In this second cycle of speeches, Job’s friends double down on their false theology that suffering is always punishment for sin. Eliphaz angrily accuses Job of being wicked because of his pain, while Bildad and Zophar echo the same shallow arguments. Job, crushed by their words, calls them “miserable comforters” and laments God’s apparent opposition, even feeling abandoned by family and friends. Yet in the middle of his despair, Job makes one of the most remarkable declarations of faith in Scripture: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth … and in my flesh I shall see God.” Though he doesn’t understand his suffering, Job clings to the assurance of a living Redeemer. The lesson contrasts the graceless counsel of Job’s friends with Job’s persevering hope, reminding us that suffering is not always tied to sin, that simplistic theology can wound rather than heal, and that believers can rest on the unshakable truth that Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, lives.
Resting On the Rock of Our Redeemer
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