Job 13:1–4 1Lo, mine eye hath seen all this, Mine ear hath heard and understood it. 2What ye know, the same do I know also: I am not inferior unto you. 3Surely I would speak to the Almighty, And I desire to reason with God. 4But ye are forgers of lies, Ye are all physicians of no value.
“Ye are physicians of no value.”
Job observed this of his three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, who played doctor. I am confident that they were sincere in their attempt to diagnose Job’s problem and prescribe him a cure, but they were sincerely wrong.
What did these doctors do wrong?
Well, for one thing, they rushed to make recommendations without obtaining sufficient data.
They may have cared enough to make a house call but not enough to get to know their patient. They accused Job of wrongdoing when in fact, his suffering was the result of his faithfulness. If they had only asked questions before pulling out their prescription pad, they could have been physicians of value.
Perhaps their ultimate act of malpractice was how they didn’t understand the cure they had prescribed. Those wannabe healers had spoken a lot about God but didn’t really know him. They lacked understanding of his mercy and the scope of his plan. God allows his children to suffer and has a way of blessing them because of their struggles.
I am convicted of the times that I made quick assumptions and spoken without knowledge. I have blamed victims only adding to their pain. I have declared judgment on behalf of God, not considering his compassion and mercy. I have practiced pastoral malpractice and been a physician of no value.
Have you? Are you like me, eager to be a help and not a hurt?
Before I stop writing, I am reminded of another case of useless doctors. The Bible tells us about a poor woman who had an infirmity for twelve years. She had wasted all she had paying physicians of no value.
Luke 8:43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,
Not one of these doctors could diagnose her ailment or prescribe the medications. Finally, after she reached the right point of desperation, she reached out to the Lord. When she touched the hem of his garment by faith, it was then that she found her cure.
Luke 8:44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.
What is my point?
The Lord knows what ails you, and he has the cure. Others may let you down, but Jesus will never. He is the Great Physician!
My 2021 Bible Reading Plan
February 15, 2021