Truth or Lies? And How Do I Tell?
“Are you the first man ever born?
Were you brought forth before the hills?
Do you listen in on God’s council?
Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?
What do you know that we do not know?
What insights do you have that we do not have?
The gray-haired and the aged are on our side,
men even older than your father.
Are God’s consolations not enough for you,
words spoken gently to you?”
Job 15:11-14
Have you ever had a conversation with a friend asking for advice and it felt like the conversation left you hurting even more? Or perhaps your friend tried to be kind or gently challenging, but the words rattled you? Or maybe someone you care about offered “tough love” advice when all you needed was a moment of compassion.
These are hard moments, especially because the words come from our friends — those who love us and have insight into our character, strengths and weaknesses. What about when the hurtful words pertain to God and what He thinks of us? When our friends question our faith, how do we deal with those deeply wounding conversations?
The Bible citation comes from Eliphaz the Temenite to Job. Because we are accustomed to reading Scripture through the lens of “God’s truth to me or us” we forget to double-check the context of what we read. At first glance, the passage seems sensible — albeit a little tough — it sounds like tough love — a friend condemning his unwise, arrogant friend in the face of a compassionate God.
But it’s not.
It is a mean-spirited friend saying half-truths about his friend and God. He is wounding Job and angering him in the process. It is harsh and it comes with an almost mocking spiritual superiority. It is never said directly, but the implication is clear: God isn’t punishing me, He is punishing you. Therefore, you deserve it, and I’m the better person.
Later on, in the book of Job, we find God condemning Job’s friends for their meanness and lies. God’s condemnation of Job’s friends is not just for their absence of compassion, but because of their terrible theology!
How often do we have words spoken over us by our ‘friends’ and those whom we trust? Some of us will have had things spoken over us by spiritual leaders in the past and we are struggling to put them behind us and believe what God says about us to be true.
Today, if you are carrying around a word spoken over you by a friend, remember that God sees you in a remarkable way and none in which Job is described by his friend. For you, the accusations may be false entirely, or maybe just true for a season – but God will always see you as Beloved[1], a Masterpiece[2], as Chosen[3], Holy[4], Forgiven[5], a new Creation[6], Redeemed[7], Worth more than Gold[8] and as His Child[9].
[1] Ephesians 2:4-5; Ephesians 3:17b-19; Ephesians 5:1-2
[2] Ephesians 2:10; Psalm 139:13-14
[3] Ephesians 1:4;1 Peter 2:9; Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 139:16
[4] Ephesians 1:4; Colossians 1:21-22; Colossians 3:12
[5] Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 2:13-15; 2 Corinthians 5:12; Hebrews 4:15
[6] Ephesians 4:22-24; Romans 6:6; 2 Corinthians 5:17
[7] Ephesians 1:7; John 8:34-36; Colossians 1:13-14
[8] 1 Peter 1:18-19; Ephesians 1:7
[9] 1 John3:1; Ephesians 1:4b-6; John 1:12
