God is loving and kind yet He takes seriously how people speak about Him, especially those who claim to know and serve Him. He expects His people to speak accurately and truthfully about Him. This should be no surprise because He detests all lies and deception. We learn more about how He treasures His reputation through the story of Job and his friends.

Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar came to commiserate with Job when they heard that he'd lost his family and riches. Upon seeing his condition, they tore their clothes, covered themselves in dust, and sat mute with him for seven days.

Their words eventually began to flow and they weren't always the most charitable to Job. Although he asserted that he had not sinned against God to deserve his hardship, they insisted he must have done something wrong. And from their perspective, he was being punished for it.

When Job's trial ended, God spoke to Eliphaz, saying, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has..." (Job 42:7). God was upset about how He'd been characterized. The Berean Standard Bible quotes God as saying, "you have not spoken about me accurately." That was what He took issue with.

One can say many things about what Eliphaz and his friends said during their conversations with Job. On its face, however, their comments about God don't seem rude. None of them insulted the Lord. Nevertheless, their statements revealed that they could not imagine that God could choose to do things outside of their understanding. They put God in a box and did not realize that He could allow His servant to suffer and it wouldn't be to punish the individual.

How many of us have done something similar? How often have we applied our limited human thinking to describe and assess God? Unlike Job's friends, we have 66 books of the Bible which show that God can do things beyond our expectations. Take the different approaches Jesus used to heal blindness. In one case, He created a paste from His saliva and mud and placed that on a man's eyes (John 9:6). For the beggar Bartimaeus, sight was restored with the words, "Go...your faith has healed you." (Mark 10:52).

The Pharisees and Sadducees couldn't come to terms with the fact Jesus did things outside of what they'd been taught. Job's friends were no different. They assumed they knew exactly how God could or would do things. That hubris led them to unintentionally speak wrongly about Him.

This is a mistake many of us can and do make regularly. We need wisdom from the Holy Spirit to reveal when God is doing something outside the scope of conventional wisdom. The Holy Spirit will also help us discern between spirits to know when the Lord is not involved in something at all. This requires the investment of time and obedience. When we relate with the Holy Spirit this way, we limit the chances of speaking untruthfully about our Heavenly Father. The Holy Spirit will break apart our preconceived notions and reveal the mysterious things.

Let us be grateful that although Job's friends stirred up God's anger, He showed them mercy. He instructed them to get animals for an offering and have Job pray for mercy for them. Neither Eliphaz, Bildad, nor Zophar were punished for their comments. Instead, they received God's grace and mercy, the same grace and mercy available to all who believe they have spoken untruthfully about the Lord. When we repent, receive mercy, and allow the Lord's Spirit to guide us going forward, we enjoy all the grace of our Lord Jesus and God, the Father. God bless you.

To learn more about today's topic please read the following messages

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P L U N D E R E R

28 feb

ALTAR CALL

We're learning how not to talk about God so we don't make the same mistake Job's friends did. The only way to 'stay out of trouble' is the Holy Spirit. He will remind us of the things Jesus taught and guide us so we live, talk, and think in a way that pleases God.

The only way to get the Holy Spirit and all His wisdom is by giving your life to Jesus Christ. Not sure what that means? Watch the video below. It explains why and how to submit to Jesus Christ and become a member of God's royal family.

God bless you.

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Speak Truthfully About God - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) February 28, 2025

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