Transcript

Podcast Introduction

Today is Poetry Thursday. We’ll read Job chapters 5-6. And after the reading, I have some comments I’m calling today’s episode “How Not To Be A Friend.”

Comments on Job 5-6

Last week we read the beginning of Eliphaz’s remarks to Job, in which he basically said that obviously Job is suffering because there is some sin in his life, and God is punishing him. 

In today’s reading, among other things, Eliphaz continues his oh-so-helpful-and-compassionate statements by saying how happy Job should be, since God is correcting him. And he concludes by saying that he and his friends are speaking from having studied these things for a long time, and that Job ought to just accept it.

Well there you go. So much for flowers and a get well card. It’s amazing how hurtful some people can be when someone they know suffers some sort of calamity. Listen. When a friend of yours is hurting or sick or has suffered some sort of loss, don’t try to make this a teaching moment; that is not being a friend. 

The best thing you can do is just be with them. Sit with them. Pray with and for them. Bring them a meal. Just love them. 

After Eliphaz has his say, Job has to say something. 

And oh my goodness. Job’s despair is palpable, isn’t it? His physical pain is unbearable, but that’s only part of the pain he is suffering. His spirit is broken, too. 

He had to sit and listen as his so-called friend said that he must have done something to deserve the calamities that have befallen him, and in the words we read today, he shows that he feels as if he has become a target for God’s wrath. Remember Jesus’ words on the cross? “My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?” Such hopelessness and utter despair.

Next week we will read more of what Job said in response to Eliphaz. They are heartbreaking words.

Almost exactly thirteen years ago, I interviewed my friend, Kenny Metcalf. Kenny was the keyboard player for the band Stryper back in the 80s. As a matter of fact, Kenny was the guy who shared the Gospel with the members of the band, before they were known as Stryper, and brought them to Christ. 

A few years after he left the band, Kenny was stricken with an autoimmune disease that caused sores all over his body, literally from the top of his head to the bottoms of his feet. He truly had a Job-like experience. 

In the interview, we talked about his early life, how he knew the guys who would become the band Stryper, his touring with the band, his disease, how he praised God even as he was near death, and how God healed him.

If you would like to hear the interview, just go to kenny.lifespringmedia.com. I also videotaped the interview, and have much of it on YouTube. I’ll remind you that this was thirteen years ago, so the video quality is not great, but you might enjoy watching. The interview had to be broken up into several segments because back then YouTube wouldn’t let you post long videos. If you want to see the videos, I’ll have the links on the show notes page for this episode. 

Kenny Metcalf Interview on YouTube

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 5-6 GNT

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Transcript

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Job 5-6: How Not to Be a Friend (LSFAB S13E019)

[TEASER – 00:00]
So much for flowers and a get well card.

[INTRO S13E019 – 0:10]
From the Lifespring Media Studios, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible coming to you from Riverside, California. How are you today? Podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily podcast where we’ll read the entire Bible in a year. If you’ve been here since the first episode of the season, congratulations and hang in there. Today is Poetry Thursday, we’ll read Job chapters 5 and 6, and after the reading of course, I’ve got some comments for you. I’m calling today’s episode, “How Not to Be a Friend.”

But before we read, let’s pray.

[OPENING PRAYER – 00:43]
Our heavenly Father, we ask that You bless the reading of Your Word today. Make it real to us and help us to understand what You want to teach us and help us Lord to be good and caring friends. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

All right, let’s get started.

[JOB 5 (GNT) – 1:00]
Job, chapter 5.

(1) Call out, Job. See if anyone answers.
Is there any angel to whom you can turn?
(2) To worry yourself to death with resentment
would be a foolish, senseless thing to do.
(3) I have seen fools who looked secure,
but I called down a sudden curse on their homes.
(4) Their children can never find safety;
no one stands up to defend them in court.
(5) Hungry people will eat the fool’s crops—
even the grain growing among thorns—
and thirsty people will envy his wealth.
(6) Evil does not grow in the soil,
nor does trouble grow out of the ground.
(7) No indeed! We bring trouble on ourselves,
as surely as sparks fly up from a fire.

