Eliphaz on Righteousness Job 22

Job 22:3 "Is it any pleasure to the Almight, that thou are righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?"

My answer to both questions would be YES. I don't know about these boys who have come to Job to comfort him. They tell him he is suffering because of wickedness, then one switches as if to say, 'Okay so you are righteous, Does God care?'

I think it is so important to God that he sent his only begotten Son to die so that man had the opportunity to be pleasing to the Father.

Romans 6:13 "Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God."

I Timothy 4:8 "For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come."

There are many verses to answer Eliphaz's questions in a positive way. At this time, they did not have the New Testament so many things were a mystery to them. Abraham would like to have know the details of the mysteries (I suppose) but he went on faith.

Now Eliphaz tells Job that God is far away and cannot see what is going on. Basically, it seems, he is saying that God just does not have time for people and the goings-on on earth.

v14 "Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not, and he walketh in the circuit of heaven."

The thick clouds were to protect the people not hide God. Sinful people before a holy God would not last long, so as in the case of Moses, God choose to appear in the thick cloud. But to say that God cannot see what's happening, is to be naive and misinformed.

Proverbs 15:3 "The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good."

In verses 15-16 Eliphaz refers to the flood in which Noah and his family were saved. See Genesis 6.

"Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden? Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood;"

So Eliphaz brings it down to one thing: if you are innocent you will be delivered.

v30 "He shall deliver the island of the innocent; and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands."

We ought to try to live right and do right. One preacher said 'It is never wrong to do right and it is never right to do wrong to do right.' However, man can not deliver or redeem himself by pureness because he has none. If man could save himself, I use to jokingly say: 'Pick up one foot, (while standing) now the other but keep the first one up too.' Also, it is not always God's will to deliver us from our suffering or testing time. True in the end we will be with Him and be just fine but some of our troubles just have to be gone through, often for purposes that only God knows. But He does know!

A good sermon can be found on testing time at this church website in the sermon section. It was about two Sundays ago in the morning service.

Job reasons about God in the next couple of chapters.

Psalm 62:1-2 "Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.

Eliphaz talks about God being far away.

Job on plight of Wicked Job 21

Job 21:13-14 "They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways."

The 'friends' of Job paint a picture of the wicked which is quite different from what Job says here. The friends have been telling Job that hard times on earth are a result of wickedness. Job tells them that that is not necessarily true as from his observations, the wicked are not disturbed on earth but live a life of luxury until they face their judgment day.

v7 "Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea are mighty in power?"

Then in verse 9 Job talks about the rod of God not being on the wicked. We all know that it is our own children that we correct, sometimes with a spanking. But we do not correct children that we do not know. So God does not exact punishment on those he does not know, not until their judgment.

v9 "Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them."

That is not to say that a wicked man will not reap some rewards here on earth. It is not, though, the gentle correcting of a father to a son. I always told my sons take correction from someone who loves you, don't wait to get it from people who do not know or love you. It will be worse.

Some will remember the story in the New Testament of the rich man and Lazarus the beggar at the gate. The rich man seemed untouched by the cares of the world but his end result was terrible, while the beggar had only what people left him, yet his end was glorious.

Remember Abraham's answer to the rich man in Luke 16:25" But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented."

Job continues: v29-30 "Have ye not asked them that go by the way? and do ye not know their tokens, That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? the shall be brought forth to the day of wrath."

The friends or comforters may have told Job some truth in their speeches but as Job pointed out in the next verse, their truth is mixed with falsehood making their whole argument null.

v34 "How then comfort ye me in vain, seeing in your answers there remaineth falsehood?"

Remember how Satan twisted the truth when he was talking to Eve. He put just enough truth in his words to make them sound legitimate. So did he try to do it with Jesus when he had been fasting. It is a trick that has been passed down through the ages. It pays to listen well.

Genesis 3:4 "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:"

A bold lie for it went directly against what God had said. This lie is more subtle: Genesis 3:3 "But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." It wasn't highlighted for Eve. Read what God really said: Genesis 2:17 "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Notice the highlighted part is missing in the original statement made by God.

Why would Satan change a few seemingly meaningless words? I believe it was to set Eve up for the bigger lies that followed. Eve was told the rules by Adam because she was not there for the original statement, so not only did Satan cast doubt on what God said but her husband as well.

So back to Job, next time Eliphaz has a few things to say it seems to me that he is running out of steam.

Psalm 146:17 "The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. v18 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth."

Job talks about the wicked.

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Eliphaz Speaks Again Job 15

Job 15:2 "Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?"

Eliphaz could have well asked himself the same question. All together he launched into a series of questions, 16 in all, plus one included in a statement. I don't know about people who always ask a question in response to a question. Perhaps, we are all looking for answers.

Eliphaz is quick to condemn Job but does not mention his own shortfalls.

v6 "Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I; yea, thine own lips testify against thee."

Forgotten is the trip to come see Job and comfort him in his distress. It has become a battle of words and debate over wisdom and who possesses the most. We could call it a sad scene.

Eliphaz does give some insight into the longevity of the people back then and the time frame this story fits into.

v10 "With us are both the grayheaded and very aged men, much elder than thy father."

The verse speaks of long life. It tells us that Job's father may still be alive but that some of the people with Eliphaz are even older than he. Another verse hints at this:

v18&19 "Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid it: Unto whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger passed among them."

