Job 12:3-4

3 But [gam] I have understanding [lebab] as well as you; I am not inferior [naphal] to you: yea, who knoweth not such things [kamow] as these?

4 I am as one mocked [sachowq] of his neighbour [rea`], who calleth [qara'] upon God ['elowahh], and he answereth [`anah] him: the just [tsaddiyq] upright [tamiym] man is laughed to scorn [sachowq]. KJV-Interlinear

3 'But I have intelligence as well as you; I am not inferior to you. And who does not know such things as these? 4 'I am a joke to my friends. The one who called on God, and He answered him; The just and blameless man is a joke. NASB

Although it isn't quite clear yet, we will soon see that these friends of Jobs, are wealthy, or at least well to do, and without problems. They are making their comments from their positions of non-stressful lives.

It is very easy to give advice when you have not experienced difficulties in life. However, the advice of the inexperienced is often an antiseptic view of life, and an over simplification of life.

For example, a rich man might look down on the poor, presuming that they should be able to make a living on their measly incomes if only they would work a little harder and save some of their money.

An attitude that is easy to have, but ignores the realities of life. If your bills are 100 and your income is only 80, then where does the savings come from? And then the arrogant well to do type, will suggest that the poor not waste their money on frivolous things like eating out, or drinking, or smoking or such things that the rich deem unnecessary, but they themselves will practice.

How long have you gone without eating out, or doing something, anything, that might give you a little pleasure in life? No one should have to look at life and never have anything good from it.

And so here is Job. Job has been wealthy and has been looked up to by nearly everyone who knew of him. Now he is poor, and look what social prejudice blossoms all around him.

His friends are hypocrites. His friends think that because they have not been hammered in life, then they must be wise with regard to life. Children grow up and inherit wealth from their parents. Are they automatically wise?

Jobs friends are hypocrites in a very obvious way. First they have known Job and they have known his reputation. This they reject immediately. Second, they are all well to do. Third, not one of them came to visit Job alone. They traveled with their respective compliment of traveling companions, servants and so forth. And why didn t they travel alone? Because, fourth, there are bad people out there who would hijack them on the road.

Jobs wealth was raided by roving gangs. Jobs employees were murdered by robbers.

And yet these three friends ignore the obvious because they live inside some kind of antiseptic bubble, and though they think they know and understand the world, they really do not have any clue about the world around them.

They say, 'God blesses the good and judges the poor.' And that is their easy explanation, but it ignores the realities that actually exist in this world.

And so it is with those who lack Bible doctrine in their soul. They will inevitably live a lie of their own making. Certainly they may have a knowledge of the scriptures, but that knowledge is limited. They will even go so far as to try to convince others of their wisdom, but they will misquote truth in trying to do even that.

Remember in the last presidential election when the Democrats tried to quote scriptures and they quoted them wrong. 'My favorite verse is John 6:13,' when he meant John 3:16. And they never figured that error out. They even quoted various sayings wrong. They quoted 'If you break it you fix it.' Which should be, 'If you break it you buy it.'

These are just two examples of people who consider themselves above the difficulties of the average citizen, and how they can be so detached from reality.

Jobs friends are that way. And Job is calling them on that.

'I am smart, too.' And so Job rebukes their attitude that he doesn't know anything, when he in fact knows more than all three of them put together.

The friends magnify their opinions, whereas Job does not compete in the knowledge arena. He doesn't have too.

The spiritually savvy person does not have to prove himself, nor does he have to compete with others for attention, nor does he have to convince others that he is indeed wise. He just knows it and that is enough.

The spiritually weak person, on the other hand, has a self-insecurity and an insatiable need to constantly prove him or her self to others. And not only are they inferior spiritually, they believe that they are superior to the average person.

Jobs tells them that he is not inferior to them, just because of his current state. Circumstances in life do not dictate ones worth. However, knowledge of doctrine does.

Being wealthy or poor does not make you better or worse, even though most of the world will follow that generalization.

Job is a joke to his friends, to his neighbors, to his acquaintances, even to strangers. Even his wife had her two cents to say to him. Everyone is rubber necking at Job and everyone is whispering behind his back, but not so softly that he cannot hear them gossip.

Without personal experiences in life, one who has no doctrine in their soul, cannot relate to its impact on life. Certainly you do not have to jump off of a ten story building to know what it will be like at the bottom.

However if you have never had a headache, then can you understand its pain? If you have never been so poor that you are not certain of how you will make your rent payment, how you will feed your family, how you will be able to even survive, then can you understand the emotional impact that kind of a life has on a person? Can you believe someone who says they are in pain?

And that is where Jobs and his friends are. Job has been hammered by life. Jobs friends are more into condemning Job rather than being sympathetic toward his circumstances.

And that is what you can expect from the world. No sympathy, no quarter given, no understanding or help offered. When you ignore God, Christ and doctrine in your life, then should you expect to gain from the world, which has nothing to offer you, nor even any concern for you?

Even in pain, Job has Gods ear. This will be evident later in the book. Job is far better off in misery and poverty, than his friends who are not suffering at all. Jobs status of misery is temporary, even as their well being is temporary. Jobs eventual blessing will be permanent while his friends will eventually lose all that they have.

Now is the time to post a prayer.