Jumping To Conclusions Series

There is a poem that I have enjoyed for many years, but I could

never see how it could be used in a sermon, until I began to study the

friends of Job. I want to share it with you, for it both describes

them, and gives us insight into why they could be so wrong when

they were so often right. It is called The Blind Men and The

Elephant by John Saxe.

It was six men of Indostan

To learning much incline,

Who went to see the Elephant

(Though all of them were blind),

That each by observation

Might satisfy his mind.

The First approach the Elephant,

And happening to fall

Against his broad and sturdy side,

At once began to ball:

"God bless me! But the Elephant

Is very like a wall!"

The second, feeling of the tusk,

Cried, "Ho! What have we here

So very round and smooth and sharp?

To me 'tis mighty clear

This wonder of an Elephant

Is very like a spear!"

The third approached the animal,

And happening to take

The squirming trunk within his hands,

Thus boldly up and spake:

"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant

Is very like a snake!"

The fourth reached out a eager hand,

And felt about the knee.

"What most this wondrous beast is like

Is mighty plain," quoth he;

" 'Tis clear enough, the Elephant

Is very like a tree!"

The fifth who chanced to touch the ear, Said: "E'en the blindest man

Can tell what this resembles most;

Deny the fact who can

This marvel of an Elephant

Is very like a fan!"

The sixth no sooner had begun

About the beast to grope,

Then, seizing on the swinging tail

That fell within his scope,

"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant

Is very like a rope!"

And so these men of Indostan

Disputed loud and long,

Each in his own opinion

Exceeding stiff and strong,

Though each was partly in the right,

And all were in the wrong.

Job's friends were each partly in the right, but all were in the

wrong. The reason is the same as for the blind men. They were

blind to all of reality but their own narrow perspective. They had

found their peace of the puzzle, and declared that to be the puzzle.

It was all so easy to solve, for there were no complexities to deal

with. The friends of Job explained life's sufferings, and specifically

Job's sufferings, as very simple and obvious. They said there is no

mystery here at all. It is clear as a bell that suffering is God's

judgment on the sinner. Job is suffering, therefore, Job is a sinner.

We know Job was not suffering due to his sin, and God was not

chastening him for any failure. But we do not know this about

others who suffer, so how are we to deal with them? The same way

Job's friends should have dealt with him. They should have been

willing to admit the mystery, and not pretend to know what they did

not know. It is one of the worst forms of pride to be unwilling to

confess ignorance. Everybody is ignorant concerning many of the

mysteries of life, and especially the mysteries of suffering. The first

thing you will do about suffering, if you are wise, is not to jump to

conclusions. That was the mistake of the blind men, and Job's

friends. They had their theories about things, and immediately

began to declare them as the sum of all wisdom.

The second thing we learn from their mistakes is, do not deal with

people and their problems as categories, but deal with them as

individuals. Job was an unique individual, and his suffering did not

fit any general category. This is not to say there is not general

category, for there is. There is suffering that is the chastening of

God. There is suffering that is the result of sin. There is suffering

that is the result of ignorance. There are valid general categories,

but it is a mistake to take any individual sufferer, and cast him into

one of these categories, without adequate study of his individual

situation. This takes time, and communication with the individual to

gain understanding.

Job's friends just assumed that Job fell into a certain category,

because they could not see any other category where he would fit.

This was a sin, and they needed to be forgiven to be right with God.

It is a common sin to be guilty of, this treating people as categories,

and not as individuals. The more you study the controversial issues

of life, the more you realize that there is usually some truth on all

sides. Some will have truth that applies to many situations, and

others will have truth that fits different situations.