Have You Three Friends?

“Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; … to mourn with him and to comfort him.” (Job 2:11-13)

Are you quite sure that you have three friends? Three friends who would come to you in your grief (or who would if only they could)? Three friends who would weep over you before the Lord until their eyes were red and their faces swollen because of their fellow-feeling? Have you three friends?

Now most of us have people who are somehow dear to us and we regard them as friends; but, while we believe we are their friend, are we quite sure that they are possessed of the same feeling toward us? No friendship is perfectly mutual, possessing an equal degree of give and take, or an identical height of affection. I often consider the friendship of David and Jonathan; it seems that David was almost always on the receiving end and Jonathan on the giving, but their friendship was unlike anything else either man would know in life.

My dad was often heard to say that if a person had one true friend in his whole life he was a lucky fellow. His definition of a true friend was somewhat, if not terribly, idealistic for sure. But we would think his definition idealistic only because we all pretty much know that to expect too much from our regular friends is to be unrealistic. He’s just a friend, someone might say. I’m sure just a friend or a regular friend and a true friend have to be entirely different.

When we call someone brother we acknowledge some sort of kinship. Most of us would suppose that some kind of friendship would suit such a relationship. Yet we all know of brothers who can’t stand each other. Just today I met a lady whose brother estranged himself from her for years and truly broke her heart. After a number of years of pain and hurt, they are trying to mend the relationship, but she knows that she will always be somewhat distrusting of him from now on. Sometimes a brother may make himself your enemy; being a brother means he’s already close enough to inflict harm. One reason it hurts like it does when such a relationship goes bad is that we initially place so many good expectations on a relationship with a brother (or sister).

Some friends are closer than natural relatives ever could be. We know this is true. None of us is surprised to find the Book of Proverbs telling us, “…there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother” (18:24). It would seem that “Job’s three friends” were such friends to him. He had known them for a long time, no doubt; they had all developed great interest in each other over time. It would seem that, even though they were often terribly wrong in what they would say about God and His ways, they struggled hard to make sense of all that had happened and they truly wanted Job’s trials to end and to see their friend entirely well again. They wanted to see their friend whole once more.

Have you three friends? Three. By some people’s thinking three is not nearly enough. I am thinking three friends is a really good start.

If you happen to be well and prospering and have an abundance of friends, remember Job. If ever you should wear his sandals, you may be surprised at how few friends you actually have. If you are not now in Job’s sandals, think about wearing the sandals of “Job’s three friends.” It is almost certain that, today, someone needs you to be the friend they think you are. –TSA