He has alienated my family from me; my acquaintances are completely estranged from me. – Job 19:13

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 9, 2018): Job 19

The first-century Greek biographer, Plutarch, insisted that “When the strong box contains no more both friends and flatterers shun the door.” When we no longer have anything to give, then those that we know no longer have any reason to seek us out. It may be the single most ignored reason for the loneliness in contemporary society. One of the most valuable commodities in our society is our time, we are too busy and disposable time is in short supply, and when we do have some time to spend with someone, we want it to be profitable – we need to get something out of the experience. But it isn’t just money or material possessions that we need from each other. We often underestimate the value of good conversation, companionship and honest fun. Some will argue that we don’t care anymore, but that is not true. We care, but our time must be given in the right places, and the unspoken requirement is “where can I place my time where I will receive the most benefit.”

In anything of value, Job is now destitute. It is not just material possessions that he has lost. He is now poor in influence and in conversation and companionship. There is absolutely nothing that is fun about Job’s existence. He now has nothing to offer, and so now people have no reason to spend their time on him. Those who were once close have now left him alone, wandering farther away as each day passes.

And that includes Job’s three friends Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar. There is some reason to believe that the New International Version, in an attempt to be more gender inclusive, may have misquoted this verse. “He has alienated my family from me”could be better translated, as older translations do, as “He has alienated my brothers from me.” The reason why this might be important is that it seems likely that Job is not talking about his blood family. Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar were as close as his brothers, but now they are not even acquaintances. The only reason why these three former friends have stopped by was so that they can finally assert their superiority over Job, and they now have an opportunity to lecture this friend who once had everything. And in doing so, they distance themselves from their former “brother.”

All of this has changed, not because of actions of Job, but rather because Job’s situation has changed. The strong box is empty, and Job no longer has anything to offer those who might stop by.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Job 20