The Book of Job Can Help Us to Give Good Advice

1-2. Wetin make it hard for Job three friend dem and Elihu to comfort him?

WHEN Job lost everything he wor having, plenty people hear about it. Job wor having three friend name Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. When they hear what happen to Job, they travel to Uz to comfort him. But their mouth wor full when they see what happen to him because they wor not expecting it.

² Just imagine what happen to Job. He wor suffering because he lost plenty of the thing dem da wor important to him. For example, they steal or kill all his cow, camel, donkey and sheep dem. All Job children dem die when the house they wor in break down on them. And most of Job servant dem die too. But da not all, Job self get sick bad way. Sore wor all on his body. When Job three friend dem reach there, they see him sitting down in the aches looking sorrowful. Wetin they do? They sit down side Job for whole seven days, but they not say nothing to him even though they see him suffering. (Job 2:​12, 13) After some time, one young man name Elihu come visit Job, and he sit down side them too. Then Job start talking. He say da he just want die and he wish da his ma never born him. (Job 3:​1-3, 11) It clear da Job really wanted his friend dem to encourage him, but it wor hard for them. So what this man dem coming say and the way they will say it, will show whether they really Job friend dem and they care for him.

3. Wetin we coming talk about in this article?

³ Jehovah make Moses to write the thing dem Elihu and Job three friend dem say and do. It good to remember da some of the thing dem Eliphaz say da one demon tell him to say it. But Elihu talk thing dem da Jehovah wanted him to talk. (Job 4:​12-16; 33:​24, 25) Da the reason why the book of Job get some good-good advice and some bad advice. So we coming talk about how the book of Job can help us when we want give advice. But first, we will talk about the bad example da Job three friend dem set. From there, we will talk about Elihu good example. Then we will talk about how the Israelite dem wor coming benefit from the book of Job and how we can benefit from it today.

HOW JOB THREE FRIEND DEM ADVISE HIM?

4. Why Job three friend dem wor not able to comfort him? (Also see the picture.)

⁴ The Bible say da Job three friend dem come comfort him because they hear about all the bad-bad thing dem da happen to him. (Job 2:11) But they wor not able to comfort him. Let talk about three reasons why they wor not able to do it. (1) They not take time to listen to Job and understand what he wor going through. For example, they wor thinking da Jehovah wor punishing Job because he do bad thing.a (Job 4:7; 11:14) (2) Most of the thing dem they tell Job not really help him even though it wor looking like it make sense. (Job 13:12) They also say thing dem to Job to make him feel bad. For example, Bildad tell Job two times da he can talk too much. (Job 8:2; 18:2) And sometime they even cuss Job. For example, Zophar compare Job to somebody who not get sense.” (Job 11:12) (3) Even though they not yell at Job, but the thing dem they say and the way they say it show da they wor not having love and respect for Job. (Job 15:​7-11) So this men dem not comfort Job, but they continue trying to show da Job na sin.

5. What wor the result from the advice da Job three friend dem give?

⁵ When Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar finish talking, Job wor feeling bad more than before. (Job 19:2) So the more his friend dem blame him, da the more time he try to defend hisself. And da it make Job to say some thing dem da wor not correct. (Job 6:​3, 26) Job friend dem wor not thinking like Jehovah and they wor not feeling sorry for Job. Because of da, Satan wor able to use them. (Job 2:​4, 6) How the Israelite dem wor coming benefit from this story and how we can benefit from it today?

6. Wetin the elder dem in Israel wor coming learn from Job three friend dem bad example?

⁶ How the Israelite dem wor coming benefit? When Jehovah give his Law to the Israelite dem, he choose qualify men or elders to judge his people and to help them follow his Law. (Deut. 1:​15-18; 27:1) This elder dem wor suppose to listen good-good before they give advice or judge the people. (2 Chron. 19:6) They also suppose to ask question instead of thinking da they know everything. (Deut. 19:18) They suppose to know how to talk to people who use to come to them for help. Why? Because getting vex can make the person to not say what in their heart. (Ex. 22:​22-24) Da some of the lesson here the elder dem in Israel wor coming learn from Job story.

7. Beside the elder dem in Israel, who else use to give advice, and how they wor coming benefit from Job story? (Proverbs 27:9)

⁷ But da not only the elder dem in Israel use to give advice. Da everybody use to give advice. Young or old person, man or woman use to advise each other to get good friendship with Jehovah. They also use to advise their friend dem when they do something wrong. (Ps. 141:5) Real friend can be willing to advise each other. (Read Proverbs 27:9.) If the Israelite dem wor coming think about how Job three friend dem talk to him, they wor coming learn what to not say and what to not do when they giving advice.

8. Wetin we mon do when we giving advice? (Also see the pictures.)

⁸ How we can benefit? We always want help our brother and sister dem when they going through problem. But how we mon do it so we can’t be like Job three friend dem? (1) We mon not make decision before we hear the whole story and we mon make sure to get all the information before we give advice. (2) We mon take our advice from the Bible instead of taking it from our own thinking like the way Eliphaz do it. (Job 4:8; 5:​3, 27) (3) We mon be kind when we talking with the person. Remember da Job three friend dem say some thing dem da wor true. In fact, one of them say something and the apostle Paul also say da same thing. (Compare Job 5:13 with 1 Corinthians 3:19.) But plenty of the thing dem they say about God wor not true and they make Job to feel bad. So Jehovah say da they wor not talking the true. (Job 42:​7, 8) When we giving advice, we mon not make it look like it hard to satisfy Jehovah or make the person feel da Jehovah not love them. Now let talk about wetin we can learn from Elihu example.

