In verses 1-8, Job replied to his young friends who laughed at him. They had told him to learn from them, and their fathers who were punished and kicked out of the land for doing stupid things. What could he learn from them then? How could they help him when they can't help themselves at all? Isn't it foolish advice? What kind of advice can foolish people give us?

Solomon says in Proverbs 13:20 not to hang out with fools but with wise people, because “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” So, if we listen to their advice, we will only hurt ourselves. So, we should seek God for His counsel rather than from men who may give us foolish advice.

In verses 9-15, Job ignored them, so they mocked him. They looked down on him and insulted him for not listening to them. Job knew that his situation was allowed by God for a purpose and a reason, to humble him. Thus, he needed to rely on God even more. But they kept insulting him because he was no longer rich or respected.

This will happen when one loses one’s status and wealth. People will no longer respect him, but they will mock him instead. They will judge and say bad things about him without caring about his feelings. So, this is another reason to turn to God instead of man.

Should we care what unworthy people say, like Job said? No, we should listen to God and obey His teachings. If God remains silent and we don’t understand what’s happening, we should still listen to God, not man. If men continue to reject or insult us, we must continue to trust and please God, not them. We must turn to God, not man.

In verses 16-31, Job said his suffering caused him pain, day and night. When he called to God for help, God did not answer him. Yet he believed God allowed him to suffer for a purpose.

He thought he would die if God did not save him. He had hoped for good things, but only bad things came instead. This is why we often ask: “Why does the righteous suffer?”

I answered the question before. I said that no matter how good a driver you are, the bad drivers will still hit you.

Job pleaded with God in verses 24-31 to remember his concern for the helpless. He asked God to look at his suffering as he had seen others suffering helplessly. He told God his joy had turned into sadness as he pleaded with Him to deliver him.

Turn to God for help in suffering, not fools or unworthy people. Fools do not fear God because they think they are smarter than anyone else. The one we should look for help is God, and not man. We should fear and please God, not man. Turn to God in our suffering, not to man.

Prayer: O Lord, even though I don’t understand why things are happening in my life, I will continue to depend on you for help instead of looking to man or trying to fix things myself. Please help me to stay strong and give me the faith to trust in you in my suffering! I pray.