The settling dust slowly drifted around. Most of it went downwards whilst some dust drifted upward. As it settled down a lingering reality came over Job. Time sat beside him, unrolling the life of Job. Contrasting so deeply with his current situation, it seemed foreign. He could slowly think of every moment of his life. Every smile, every laugh and every song sung in joy. Everything that his memory could take hold of was available to be seen once again. Interrupted by a pulsing pain from his sores. Regarding his life and weighing the past against his present he came to a conclusion.
Job really suffered. He contemplated death and how it would be better than what he was experiencing. He even went as far as to say that he wished he was never born. Would any past joy be worth this heavy suffering that was currently weighing him down to the floor? He cursed the day that he was born. In his lament, Job subtly questioned the very day that God had ordained.
It was this suffering that caused the friends of Job to weep and sit in silence for seven days. It was this suffering that directed his mind and guided his conclusion. He would rather have never been born than experience this. He started to lament out loud. In a raw stream of emotions he expressed his heart to his close friends: loss, regret, longing and probably fear. These words expressed his long consideration that occupied his mind, summing up lonely nights, mocking words, grief and pain. He was honest in his speech, open and vulnerable. Job did not seek to explain why or how; he simply expressed his sorrow.
Job bared open his soul to his friends, sharing his grief. As they sat in silence and his mind processed his life, he shared this intimate grief and emotions with them. How did they react? What did they say, what did they think? How did these friends interpret Job’s fall?