The Chaldeans came and took all of his 3,000 camels, and all of those who cared for them. Last of all, a great wind came and destroyed the house where all of Job’s children were eating and drinking, and killed them all. All of this news came upon Job in less than an hour.

Job 1:20-22
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

What an amazing response to all of the trials that came upon Job’s life. He lost everything that he had in this life in one day, his wealth and his family. And he worshiped the LORD, not because God had blessed him so much, but because God is worthy of worship.

Church family, let us settle this truth deep into our hearts, that God is worthy of our worship, regardless of the blessings that we have in our lives. He is the potter. We are the clay. All that we have comes by his mercy! He can give and he can take away. Let us say with Job, blessed be the name of the LORD.

That’s how chapter 1 ends. In chapter 2, we read of another heavenly meeting of the angelic beings. And again, the LORD brought up Job, God’s prized pupil.

Job 2:3
And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.”

But Satan wasn’t satisfied.

Job 2:4-5
Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.”

Satan said, “You can take away everything that a man has, but all will change if you but touch his flesh.” And so, this time, instead of saying, “Only against him do not stretch out your hand,” the LORD said to Satan,

Job 2:6
“Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”

So Satan went out and struck Job with a very painful disease, “loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head” (Job 2:7). A common question that nurses and doctors will ask those who are in the hospital is, “What is your pain level right now?” They will often show them this chart.

I remember having a kidney stone, and going to the emergency room at St. Anthony’s Hospital. I was experiencing incredible pain. I was down on all fours, and I was asked this question, “What is your pain level right now?” I remember answering, “A 10 for sure!” It was the most unbearable thing that I ever experienced.

And what made it even more unbearable is how unconcerned the emergency room staff seemed to be about me, because they knew that I was experiencing a kidney stone. They had taken a urine sample and had seen red and white blood cells, which indicated that I was passing a kidney stone, and the staff knew that people don’t die from passing kidney stones. So, I was put pretty low on the treatment list. It was not fun.

This is very similar to what Job was experiencing with this illness. If Job had been asked about his pain level, I’m sure that he would say, “A 10 for sure!” as well. Job was in no danger of dying, because God told Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.” Satan knew how to afflict him without taking his life. Last week, I called this “torture,” because that is what Satan was doing to Job. He tortured Job, bringing him to a high point of pain, without the relief of death.

It was so awful, that Job’s wife encouraged him to end it all. She said,

Job 2:9
“Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.”

This was not helpful. Job called her a “foolish woman” (Job 2:10), and then put forth the faith that sustained him in his trial:

Job 2:10
“Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?”

This is the same conviction Matt Redman captures in the worship song “Blessed Be Your Name”: that every blessing God pours out is cause for praise, and that even when the darkness closes in, the heart chooses still to bless the name of the LORD, whether he gives or whether he takes away.^[1]

The challenge comes to us. Do we serve God only because he blesses us? Or will we still praise the Lord in the dark times? Job was in the dark times. And word got around that Job was in the dark times. News reached his friends. And this is where we pick up the text.

Look at chapter 2, verse 11. We read,

Job 2:11-13
Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.

The title of my message this morning is, “Job’s Three Friends.” As I try to do, I picked the title right from the text itself. Look at verse 11:

Job 2:11
Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place.

The sense we get from this is that each of these friends lived far from one another, as each of them came to Job “from his own place.”

Certainly, Job’s three friends had some sort of shared experience with Job. Perhaps they too were wealthy, owning many sheep and camels and oxen and donkeys, caring for them in some other part of the region. Perhaps they grew up with one another, but scattered as they got older.

I liken these friends to high school or college friends, who knew each other when they were small, but had gone away. But when one of them was sick, the whole friend group knew. And in this case, they all came together in the moment of crisis.

Several months ago, I was driving home from church, and an old high school friend called me, and told me of a mutual friend who was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He was going into surgery the next day. As I followed the surgery on CaringBridge, it went well. But if it hadn’t gone well, I certainly would have gone to see my friend.

And that’s what’s taking place here. Job had his circle of friends who came when they heard that he was ill. We get their names in verse 11, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar.

Job 2:11
Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite.

If these names aren’t familiar to you, I recommend that you get to know them, as they will come up often in the book of Job.

If you want to know the beginnings of the history of the United States, you need to be familiar with a few names, like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. And if you want to begin to know the book of Job, you need to be familiar with a few names, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar.

