The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1900-11-17

ISOLATION. Instead Of that they we're
dumb as tie sphinx which at that time
stood in the African desert and stands
there still. Why did they not say
something about reunion in the heav-
eplv realms with his children who
had been slain? Why did they not
talk to him about the satisfactory e.
plantations in the future world OF
things we do not understand in this
world? Why did they not go to the
~apothecary and buy a poultice that
would have soothed the carbuncies,
or some quieting potion tina "cuiu
calm his nerves, or q few drops OF
febrifuge that would cool his heated
frame? Mol For seven days and
seven nights they did nothing ana
said nothing for his relief. They must
have almost bored him to death.
After these three friends had COM
pleted their infamous silence OF al
week they began to lecture Job. FIRST
Eliphaz the Temanite opens with a
long story about a dream which ne
had in the night and irritates the SUI
ferer with words that make things
worse instead of better and sets MIN
in an attitude of defense against the
lecturer. Then comes Bildad the
Shuttle, who gives the invalid a round
scolding and calls him garrulous and
practically tells him that he deserved
all that he got, and that il he had pc
haved himself Alright he would not
have lost his house or his children or
his estate. He practically says: "Jon'
l will tell you what is the matter with
you. You are bads you are a hypo-
critic; you are now getting paid Tor
your wickedness." No wonder that
there came from Job an outburst OF
Indignation which calls out the other
quondam friend. Zophar The a
mathite, who begins denouncing Jop
by calling him a liar, and keeps on
the discourse until job responds TO all
three of them in the Sarcastic words;
"No doubt but ye are the people, n
wisdom shall die with you"
Oh, what friends Job had! leave
deliver us from having one such
friend, to say nothing Of having three
of them. IL was for such friends that
job prayed, and was it a religious tri-
umph for him to do So? Would you,
the very best of you, be in very devout
mood and capable of making interces-
sion for people who had come to you
in a day of trouble and said: Good
for YOU. You ought to be chastised.
| You are being taken in hand by eter-
nal Justice. If YOU had behaved your
self Alright you would not nave been
sick or persecuted or impoverished OF
made childless." Oh, no, my friend,
YOU would not have felt like Job when
he prayed for his friends, but more
like Job when he cursed the day of his
nativity!
Notice that this %fagellation by the
three friends was premeditated. They
did not merely happen in and come
suddenly upon the trouble for which
they could not offer a compound. The
Bible SAYS: "They had made an APP
pointment together" The interview
was prearranged. They had agreed
as to what they would say to the sick
man. You can see that their remarks
were not extemporaneous. What they
said was sublimely poetic. They rose
in style into what in later times we
would call the Homeric or Dantesque
But Job was not in need of poetry sc
much as a salve for his eruptive dis,
order. He was not dying for lack O.
a paragraph in blank verse. He was
not so much in need of a didactic lee
ture about the Justice Of God as ar
assurance CT the Divine mercy. Some
pious rustic of the land of Uz not able
to put three grammatical sentences
together could have said something
more consolatory.
The of the attack of thes,
religious critics was augmented b,
the fact that they had the sufferer il
their mower. When we are well ant
we do not like what one is saving W,
can oct nm and 90 AWAY. But Jol
was too iii to get up and 90 away
First he endured the seven DAYS an,
seven nights of silence and then h,
endured their arraipnment of his mo
tiyes and character. and after thei
cruel campaign was ended by a sub
. lime effort of soul, which this day up