(8) If I were you, I would turn to God
and present my case to him.
(9) We cannot understand the great things he does,
and to his miracles there is no end.
(10) He sends rain on the land
and he waters the fields.
(11) Yet, it is God who raises the humble
and gives joy to all who mourn.
(12-13) He upsets the plans of cunning people,
and traps the wise in their own schemes,
so that nothing they do succeeds;
(14) even at noon they grope in darkness.
(15) But God saves the poor from death;
he saves the needy from oppression.
(16) He gives hope to the poor and silences the wicked.

(17) Happy is the person whom God corrects!
Do not resent it when he rebukes you.
(18) God bandages the wounds he makes;
his hand hurts you, and his hand heals.
(19) Time after time he will save you from harm;
(20) when famine comes, he will keep you alive,
and in war protect you from death.
(21) God will rescue you from slander;
he will save you when destruction comes.
(22) You will laugh at violence and hunger
and not be afraid of wild animals.
(23) The fields you plow will be free of rocks;
wild animals will never attack you.
(24) Then you will live at peace in your tent;
when you look at your sheep, you will find them safe.
(25) You will have as many children
as there are blades of grass in a pasture.
(26) Like wheat that ripens till harvest time,
you will live to a ripe old age.
(27) Job, we have learned this by long study.
It is true, so now accept it.

[JOB 6 (GNT) – 3:10]
Job, chapter 6.

(1-2) If my troubles and griefs were weighed on scales,
(3) they would weigh more than the sands of the sea,
so my wild words should not surprise you.
(4) Almighty God has shot me with arrows,
and their poison spreads through my body.
God has lined up his terrors against me.

(5) A donkey is content when eating grass,
and a cow is quiet when eating hay.
(6) But who can eat flat, unsalted food?
What taste is there in the white of an egg?
(7) I have no appetite for food like that,
and everything I eat makes me sick.

(8) Why won’t God give me what I ask?
Why won’t he answer my prayer?
(9) If only he would go ahead and kill me!
(10) If I knew he would, I would leap for joy,
no matter how great my pain.
I know that God is holy;
I have never opposed what he commands.
(11) What strength do I have to keep on living?
Why go on living when I have no hope?
(12) Am I made of stone? Is my body bronze?
(13) I have no strength left to save myself;
there is nowhere I can turn for help.

(14) In trouble like this I need loyal friends—
whether I’ve forsaken God or not.
(15) But you, my friends, you deceive me like streams
that go dry when no rain comes.
(16) The streams are choked with snow and ice,
(17) but in the heat they disappear,
and the stream beds lie bare and dry.
(18) Caravans get lost looking for water;
they wander and die in the desert.
(19) Caravans from Sheba and Tema search,
(20) but their hope dies beside dry streams.
(21) You are like those streams to me,
you see my fate and draw back in fear.
(22) Have I asked you to give me a gift
or to bribe someone on my behalf
(23) or to save me from some enemy or tyrant?

(24) All right, teach me; tell me my faults.
I will be quiet and listen to you.
(25) Honest words are convincing,
but you are talking nonsense.
(26) You think I am talking nothing but wind;
then why do you answer my words of despair?
(27) You would even roll dice for orphan slaves
and make yourselves rich off your closest friends!
(28) Look me in the face. I won’t lie.
(29) You have gone far enough. Stop being unjust.
Don’t condemn me. I’m in the right.
(30) But you think I am lying—
you think I can’t tell right from wrong.

[COMMENTARY – 5:40]
Well, last week, we read the beginning of Eliphaz’s remarks to Job in which he basically said that obviously Job is suffering because there’s some sin in his life and God is punishing him.

Well, in today’s reading, among other things, Eliphaz continues his oh-so-helpful-and-compassionate statements by saying how happy Job should be since God is correcting him. And he concludes by saying that he and his friends are speaking from having studied these things for a long time, and that Job ought to just accept it.

Well, there you go. So much for flowers and a get well card. It’s amazing how hurtful some people can be when someone they know suffers some calamity. Listen, when a friend of yours is hurting, or sick, or has suffered some sort of loss, don’t try to make this a teaching moment. That is not being a friend.

The best thing you can do is just be with him. Sit with them, pray with and for them. Bring them a meal. Just love them.

Well, after Eliphaz has his say, Job has to say something.

And, oh my goodness, Job’s despair is palpable, isn’t it? His physical pain is unbearable, but that’s only part of the pain he’s suffering. His spirit is broken, too.

