Do not speak unless it improves the silence.

In Job 1:22 and 2:10 the Scripture says that in all of this Job did not sin with his lips. His words were few and his heart was true. Then his friends showed up.

His friends sat with him for seven days without talking. And during those seven days, no one sinned with their lips. At the end of the seven days, Job has come to the point of needing to vent. If you read chapter 3, you won't find him blaming God. But you do find a man who doesn't understand. And he says so. "Why? Why has this happened? It would have been better if I had never been born!"

Those are the words of someone who doesn't understand. And yet, Job has not blamed God. He has not pointed the finger. He is venting his frustration, as any would in the same situation. But to my reading, he still has not blamed God.

Then his friends started talking. And instead of saying, "I understand where you're coming from and I can understand why you would say that. It's definitely hard to figure out why these kinds of things happen." ... instead of saying something like that, his friend begins by blaming him and telling him he got what he deserved. That's not what Job needed to hear. And it may well be what pushed Job over the line to the point that he did start blaming God, wishing for a court trial so he could put God on the stand and ask Him some questions - all of which led to Job getting a face to face w/God and coming to a better understanding of his place.

My point in all of this is that Job may never have gotten to the point of blaming God if his friends hadn't egged it on. If they had stayed silent, or said less, Job might not have gotten so heavily rebuked. (And the book would have been a LOT shorter! )

The lesson for us? "Do not speak unless it improves the silence!" That's a tall order for those of us with ADD who generally think about what we're going to say after we've said it! But it's an important lesson, none-the-less. Lord, help me to not speak unless it improves the silence!

Created over 2 years ago