HOW ELIHU ADVISE JOB?

9. Why Job still wanted help when his friend dem finish talking?

⁹ Job and his three friend dem argue for long time. And to show da they talk plenty, the thing dem they say make 28 chapters in the Bible. And most of the thing dem they say show da they wor really vex. No wonder why Job continue to feel bad! He still wanted for somebody to comfort him and give him advice. So how Jehovah help Job? He use Elihu to give him advice. Why Elihu wait for this man dem to finish arguing before he start talking? He say: “I am young and you men are aged. So I respectfully held back.” (Job 32:​6, 7) Elihu knew da old people get plenty sense because they na live long and they na pass through plenty things more than young people. But when he finish listening good-good to Job and his three friend dem, Elihu wor not able to keep quiet again. He say: “Age alone does not make one wise, nor is it only old men who understand what is right.” (Job 32:9) Wetin else Elihu say and how he say it?

10. Wetin Elihu do before he start advising Job? (Job 33:​6, 7)

¹⁰ Before Elihu advise Job, he make Job heart to lay down and help him to be ready to listen to what he wor going to say. How he do it? Since the thing dem da Elihu hear make him vex, he wait for his heart to cool down before he start talking to Job. (Job 32:​2-5) Because of da, Elihu not say anything to make Job feel bad. For example, he tell Job say: “Look! I am just like you before the true God.” (Read Job 33:​6, 7.) Then Elihu make it clear da he na listen good-good to Job. In fact, before Elihu advise Job, he go over some of the main point dem da Job make. (Job 32:11; 33:​8-11) And when Elihu continue talking, he still go over some of the thing dem Job say. It show da he really listen to Job.—Job 34:​5, 6, 9; 35:​1-4.

11. How Elihu advise Job? (Job 33:1)

¹¹ When Elihu wor advising Job, he show da he really respect Job. For example, Elihu call Job by his name but it like this three men dem not do it. (Read Job 33:1.) Elihu remember da he wanted to talk the time Job and his friend dem wor arguing. So when Elihu wor advising Job, he know da it wor important to give Job chance to talk. (Job 32:4; 33:32) Elihu also tell Job da some of the thing dem they say and do wor not correct. He remind him about Jehovah wisdom, power, justice, and loyal love. (Job 36:​18, 21-26; 37:​23, 24) The good advice da Elihu give really help Job to be able to listen to more advice from Jehovah. (Job 38:​1-3) How Elihu example wor coming benefit the Israelite dem and how we can benefit from it today?

12. How Jehovah use to use prophets to direct his people, and how Elihu good example wor coming help the Israelites and the prophet dem?

¹² How the Israelite dem wor coming benefit? Most of the time, Jehovah use to use prophets to teach the Israelite dem and correct them. For example, the time Jehovah wor using Judges, he use Deborah to direct his people. He also use Samuel to direct the Israelite dem even though he wor still small. (Judg. 4:​4-7; 5:7; 1 Sam. 3:​19, 20) Then during the time the king dem wor ruling, Jehovah use different-different prophet dem to help his people to continue worshiping him. And they also use to correct people when they not obey Jehovah. (2 Sam. 12:​1-4; Acts 3:24) Elihu good example wor coming help faithful men and women and the prophet dem to know what to say and how to say it when they giving advice.

13. How we can encourage our brother and sister dem?

¹³ How we can benefit? Like the prophet dem, we ourself too can tell people about God by using the Bible. Also, we can say thing dem da can comfort and encourage our brother and sister dem. (1 Cor. 14:3) The Elder dem mon always be kind when they talking to their brother and sister dem, even if the person vex or they say thing dem da they not suppose to say.—1 Thess. 5:14; Job 6:3.

14-15. How elders can be like Elihu when they go encourage somebody? Give example.

¹⁴ Let look at this example. Let say one elder hear da one sister in his congregation really feeling discourage. So he and one other brother go visit her to encourage her. The sister tell them da even though she can go to meeting and go field service, she not really happy. Wetin this brother dem will do?

¹⁵ First, they will try to understand wetin making the sister to feel like da. And to do da one, they mon ask some question and listen good-good when she talking. Maybe she not too sure da Jehovah love her. Or maybe she worrying too much about how to take care of herself. (Luke 21:34) Then second, they can tell her thank you for the good-good thing dem she doing. For example, they can tell her thank you for going to meeting and field service even though she feeling discourage. And third, when they understand her situation good-good and know why she feeling like da, then they can use the Bible to help her know da God really love her.—Gal. 2:20.

CONTINUE TO BENEFIT FROM THE BOOK OF JOB

16. How we can continue to benefit from the book of Job?

¹⁶ We can get plenty benefit when we study the book of Job! For example, in the article before this one, we learn da the book of Job teach us why God allow suffering. And we also learn how we can remain faithful to Jehovah even when we suffering. And in this article, we na learn da we mon not follow Job three friend dem bad example when we giving advice, but we mon follow Elihu good example. Before you advise somebody again, you not think it will be good to go over some lesson dem from the book of Job? If you not read the book of Job for some time yet, make it your goal to read it soon. When you do it, you will enjoy it and you will learn some other good-good lesson dem from there.