Timing ...

A friend of Job, Eliphaz, has taken a while to observe and then he speaks as he observes the suffering Job:

"If one ventures a word with you, will you be offended?

But who can keep from speaking?" (Job 4:2).

From my perspective the first question is the most important one. If one is to be heard adult to adult the one who desires to speak must be certain that the other is ready to hear. An imaginary scene I have of this is a supervisor who is working with a staff-person and says a phrase like, "Let me know when you are ready to listen".

For me, the second question of Eliphaz should have not been asked until the first one was answered. Oh well, he was an overly anxious advisor who wanted to come up with quick answers to the difficult problems of Job around the question, "Why did all this tragedy occur to me?"

Who can keep from speaking? In reality, the one who waits to be heard best.