photo #6675874

"How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words?" (Job 19:2) Job 19 gives us a vivid portrayal of Job's lament, his despair amidst suffering, and his steadfast faith in the ultimate justice of God. Even while his friends continue their reproach, Job remains resolute, not only defending his personal integrity but also expressing a profound hope in his future vindication and resurrection.Everyone is well acquainted with the story of Job. The book that bears his name pictures this man in what I like to call, his early godliness, his later grief, and his final gladness. His is a life worth studying when dealing with the issues of fortunes, family, the flesh, and friends. The "friends" issue seems like a point to consider.The definition of Job's name tells us plenty, "Where is the Father?" For Job, we read early on that his story was one where the roof fell down, and then the bottom fell out for him and his wife. Not long after those calamities, another set of problems appear when three so-called good-ole boys (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar) showed up to offer their take on the unexpected, the unwanted, and the unexplainable experiences that had occurred concerning Job. I think Job would have fared far better had Larry, Moe, and Curly had made a stab at lifting Job's spirits. Be that as it may, several rounds of debate on the "whys" from these "learned men" concerning Job's troubles are recorded for our learning. In the midst of all the reasoning and rambling by Job's pals, Job cries out," How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words?" Job's heart was already broken and his hopes were now in danger of snapping as well. You know, our words to others can carry a ton of weight. They have the power to delight as well as the power to damn. They can heal or they can hurt. They may seem by all good intentions on our part to be sweet and tender, but if there not soaked in love, they can become as "sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. Friends, as duty demands our interaction with others today, who may be Job like, let's love to rile the day by steering our tongues to lift that aching heart of another. Be a real friend, who's never guilty of breaking another to pieces with words that can vex the soul of the sufferer.