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So, when one of Job's friends says something about God, is it something you can bank on, given that in the end God makes them seek Job's prayer because they said stuff that wasn't right? I would argue not.
We need to know who is speaking and if they really know who or what they are speaking about. In the Book of Job, God, satan, Job, and 4 others are speaking. We need to know who is speaking and whether what they are saying is from God, if we are going to build theology around it.
As an example that we have to be careful to know who is saying what in Scripture, someone posted Job 19:21 as a proof regarding God bringing evil upon Job. But, Job was speaking about something that he, understandably, didn't understand.
And, in fact, it wasn't God touching him (hurting him) and "persecuting him" (Job 19:21-22), it was satan who requested and had God's permission--just like he did when "satan asked to sift (Peter) like wheat" (Luke 22:31).
So, God removed the protection and allowed Job to be attacked, but God wasn't doing the attack. Don't get me wrong, God doesn't deny responsibility and claim that His adversary was responsible. In fact, when satan came back the second time, God said to satan: "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that fears God and eschews evil? And still holds fast his integrity, although you moved me against him, to destroy him without cause." (Job 2:3)
God said that, because God knows (and I wish man could understand) that satan can't do anything without God's permission. satan is but one pawn God uses to accomplish His purposes.
And while God called satan's attention to Job (Job 1:8, Job 2:3), and allowed what we would call "bad stuff" to happen to Job while setting limits upon what satan could do (Job 1:12, Job 2:6), it was satan who caused the "bad stuff" to actually happen (Job 1:14-21, Job 2:7)--but only because GOD ALLOWED him to. And this is written: "In all this, Job sinned not, nor charged/accused God foolishly." (Job 1:22) Obviously with continued attacks that changed, leading to Job's charge (Job 19:21-22, etc).
In response, God appears to Job in a whirlwind and challenges him (Job 38:1-3, 40:1-2, 6-14--but the whole of Job 38-41 is where God is speaking and God is talking about Himself and His power and His Sovereignty). Job responded appropriately in God's sight (Job 42:1-6). Then, God went to those three friends and said "you have not spoken of Me what is right, as my servant Job has. (Job 42:7-9) "The LORD accepted Job. And the LORD turned away the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends; also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before." (Job 42:10). And about this man, Job, God calls him righteous again in Ezekiel 14:13-20.
I highlighted that part, because again, God demonstrates His sovereignty. God stopped allowing the attacks on Job. He allowed them for a purpose--to bring Job to a real understanding of who God is. And, when the purpose was accomplished, Job was restored with extra blessing.
This is critical. There is a lot of Scripture that isn't God speaking or profess to be from God. We can't build our theology around man's thoughts about why things are happening or not. We have to build our theology around what God says and what is prophetically declared about God. In Job 19, Job didn't even claim to be speaking from God, he was speaking from what he was going through.
We need to know who is speaking and if they really know who or what they are speaking about. In the Book of Job, God, satan, Job, and 4 others are speaking. We need to know who is speaking and whether what they are saying is from God, if we are going to build theology around it.
As an example that we have to be careful to know who is saying what in Scripture, someone posted Job 19:21 as a proof regarding God bringing evil upon Job. But, Job was speaking about something that he, understandably, didn't understand.
And, in fact, it wasn't God touching him (hurting him) and "persecuting him" (Job 19:21-22), it was satan who requested and had God's permission--just like he did when "satan asked to sift (Peter) like wheat" (Luke 22:31).
So, God removed the protection and allowed Job to be attacked, but God wasn't doing the attack. Don't get me wrong, God doesn't deny responsibility and claim that His adversary was responsible. In fact, when satan came back the second time, God said to satan: "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that fears God and eschews evil? And still holds fast his integrity, although you moved me against him, to destroy him without cause." (Job 2:3)
God said that, because God knows (and I wish man could understand) that satan can't do anything without God's permission. satan is but one pawn God uses to accomplish His purposes.
And while God called satan's attention to Job (Job 1:8, Job 2:3), and allowed what we would call "bad stuff" to happen to Job while setting limits upon what satan could do (Job 1:12, Job 2:6), it was satan who caused the "bad stuff" to actually happen (Job 1:14-21, Job 2:7)--but only because GOD ALLOWED him to. And this is written: "In all this, Job sinned not, nor charged/accused God foolishly." (Job 1:22) Obviously with continued attacks that changed, leading to Job's charge (Job 19:21-22, etc).
In response, God appears to Job in a whirlwind and challenges him (Job 38:1-3, 40:1-2, 6-14--but the whole of Job 38-41 is where God is speaking and God is talking about Himself and His power and His Sovereignty). Job responded appropriately in God's sight (Job 42:1-6). Then, God went to those three friends and said "you have not spoken of Me what is right, as my servant Job has. (Job 42:7-9) "The LORD accepted Job. And the LORD turned away the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends; also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before." (Job 42:10). And about this man, Job, God calls him righteous again in Ezekiel 14:13-20.
I highlighted that part, because again, God demonstrates His sovereignty. God stopped allowing the attacks on Job. He allowed them for a purpose--to bring Job to a real understanding of who God is. And, when the purpose was accomplished, Job was restored with extra blessing.
This is critical. There is a lot of Scripture that isn't God speaking or profess to be from God. We can't build our theology around man's thoughts about why things are happening or not. We have to build our theology around what God says and what is prophetically declared about God. In Job 19, Job didn't even claim to be speaking from God, he was speaking from what he was going through.