This seems to tell me that the wise men spoken of b Eliphaz received their wisdom from men who got it from the beginning and that they all knew each other (no stranger passed among them). It would have been quite a time to live when everyone knew each other and live hundreds of years and the earth was yet young.

Eliphaz continues with the general theme of all the 'friends' that bad things only come on the wicked.

v20 "The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor."

v21 "A dreadful sound is in his ears; in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him."

If Job was not depressed, he surely must be now after hearing all that.

Eliphaz must not let us forget the hypocrites: v34&35 "For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery, They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity and their belly prepareth deceit."

We probably could call this the "They brought it on themselves." chapter. I have often heard it in church circles. Some people believe that everyone who has lung cancer was a heavy smoker. It is possible that the environment or place of work caused the illness. There are a lot of dangerous chemicals around, at work and at home. Other health problems are not always caused by what appears to be. We should be careful not to judge but instead show compassion.

Jesus is our example. He did not jump on the woman at the well but instead offered her eternal life. He did not ask if the boy was a good boy before he died but instead had compassion. We ought to 'take the high road' when dealing with the sick and downtrodden, it may be us next time.

Jude 22 "And of some have compassion, making a difference."

Eliphaz speaks again.

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Eliphaz Continues Job 5

Job 5:1 "Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn?"

Eliphaz is still talking from the last chapter. I should not be too critical of Eliphaz because what he said was important enough to be recorded in the scriptures.

He shows a lot of wisdom in these verses and no doubt he has had many discussions with his friend Job. In the case, however, I think Eliphaz has missed the point and does not know the whole situation. He is dealing with Job as if this was only an individual struggle. It is a test to show Satan that a righteous man can remain faithful even in the most awful circumstances.

v2 "For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one."

He is not giving Job much credit in this chapter. He is putting Job in the category of fools and then goes on to tell him what all happens to a foolish man. In verse 4 he cruelly reminds Job of the loss of his children and indicates it was his fault "His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them."

Then he reminds Job that his crops are being taken by strangers. It also reminds one of the loss of the oxen used to plow and the other animals that were taken in the first chapter. v5 "Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up their substance." In better times, Job would have had people to prevent all this from happening but he is in a helpless state.

As if Job had not already been praying, Eliphaz tells him that if it were him he would seek God in verse 8. 'Look now if it was me...' v8 "I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause: That is good advice but probably not appropriate now for such a man as Job who must have surely been communing with God all along.

In verse 13 Job's wisdom is attacked. He is a teacher of many and must have been sought after for advice since he was so successful. v13 "He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.." I do not believe Job used his wisdom to try to get some advantage. But he is virtually accused of such here.

It goes on and on. Eliphaz is in a accusatory mode and even with his wise words, it seems, he has still missed the jest of Job's situation. I like a lot of what Eliphaz said but if I were Job and had spent my life devoted to God, I would not want to hear all that he said at this time.

In the last verse, Eliphaz takes credit for what he has said. It is based on his great wisdom. "Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good."

Just because Eliphaz has done some research on the problem, does not give him the final say so and does not make it so just because he has spoken it. There is wisdom far beyond that of man.

In the next chapter we will see what Job's response is.

Psalm 88:1-3 "O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee: Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry; For my soul is full of troubles and my life draweth nigh unto the grave."

Eliphaz continues speaking to Job.

Eliphaz Speaks to Job - Job 4

Job 4:2 "If we assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? but who can withhold himself from speaking?"

Eliphaz was sort of respectful but as good as said that he was going to talk anyway. He makes several points in the next two chapters and I believe stretches the truth some. He is basically talking from 'much learning' and does not understand the test Job is going through.

(A note of caution when quoting and studying the Bible. There are often conversations in the Bible or someone telling a story i.e. the conversation Jesus had with Satan when he was being enticed to test God. Another is when the Philistine was telling David of Saul's death, he lied that Saul was killed by himself when actually Saul fell on his sword. The danger is in picking out a single verse and using it without considering the context.)

Let's look at the points Eliphaz made:

-Job must have sinned:
v7 "Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?"

He tells Job that he has been a shining light but surely he must have done something to bring all this trouble on him.

-God's judgment and his own experience:
v8 "Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same. v9 By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed."

Remember the first chapter. God said Job was a perfect and upright man. It was Satan who said Job would fail if his blessings were taken away. Contrary to some present day teachings, hard times are not always a sign of sinful living, nor is wealth a sign of righteous living.

-Now Eliphaz says he was given a secret vision:
v13 "In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men."
He lays it on thick. v 14 "Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake. v15 "Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up:"

Now I get a little skeptical when people start talking like that. There are many spirits in the world and all of them are not of God. A cold chill will also make goose bumps and a breeze will move hair on your arm.

I John 4:1 "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."
I Timothy 4:4 "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that int he latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; v2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; heaving their conscience seared with a hot iron;"

-It seems here that Eliphaz is saying that Job has placed himself above God in some way.
v17 "Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?"

I have seen nothing in Job that would indicate that he felt he was better than God. Eliphaz seems to be attacking Job's mind, to put in swirling thoughts to torment him. Is Eliphaz part of the test? Is Satan using him to no good? I cannot be sure but if a friend came to me when I was in such trouble, I would not want a long discourse. I would enjoy a drink of cool water more.

Eliphaz continues in the next chapter.

Psalm 40:14-15 "Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil. Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha."

Eliphaz talks to Job.
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