Job CCCLIII

 There is a profundity to the second sentence in this passage that many overlook, or seem not to notice, but that nevertheless applies to everyone who has ever had to forgive, let go, and unburden themselves of resentments, past wrongs done to them, and the individuals responsible: “And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends.”

The only ones to receive instruction regarding Job praying for them were his three friends. We are never told that God also went to Job to instruct him to pray for them, nor that He commanded Job to do so. God left it up to Job whether he would pray for his three friends, but by the same token, God restored Job’s losses only when he prayed for his friends. That reality is deeper than many perceive or understand.

Forgiveness was Job’s final test. I’ve looked at this passage, pondered it, meditated upon it, and it’s the only conclusion I can come to. Before everything could be restored to him, Job had one final hurdle, one last action he must undertake, and that was to forgive.

Like all his other testing, God was silent on the matter. He didn’t hint at what Job should do; He just sent his friends to be prayed for, and waited to see what would come of it. Job already knew what the right thing was; now he just had to follow through and release any latent bitterness that might still be present in his heart.

It’s far easier to tell someone else they must forgive than to go through the process of forgiveness yourself. Not merely saying you’ve forgiven someone, not simply speaking words, but actually doing it in your heart, when no resentment or bitterness remains for the way you were treated, or the things that were falsely said about you.

Unless you’ve lived in a bubble all your life, or aren’t old enough to ride in a car without a car seat, we’ve all been mistreated, spoken evil of, or mischaracterized at some point. Doubly so if you happen to be in the public eye, are in some type of ministry, or have a large circle of acquaintances you interact with regularly.

To many, especially in our hyper-sensitive day and age when we’ve invented terms such as microaggression and unconscious bias, what Job’s friends did would be unforgivable. This wasn’t an arched eyebrow or some perceived slight. They came out and accused him of wickedness deserving of his loss, pain, and situation, and concluded that he wasn’t suffering enough. He should be grateful that after losing all his worldly possessions, his children, his health, the respect of his spouse, and the abandonment of those he once deemed loyal, he still wasn’t getting what he deserved; for had he been, it would have been far worse. How could it have been worse? His friends never elaborated, but they were certain that it would have been.

All this while Job knew himself to be innocent, and more importantly, God knew him to be innocent. It wasn’t making a mountain out of a molehill; there was no molehill to begin with. Every accusation brought against him had been wholly fabricated; everything hinged on the theory of causation, wherein, since Job was suffering, he must have been guilty of wickedness because he was suffering.

Anyone believing this was an easy thing to forgive or get over has never gone through something similar, but as one who has, let me assure you, it’s not as easy as one might think. Even so, unless you enjoy the weight of a mountain pressing down on you, you must do your utmost to forgive those who have wronged you because only then will the peace and light of joy burn away the bitterness, frustration, anger, angst, and resentment.

I can speak on this because I’ve lived it. Not once, but multiple times, and every time, true peace came about only when I determined in my heart to forgive those who had wronged me. No, I didn’t show up to their door informing them that they’d been forgiven; they never asked for forgiveness, but it wasn’t about them and me; it was about me and God, my relationship with Him, and the attitude I knew I must exhibit as one of His children.

The issue was not about whether Job could ever restore his relationship with his three friends; it was about the attitude of his heart toward the God he served. When God sent the three to ask Job to pray for them, it wasn’t so much a test of their obedience as a test of Job’s heart.

Why do I say this? Because if God ever spoke to me and said His wrath had been stirred against me, and I must go and ask another whom I’d judged wrongly for prayer lest I be dealt according to my folly, it wouldn’t really be a choice. It wouldn’t be about doing the right thing, but about doing what I needed to do to ensure that I did not incur God’s wrath.

Job, on the other hand, had no vested interest in praying for his three friends, other than the rightness of his heart and the awareness that it would be pleasing in the sight of the Lord. He did the right thing because it was the right thing to do, even if in light of what had transpired they were undeserving of his kindness or prayer.

Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

We do not forgive only when we deem someone was apologetic enough, humble enough, or when they’ve asked for forgiveness enough times. We forgive knowing that when we do, we are likewise forgiven by our heavenly Father.

If you deem yourself so righteous as to never require forgiveness, then by all means, don’t forgive, ever, no matter how small or insignificant the matter. But if you know yourself to be in need of forgiveness from your heavenly Father, then be quick to forgive, without delay or recrimination.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.