In fact, let’s spend just a few moments right now to get familiar with these names: Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. It’s helpful to know these names in this order, because that’s the order in which they speak in this book. In fact, Job and his three friends will be the only people in the drama of Job from this point on, for the next 28 chapters (until chapter 32). And their drama comes in the form of speeches. Job speaks, then Eliphaz speaks. Then Job speaks, then Bildad speaks. Then Job speaks, then Zophar speaks.

It’s only these four men for the majority of the book. We won’t see Satan again in the entire book. We will meet a man named Elihu in chapters 32 through 37. And God will show up in the end, in chapter 38. But it’s these guys, Job, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, for most of the book.

Now, before we get to what they say, I want us to think about their actions, because their actions show how much they care for Job.

Here’s my first point: Job’s Three Friends,

1. Care Deeply (2:11-13)

Look again at verse 11:

Job 2:11
Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him.

Apparently, they all met together before coming to see Job. And with the speed of communication back then, it may have been a few weeks or months before they were able to get together for their “appointment.”

But they came with a purpose. They came “to show him sympathy and comfort him.” In this, Job’s friends are to be commended. This is what people who are going through trials need. They need “sympathy and comfort.” They don’t need correction. They don’t need exhortation. They need a shoulder to cry on. And Job’s friends were ready to give Job their shoulder upon which to cry.

Now, when they finally arrived to see Job, I’m not sure that they were really prepared for what they saw. Look at verse 12:

Job 2:12
And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him.

This makes sense if it was several weeks or months since Job’s satanic torture began; the torment had been able to take its toll on his body. Just think about those who go through chemotherapy. If you haven’t seen them for months, their skin turns ashen in color, they lose a lot of weight, they just look different.

Job was certainly a vibrant man before, but now he is a defeated man, so much so that his friends didn’t even recognize him. They had to be told, “This is Job.”

Such was also the case with the suffering of Jesus upon the cross. Isaiah prophesied of Jesus:

Isaiah 52:14
His appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of the children of mankind.

Upon the cross, the suffering of Jesus was so bad that, if you hadn’t been told, “This is Jesus,” you may not have recognized him, as he experienced his own satanic torture upon the cross.

We see the grief of Job’s friends at the physical condition of Job in verse 12:

Job 2:12
And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven.

Job’s suffering was so bad that his friends were visibly shaken when they saw him. This is how people grieved in that day. Remember what Job did when he was afflicted? He “tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped” (Job 1:20). And when Job fell sick, he “sat in the ashes” (Job 2:8).

Job’s friends likewise tore their clothes, and sprinkled dust on their heads. They felt like they had lost something. Indeed, they had lost a friend.

And in verse 13, we really see their care for Job:

Job 2:13
And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.

When you minister to people who are hurting, it’s often your presence that helps them the most. It’s just showing up and being there.

This is especially the case for funerals. You don’t need to say anything profound. You just need to show up. You just need to go to the visitation and say, “I’m sorry for your loss.” You just need to go to the funeral and be one of those who mourn during the service, to let the family know that you care for them.

Hospitals are a little bit different, because an overwhelming stream of visitors isn’t restful, and rest in the hospital is what is needed. But if you are in the inner circle of family or friends, your presence can go a long way in giving comfort to the sick.

And what Job’s friends did is what those in the church should do. The New Testament is filled with the “one another” commands, the things that we are called to do as members of the body of Christ.

“Love one another” (John 13:34a, 34b, 35; 15:12, 17; Romans 13:8; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11, 12; 2 John 5). “Serve one another in love” (Galatians 5:13). “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love” (Romans 12:10).

“Live in harmony with one another” (Romans 12:16). “Accept one another, just as Christ accepted you” (Romans 15:7).

“Be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2). “Be kind and compassionate to one another” (Ephesians 4:32). “Forgiving one another” (Ephesians 4:32).

“Bear with one another” (Colossians 3:13). “Encourage one another” (1 Thessalonians 4:18; 5:11; Hebrews 3:13; 10:25). This is everything that Job’s friends were, as they sat there in silence for seven days!

The application is clear for us as well. We ought to “Care Deeply” for one another too. But our motivation as believers in Christ is beyond human friendship. Our motivation comes from above.

1 John 4:11
If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

And God did love us:

1 John 4:10
In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

That is, God poured out his wrath upon Jesus, so that it wouldn’t be poured out upon us! And his love is such that as we merely believe in Jesus, he takes our sins away. He died for us, to earn our salvation for us. He didn’t die for us so that we could work off our sins. No, he bore our sins in his body on the cross (1 Peter 2:24). And if God so loved us in this way, we ought to love and care for one another as Job’s friends did for him.