He had to sit and listen as his so-called friend said that he must have done something to deserve the calamities. And in the words we read today, he shows that he feels as if he’s become a target for God’s wrath. Remember Jesus’ words on the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Such hopelessness and utter despair.

Next week, we’ll read more of what Job had to say in response to Eliphaz, and they are heartbreaking words.

And almost 13 years ago exactly, I interviewed my friend Kenny Metcalf. Kenny was the keyboard player for the band Stryper back in the 80s. As a matter of fact, Kenny was the guy who shared the Gospel with the members of the band before they were known as Stryper and brought them to Christ.

Well, a few years after he left the band, Kenny was stricken with an autoimmune disease that caused sores all over his body, literally, from the top of his head to the bottoms of his feet. He truly had a Job-like experience.

Now in the interview, we talked about his early life, how he knew the guys who would become the band Stryper. We talked about his touring with a band, his disease, and how he praised God even as he was near death, and how God healed him.

If you’d like to hear that interview, just go to Kenny.lifespringmedia.com. I also videotaped the interview and I’ve got much of it up on YouTube. Now, this was 13 years ago, so the video quality is not great, but you might enjoy watching. The interview had to be broken up into several segments, too, because back then YouTube wouldn’t let you post long videos. I don’t remember what the limit was, but it was like, I don’t know, five or ten minutes. Well, if you want to see the videos, I’ve got the links on the show notes page for this episode. I’ll also have a link to Stryper’s website in case you’re curious.

[LIFESPRING FAMILY HOTLINE – 08:49]
Well, what about you? Have you had a friend like Eliphaz? I hope not. It seems like all of us have at least one of those. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Call the Lifespring Family Hotline at 951-732-8511. You can also comment on the show notes page for this episode at lifespringmedia.com/s13e019. Or go to comment.lifespringmedia.com.

Tomorrow is Prophecy Friday and we’ll read Isaiah chapters 12 through 17.

[SUPPORT THE SHOW – 9:23]
The Executive Producer for today’s show is John who came in with his monthly $50 donation. John, thank you so very much. God bless you. And by the way, John, I’ve been reading “Spurgeon’s Lectures To My Students”. Great stuff. Brought me to tears more than once. Thank you for the recommendation. I appreciate it. Value-for-value, that’s how you can keep the Lifespring Family Audio Bible coming to you, Beloved. There are very real expenses to bringing you a seven-day-a-week show and just like the price of everything else right now, those expenses are increasing. And I’ve got to be honest, donations are down. I get it. Things are tight, but if you enjoy seeing a new episode of the Lifespring Family Audio Bible in your podcast app every day, if you’re getting any benefit from hearing God’s word, and maybe even a little something from my comments, please prayerfully consider making a donation at lifespringmedia.com/support. A one-time donation would be very much appreciated. But signing up for a weekly, monthly or quarterly donation would really help even out the slow times. Pray about it, would you? lifespringmedia.com/support.

[LISTENER FEEDBACK – 10:32]
I was gonna say one of the oldest Lifespring family members, but I should say one of the Lifespring members that’s been around the longest amount of time in the Lifespring family is John from Canada. This past Monday, he sent in an email that said, “Good shows! Hi, Steve. I’m finally almost caught up again.”

He gets behind sometimes. He’s got a growing family and he’s holding down two jobs right now. So I get it, John, no problem.

Anyway, he said, “I’m finally almost caught up again. It’s great to hear your voice with your new season of the Lifespring Family Audio Bible.” Thank you, John. He said, “As I listened to Genesis this morning and your commentary on Noah’s sons, it made me think of the Creation Museum in Kentucky. If you ever get a chance to go see it, go. It, as well as, the life-size Noah’s Ark are pretty amazing.”

Yeah, as a matter of fact, I have a brother that lives in Kentucky. And I’ve been thinking that if I ever go back to visit him, I have to make a visit to the Creation Museum and the Noah’s Ark for sure.

And John continues. He said, “Life is busy here. But things are good. My side gig on Saturdays is as a delivery driver, so I get some extra podcast listening time. So while it’s tiring, it’s also fulfilling. God is good, all the time. Blessings to you, Steve and your family.”

