Understanding others takes skill. Not everything that is explicit and visible, is something that is truly felt by others. We may see our best friend or relative going through the day with a smile on their face, even though they are carrying a heavy burden in their heart. On other occasions someone who seems unremarkable may be suffering from a great deal of worry because of the struggles they are going through.
In the current reading Job protests to his friends, especially Eliphaz, who he feels does not understand the severity of the suffering he is going through. He felt left alone through all the misfortune and suffering. In fact, what Job experienced was very complex. He not only suffered physically but also mentally as he struggled with questions and tried to understand why he was suffering. The emotions and thoughts were so many and so heavy that they were like the sand in the sea that cannot be counted (v. 3). The struggle intensified as Job felt that the misfortune that befell him was allowed by God to happen in his life. The one he trusted the most and the one on whom he pinned his hopes. Like an arrow from the Almighty stuck into his body.
In verses 5 and 6, Job tries to convey his feelings through a metaphor. Animals who get their favorite food are at ease, humans who are served bad tasteless food feel nauseous. The timid wild donkey will not whinny when he finds young grass after the rain has fallen on the edge of the desert. The bull will not whimper when provided with grass mixed with sour leaves and given yeast, so he likes it. While humans will surely complain and feel nauseous when given tasteless food, like the tasteless words that were delivered but did not hit what Job felt and did not have the slightest comforting effect.
Through all the despair, Job felt that in the world of the dead there was peace and tranquility. It was hard to live a life with such constraints. But in all the dynamics that occurred Job never denied the words of God the Holy One. Thus, the questions Job asked were part of his faith process.
With such complex expressions of distress and feelings, it is natural that Job felt that the comfort delivered by Eliphaz as shown in chapters 4-5 was an attempt to simplify the problem. Eliphaz only told Job to repent because his suffering must be the result of sin. There was no attempt to understand his friend. So moving on from this, let us have the ability to understand well, especially in dealing with people around us who may be experiencing such severe problems. Learning to respond to the complaints of people who are suffering is no less important. Reflecting on Job, we must see the complaints that arise in the frame of a person's mental and emotional shock amidst the heavy storms of life. His complaints are part of an expression of honesty that might be a bit of a relief. Let's learn to understand others, because being misunderstood by our fellow man is really burdensome.
