The book of Job, a Hebrew poem of rare beauty and force, preserved in the Scriptures for centuries, offers much on the subject of friendship that is valuable to the student of Christian Science. The book is in the nature of an allegory, showing the struggles of an individual with his own doubts as he attempts to reconcile the suffering of the righteous and the innocent with the government of a just God.
It will be remembered that the prologue presents two suppositional conversations between Satan and God. The faithful Job is the subject of the discussion. Satan declares that Job's loyalty to God is due to his prosperity and contends that if his material possessions were taken away and he found it unprofitable to serve God, he would cease to worship Him. In order to test this assertion, Satan is given permission to bring whatever trouble he wishes upon Job, with, finally, the sole provision that he spare his life. He then proceeds to deprive Job of his wealth, his children, and lastly of his health. It is at this point, when Job, physically and mentally tortured, sits in abject misery among the ashes, that his friends come to console him.
At sight of him they are speechless, and for seven days remain silent in contemplation of his predicament. Finally, voicing what is in their thought, they suggest to Job that it may be his sin that has brought him into his present condition. In a series of speeches they present arguments to convince him of his unworthiness and of God's justice in bringing this punishment upon him. Job, though puzzled as to the reason of his affliction, refuses to accept their conclusions, firmly maintaining his innocence of conscious wrongdoing.
