d came to offer their sympathy and grief. After about a week of prayers, Job finally broke down. He curses the day he was born. He figures that if he had died at birth, he would now be at rest. He wonders why life should be given to a person who desires only death, who has ceased to find any value in life, who has lost all hope of escape from continuous terror and torment. His friends answer him in a series of three rounds, the first being the most significant of the three. Eliphaz answers first by saying that in the past, Job helped others with encouraging words but now that things are not going his way, he impatiently gives up. The righteous living that he had in the past should sustain him through his trials now. Still, it is not the innocent who suffer, but rather those who deserve it. No man is capable of a totally righteous relationship with God. Job's resentment of discipline is very unwise. God will not change your circumstances and a stubborn refusal to learn from them will result in death. A person living foolishly is prosperous for a while, then he is suddenly destroyed. The source of the problem is not man's circumstances, but his heart. Eliphaz says that Job should look to God for deliverance. He does astonishing things. He helps those who are hurt and oppressed but destroys the corrupt. He tells Job to accept God's discipline. He should learn from it and then God will bless him in many ways. Job replied by saying that his complaint is justified. If only Eliphaz would comprehe
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