the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Day by Day Devotional - Year 3 of 5
Job 15:1-16
A new debate has now begun. Each speaker takes his turn in the same order as before. Blow by blow, the three companions drive home their accusations into Job’s conscience, as one hammers in a nail. "You are a hypocrite and a cunning man. If you were not guilty, you would not defend yourself with so many words" (vv. 5, 6).
Job’s three friends are moralists, each one having his own theory and method of argument. Eliphaz rests on human experience: what he knows (v. 9), and what he has seen (v. 17). Bildad, on the other hand, likes to refer to the old traditions (for example – Job 8:8). As for Zophar, we have already noticed that his arguments are inspired by sheer legalism. But not one of the three friends bases his charges on what God has said. Seeing they have such an uncertain foundation, we should not be surprised if they err "not knowing the scriptures" (Matthew 22:29). The Word of God is the only authority in which we can put our trust and with which we can help those whom God allows to cross our path. A young person, even a child, who knows the Word, has more understanding than an old person with grey hair (v. 10), whose wisdom is based only on his own experience (Psalms 119:99-100).
