One of the things I’ve been finding most interesting as I’m reading through Job this time is the fact that the individuals are talking to each other. The majority of the book is heated debate.

Is Job guilty? is Job innocent? His friends contend that if he is suffering in this way, he must be guilty of heinous crimes. While Job, on the other hand, insists that he is innocent, but God is free to inflict judgment where and when he sees fit and that although he is innocent, God is finding him guilty. Of course, neither is quite true and in the end, God humiliatingly sets everyone straight.

In a sense, the book of Job is one big heated theological argument between friends. I find this interesting. Of all the times to argue over the details.

In all of their arguing, I don’t believe that Job’s friends ever pray for him. In fact, Job only pseudo prays for himself. The debate seems to take place of that. I think this is too often the accepted practice. We all think we’re great at solving each other’s problems—and sometimes we are—but in the end, God will probably have to set us straight and we’ll see we should’ve spent more time praying for each other.