Negative words produce negative thoughts - Job 12-13

In these three chapters of Job we have the results of what happens when friends give bad counsel to someone. Imagine that in the last few chapters proceeding Job's response in 12-13, Bildad, Eliphaz and Zophar would have come to Job and talked to him about the majesty of God. Imagine that rather than try to explain to Job "why his sin had caused this difficulty" they talked to him about the God who saves and rescues and restores. Imagine if rather than blaming Job for the calamity he was in they simply encouraged Job to look to the God who can save him from the calamity. What would chapter 12-13 sound like. Job would have focused on God and had his head filled with who God is and what God can do. Instead, Job is defending himself, refuting his friends and drawing false conclusions about God. In chapter 12 Job seems to be reflecting on God but in order to defend himself from his friends he begins to draw wrong doctrine about God in chapter 13. When people give wrong counsel to those in broken straights it is tough for those same people to focus on the majesty of God. We can spend so much time "diagnosing" the problem that we do great harm to those who need to know about the solutions. We must find a way to temper our diagnoses and incapsulate it in a Divine Solution. God knows the real reason someone is in turmoil. God's Word is the sword that both discerns and cuts away the problem (Hebrews 4:12). When we are working with someone who is in a tight space we ought not tighten the loop around their neck with poor counsel of condemnation. We ought to talk to them about the majesty of God and how He can deliver. Positive words about God can and will produce a positive response toward God.