Job 3-5

“Remember now, who ever perished being innocent?” (v7).  Job’s friends, after sitting silently with him for seven days, mourning with him, now decided to try to “help” him.  The prevailing wisdom of the ancient world taught that a good life was a reward for righteousness, and when bad things happened, it was probably because you deserved it.  Therefore, Job’s friends began to imply that if Job were really innocent, he wouldn’t have suffered.  They urged him to confess his sins, but Job was blameless.

Job’s story says that life is more complicated than win/lose or success/failure; God sees and values what is invisible to others.