Waist Deep 2018 - March 13


Job 34: 12 “It is unthinkable that God would do wrong, that the Almighty would pervert justice.” (NIV)

Even truthful words can damage.*


In the midst of his suffering, Job was surrounded by friends who probably meant well but who clearly lacked the right words to say. We all have friends like that. We are friends like that! Our motto could be, “Saying something stupid is better than saying nothing at all.” 

It was a commonly-held belief in Job’s day that “good people prosper and bad people suffer.”* What his pal Elihu is implying with his words is that Job is suffering because of something he did and it would be unthinkable to question God’s justice in the matter. There is some biblical support to the idea that “a man reaps what he sows,” so what Elihu says “isn’t bad theology, but it isn’t much comfort, either.”*   In this instance, Elihu was applying a “general principle to a particular person.”*

Only God and Satan knew what was up with Job. God does not authorize us to figure out and point out the specific cause of another person’s problems, nor should we use the Bible and biblical truths to try to validate our position. Yes, the truth can hurt, but the truth is not a weapon of attack, nor should it be wielded alone - it should always be accompanied by love and discernment.


Don’t use the truth as a sledgehammer to tear others down; use it as a hammer and nails to hold things together.*


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