Well, thank you, John, and the same right back to you.

And then he sent this one in yesterday, Wednesday. He said, “Hi, Steve, catching up on old episodes this morning. Really love this version of “Mary, Did You Know?”

He had been listening to the Christmas episode Mark 13 and 14 from last season. And which version of “Mary, Did You Know?” did I play on there? Well, he tells us, “I love Southern gospel. And the Gaither Vocal Band always does it well.”

Yeah, they do. And of course, you know, one of the members of the of the Gaither Vocal Band is Mark Lowry. And Mark is the one who wrote the lyrics for that. And I interviewed Mark on the show. You probably know John, but a lot of people that are listening probably don’t know that. I interviewed Mark Lowry on the Lifespring podcast several years ago. You can search for that at lifespringmedia.com. Just, in the search box, put “Mark Lowry”.

Anyway, John continues. He says, “Only two months ’til Christmas this year. I sure hope our government doesn’t toss any stupid COVID rules on things again.”

I hope so too, John. In my state, California, our tyrannical governor just announced that he was going to be ending the state of emergency in California for COVID. Can you imagine, it’s still in place? Guess when he said it’s going to be lifted? February 29, 2023. So yeah, that’s quite an emergency where you can come up with an end date four months in the future. Yeah. well, enough of that.

John said that his Canadian government…said “kept my family apart for the past two years. They wanted us vaccinated or tested to come and we wouldn’t. So it brings up sadness for me.”

Certainly understandable, but I congratulate you, John, for not getting vaccinated. It wasn’t easy to stand up against it, was it? And the same here. We, LeeAnn and I, did not.

John says, “We’re starting to have frost right now. It’s definitely October weather, cold and rainy.”

Yeah, you know what? It was only up to 89 degrees here in Riverside today. October weather, for sure. Although last week, we had we had some rain. And that really is how October is in my area. It goes from weather in the 60s to weather almost up to 100 degrees sometimes in October. It’s crazy.

John says, “There are reports that natural gas prices could double which are scary as that’s the primary heat source here. Oh, well, God is still on his throne. We trust him to provide and that’s all we can do. Right?”

And that’s no small thing. God is our provider. And our house is heated with natural gas as well. So…

John says, “Thanks for your stories of faith for how God has taken you through job changes, business slowdowns, and family sickness, and carried you through it all. It’s inspiring. God bless you and your ministry. Keep up the wonderful work. Signed, John.”

Well, John, I’m going to keep doing this for as long as I can. God is on the throne. I consider myself to be his servant. And as long as I can keep the bills paid and my health holds out, I’ll keep at it.

And just on a personal note, LeeAnn and I had our oldest son, Matthew, who just turned 40 and his wife and four kids, my four first grandkids over for dinner last night. We had pasta with my famous homemade bolognese sauce. Mm hmm. That’s killer. I spent literally all day Saturday making the sauce. It was probably on the stove for about eight hours. With it we had a nice salad with homemade Italian dressing and the garlic toast that has been a family recipe for ever since I was a little bitty boy. Afterwards we had a cake that LeeAnn made, a chocolate cake with a peanut butter frosting. So good. The grandkids range in age from 11 to four. The first two grandkids are girls and the second two are boys. So the boys at seven and four years old have a lot of energy and it’s wonderful having them over, but the quiet when they leave is really, really nice. It was a fun time. We celebrated my son Matthew’s birthday. And we celebrated his wife, Mareena’s birthday and we celebrated granddaughter number two’s birthday. It was a fun, fun, fun family time. It was great.

[OUTRO S13E019 – 16:02]
As always, I want to thank Sister Kirsty who does the newsletter, Brother Sean of San Pedro, who does the chapters and Sister Denise who corrects the transcripts. I want to thank Executive Producer John today for his support. And it’s always great to hear from John from Canada. You can comment on the show by calling the Lifespring Family Hotline at 951-732-8511, by going to comment.lifespringmedia.com or by emailing me at st***@*************ia.com. And don’t forget the show notes page lifespringmedia.com/s13e019. If you’re finding value in the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, please support it at lifespringmedia.com/support.

And until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. It is a joy spending time with you every day. I look forward to it. I hope you do, too. My name is Steve Webb. Bye

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Transcript corrected by Denise