The friendship of utility, of pleasure, and of virtus.

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The Friendship of Utility, of Pleasure, and of Virtue
Well, it is clear that Job had friends who came to comfort him at his lowest. From their reactions, it is also true that they were deeply concerned about him and really tried to help him find the cause of his suffering. In the words of Piper, “They (Job’s friends) had argued that suffering was a punishment for sin and prosperity is a reward for righteousness… Job had defended himself all along saying, contrary to his three friends, that there is good evidence from all over the world that the wicked often prosper and the righteous often suffer.”(Piper 2020) They were trying to help but in their helping, we learn a thing or two about them. One, they did not know Job as well as they though they did. Although they are his friends, they do not revere and honor Job because they do not understand and appreciate his true potential, they do not encourage him, support him and understand him. Instead, they shift blame towards him and suggest that because of the suffering, Job did something that put him through it. Bildad even says that it is possible Job’s children did something to put him through this suffering. For this reason, the type of friendship that they had was not virtue based. They cannot lament with him even though they lack a basis for judging him. The friends become hostile and even accuse him falsely, things he did not do as in Chapter twenty two verse nine (TOW 2011).
The friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite came to mourn but with their friend but were from three different places. These places had completely different ways of life which makes their interpretation of Job’s suffering a little different. Eliphaz brings in a Biblical explanation why he insinuates that Job is being punished for his sins. Bildad represents what his people believe in, Job is being tested to receive greater reward and Zophar on the other hand suggests that Job suffers because of God’s arbitrary will just like his (Zophar’s) people, the Asharites, would say. In his opinion, Eliphaz acknowledges that everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and that no righteous man can be punished. This is the reason he strongly believes that Job must have done something that the Lord did not like.
On the other hand, Bildad suggests, in Chapter Eight of the book of Job that may be Job’s children did sin. Out of this assumption, he expects Job to admit fault and start over. Similarly, Zophar agrees that God punished Job because he is wicked as the just are rewarded and the wicked are punished. These assumptions and suggestions by Job friends really bring out an interesting irony. They are Job’s friends who are supposed to know him better than anyone else yet they are certain that Job must have done something that God is punishing him for. For this reason, we can best describe the friendship as a utility based friendship. The friends knew Job as a righteous man and that there was mutual usefulness. They knew Job was a rich person with a lot of servants and a lot of wealth. However, when they realize that he has lost it all, they even accuse him falsely. El...