Devotional Thoughts: Being There

Looking at Job 2:11-13 this AM.

When Job's three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.

Who are these three friends?

I looked at the study notes to (1) the NIV Study Bible and (2) Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament.

Eliphaz, the Temanite may have been an Edomite based on his name and from a city south of the Dead Sea (1) while the other resource speculated the city he was from was near Petra in modern Jordan (2).

Bildad, the Shuhite may have been a descendant of Shuah the youngest son of Abraham and Keturah (1,2) though it is possible he could be from the city of Suhu which was located in the middle Euphrates south of the Habur river (2).

Zophar, the Naamathite is very uncertain (1,2) but might be connected to Jebel el Na'amaeh in northwest Arabia (2).

In any case, whatever the ethnic background of these three guys and where they hiked in from, they are Job's friends.

The minute they heard about his troubles, they made the journey to Job and agreed to spend time with him together. When they got there, they put into practice the wisdom weep with those who weep.

Since I referenced the Beatles and Youtube.com in my previous blog post on Job, I had to again.



For 7 days they just sat there. In times of suffering, being there is the most important thing. No magic words.

Lord, teach me the art of being there. Of sensing the need of the other person in that moment. Sometimes, silence is truly golden. And when there is speech, listening may well be far more important than speaking. Help me to learn to give that sacred space to the other person so that they may speak and know they are heard and to be and know they are loved. Amen.