For me, conviction runs deep. I have lacked this sort of love for others. As a pastor, I can think of many instances where I have lacked in this area. I have too many other important things (in my mind), than to sit with those in grief. Certainly, I have done my share, but Job’s friends put me to shame. They sat in silence for seven days. Oh, may God give us grace, to see those among us who are experiencing trials in their lives, and to step up and care for one another, really care in love.

This is where the chapter ends in the book of Job. It ends with love and silence, as Job’s friends saw that his suffering was very great. But that’s not where my message is going to end today, because as much as Job’s three friends were to be commended for their actions, they are to be admonished for their words.

Turn to the end of the book of Job. Turn to chapter 42. Look at verse 7. This is God’s evaluation of what begins in chapter 3.

Job 42:7
After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.”

From this verse comes my second point. Job’s Three Friends,

2. Speak Wrongly (42:7)

Now, it’s not that everything they say is wrong. Much of what they say is right. But there are many things they say that are wrong. This alerts us regarding the interpretation of Job. God’s words give us a filter as we work through this book, to tread lightly where Job’s friends speak.

Now, in the broadest sense, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar got it wrong because they had easy answers to difficult questions. They maintained that Job was suffering as a direct consequence of his sin. Therefore, they called Job to repent of his sin. And if Job repents, then God will surely restore Job’s health and fortunes. That’s about it. That’s what they thought.

They had a “retribution theology” that says, “If you serve God, God will bless you,” and “If you sin against God, God will curse you.” Job’s three friends saw the suffering of Job and concluded that it must have come about because of Job’s sin. Here are a few examples.

Job 4:7-8
Remember: who that was innocent ever perished? Or where were the upright cut off? As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same.

Eliphaz said this. And he went on,

Job 5:8
As for me, I would seek God, and to God would I commit my cause.

“If you plow iniquity, you will reap the same. So, repent of your iniquity and seek God!”

Bildad said,

Job 8:20
Behold, God will not reject a blameless man, nor take the hand of evildoers.

“God has rejected you. You certainly are not blameless. So, repent of your sin and seek God!” But what do we hear about Job back in 1:1? He was a blameless man. Bildad is speaking wrongly.

Zophar said,

Job 11:5-6
But oh, that God would speak and open his lips to you, and that he would tell you the secrets of wisdom! For he is manifold in understanding. Know then that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves.

“Your sin has brought all of this upon you. God has been gracious not to give you all that your guilt deserves. So, repent of your sin and seek God!”

This is the consistent message of Job’s Three Friends: “You are suffering because of your sin.”

But we know something that Job’s friends don’t know, from chapters 1 and 2. It was not the sin of Job that caused his suffering. In fact, it was the very opposite. Job was suffering because he was righteous! God said to Satan,

Job 1:8
Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?

And when Satan said,

Job 1:9-10
Does Job fear God for no reason? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased.

In other words, “Job only serves God because of the good that God gives.” God said to Satan, “Have at him!”

It wasn’t Job’s sin that caused these things to come upon him. It was Job’s righteousness that caused his great suffering. We know that. But Job’s three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, didn’t know that. And in not knowing that, Job’s Three Friends, "speak wrongly.

And because of their words, they fail to do what they set out to do. Remember how the friends met together before they came to see Job? They met together to show him sympathy and comfort him. Yet they failed to do this with their words. Job said to his friends, “miserable comforters are you all” (Job 16:2). In fact, one can easily argue that over the course of their conversation together, Job’s friends actually became his enemies, because they spoke wrongly.

One of the humorous things in Job is how Job and his friends end up insulting each other. You can often see this at the beginning of their speeches to each other. There’s a reason Chicago is called the windy city, it’s because the politicians just blow their wind in their words. Both Eliphaz and Bildad compare Job’s words to the wind:

Job 8:2
How long will you say these things, and the words of your mouth be a great wind?

Zophar calls Job’s words “babble” (Job 11:2). At one point, Job retorts,

Job 12:2
No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you.

These insults go back and forth between Job and his friends. Ultimately, Job’s friends were not helpful in their words. They did well in their actions, but they didn’t do well in their words. How opposite this is to our normal experience. Normally, our words are easy and come forth truthful, but our actions lag behind. That’s why John exhorted us:

1 John 3:18
Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and truth.

Sadly, Job’s friends loved in deed and truth, but erred in their word and talk. But this is why the book of Job is good for us, because it doesn’t only teach us how to suffer, like Job did. James, in the only reference to Job in the New Testament, says to consider the endurance of Job. It’s also going to teach us a bit of what to say, and what not to say, to those who are suffering. Because it is difficult to know what to say, and what not to say. Too often, when people are suffering, we come with the trite Bible verses and easy solutions.

Romans 8:28 is a favorite:

Romans 8:28
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

So, someone is suffering, and we tell them, “All things work together for good.” As true as that may be, it may not be helpful at the moment. In fact, it probably won’t be helpful in the moment. There is a time to speak this truth, that God is working this suffering together for good. But in the midst of suffering, it may not be the best time to quote this verse.

When dealing with suffering people, sometimes it’s best just to remain silent. I see this most at funerals. If ever there were places for falsehoods, it is at funerals. I can’t tell you how many times I have been to a funeral of an unbeliever, who lived life without any interest in God. Yet, when going through a visitation line, I have heard the family being comforted that their father, or their mother, is in a better place.

I know that that is not true. The way to get to a better place after you die is to trust in Jesus, confess your sins to him, and believe that he is the Son of God, who died in your place upon the cross. I know that their relative did not trust in Jesus. I know this by their words and by their actions. I know that the deceased is not in a better place.

However, the funeral visitation line is not the time to correct the error and proclaim this truth. The visitation line is a time for demonstrating care by being with those who are grieving, trusting that later, your love will give you credibility to speak the true hope of Jesus into their lives. But how easy it is to speak wrongly.

In preparation for preaching through Job, I have read and listened to a handful of books on suffering written by those who have suffered greatly: Companions in Suffering by Wendy Alsup, Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop, and Suffering by Paul David Tripp.

Regarding suffering and helping those who have suffered, 2 Corinthians 1 is often mentioned:

2 Corinthians 1:1-11
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

The main point of Paul is simply this: “Those who have suffered are best equipped to comfort others in suffering.” A common thread in these books that I have read is the ineffectiveness of those who have not suffered deeply to comfort those who are suffering. Consider a few examples.

Wendy Alsup experienced the pain of divorce and the pain of breast cancer. She wrote, “Why is it that those who have not suffered intensely do not have enduring encouragement to offer those who have? Because, according to Paul, suffering itself is the conduit to the very ability to comfort. Those who have not yet suffered are disabled when it comes to comforting us in ours. They have not yet learned the ability to comfort, and that scriptural truth gives us the freedom to not think badly of those who are unable to endure alongside us with compassion and encouragement we need for the long haul” (chapter 3).^[2]

Mark Vroegop and his wife experienced a devastating late-term miscarriage. He wrote, “Many Christians, like us, were unfamiliar—even uncomfortable—with lament. When occasionally I candidly shared a few of the struggles of my soul, some people reacted with visible discomfort. Others quickly moved to a desperate desire to ‘find the bright side,’ a quick change of the subject, an awkward silence, or even physically excusing themselves to escape the tension. When people stayed in the conversation, they often responded in unhelpful ways. Every person meant well. I appreciated their attempts to address our pain. But it became clear that most people did not know how to join us in our grief” (Introduction).^[3]

I think that’s the case with Job’s friends too. If these men had grown up with Job, or if they were wealthy themselves, they still didn’t know what it was like to lose all your wealth in one day, and your family with it, and to keep on caring deeply the whole time. Instead, they cared for a season, and then they started attacking Job. That was not what Job needed.

My hope for us as a church, as we work through Job, and as we think about suffering, and how to suffer well, and how to comfort those in suffering, is that we would not be “miserable comforters” (Job 16:2), that we would learn to speak rightly, that we would learn when to be silent, and that we would learn what to say when it is time to speak.

Proverbs 15:23
A person has joy in an apt answer, and how delightful is a timely word!

May the LORD teach us to 1. Care Deeply (2:11-13) and 2. Speak Rightly (42:7) to those who are suffering.

This sermon was delivered to Rock Valley Bible Church on July 5, 2026 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rockvalleybiblechurch.org.

[1] Matt Redman and Beth Redman, “Blessed Be Your Name” (2002).

[2] Wendy Alsup, Companions in Suffering, chapter 3.

[3] Mark Vroegop, Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy, Introduction.