Job

Job Chapter 15

Eliphaz Accuses: Job Does Not Fear God

Job 15:1 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,

Here we go again starting with the first speaker to continue his accusations against Job. I would say that many times when someone false accuses another without real proof or valid reasons for the accusation, they are sometimes guilty of the same things perhaps or guilty of other sins equal to the wrong they accuse the other person of. This is getting out of hand when they accuse Job of things relating to his relationship with God. The so called friends are really being cruel.

Job 15:2 Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?
3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk? or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?

He accuses Job of speaking things vain and unprofitable words that do not do any good. The east wind representing words of vanity or for nothing.

Job 15:4 Yea, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God.
5 For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.
6 Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yea, thine own lips testify against thee.

This would hurt a true person that loved God. To be accused of having no fear or disrepect for God is one of the worst things to be accused of if one is a devout follower of the Lord. He also accuses Job of being guilty by the words of his own mouth. He is saying to Job, "You are condemning yourself with your own words, Job."

Job 15:7 Art thou the first man that was born? or wast thou made before the hills?
8 Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?
9 What knowest thou, that we know not? what understandest thou, which is not in us?
10 With us are both the grayheaded and very aged men, much elder than thy father.

One or two of Job's three friends seem to be older than Job's father, one has gray hair indicating he is older than Job and has lived longer than Job so they must know more than he knows. In other words because Job is younger, he couldn't know what he is saying about God or anything else so he should listen to him. In other words, he is saying, "We are older and wiser than you, so you need to take us seriously and listen to us." They say these things not knowing or seeing what is in the heart and mind of Job. Notice how close they are to accusing Job of what Satan said to the Lord about Job if God would just remove the hedge around him.

We live in an age now where the advise and counsel of the older generation is often disrepected and ignored which is sad, very sad but in Job's case, it does not apply. It would be interesting to know how Job would have reacted to one of his friends if the same thing that happened to them that is happening to him (Job).

Job 15:11 Are the consolations of God small with thee? is there any secret thing with thee?
12 Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at,
13 That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest such words go out of thy mouth?
14 What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

Here he accuses Job of making light of God's comfort and thinking he is superior to God in knowledge. He accuses Job of being proud thinking he (Job) has no sin. He also accuses Job of turning against God.

Job 15:15 Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.
16 How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?
17 I will shew thee, hear me; and that which I have seen I will declare;

He now says that God does not put any trust in his own people that believe in Him. Partly true I guess but at the beginning of the book of Job we see God speaking to Satan about the goodness of Job.

Job 1:8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

The verse in Job 1:8 seems to refute what Eliphaz is saying to Job.

Job 15:18 Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid it:
19 Unto whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger passed among them.

In the beginning probably from the days of Noah after the flood, they learned from generation to generation without what we know as the bible. However, Josephus and other books like the book of Enoch may show us that Noah may have preserved writings on the Ark. Not everyone believe that but knowing who God is and how He preserves His word, He may have provided things that were to be hidden until the days just before His coming. Who knows? All I know is that God knows how to preserve His word for those that believe.

Many have tried to destroy it but you can't destroy what God has given. We can refuse to receive it but it is still available to those that seek Him. I just heard the recently that there is one man that wants the whole bible rewritten using artificial intelligence. That would not change the word of God from the beginning. That will not change God nor get rid of His existence. That would only add to their sins that they will stand before God one day that will be coming soon. When God speaks no one can reverse it no matter how hard they try. They tried to burn bibles in the middle ages. But alas we still have the bible today. Praise the Lord.

Job 15:20 The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor.
21 A dreadful sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.
22 He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword.
23 He wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? he knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.
24 Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.

This is true of the wicked. By this time I would tell these so called friends to leave for they use good words and true words but apply it to Job when he hasn't been guilty of being wicked. His words are true of the wicked and makes sense but it's applied to the wrong person by his making assumptions concerning Job.

Job 15:25 For he stretcheth out his hand against God, and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty.
26 He runneth upon him, even on his neck, upon the thick bosses of his bucklers:
27 Because he covereth his face with his fatness, and maketh collops of fat on his flanks.
28 And he dwelleth in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabiteth, which are ready to become heaps.
29 He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof upon the earth.
30 He shall not depart out of darkness; the flame shall dry up his branches, and by the breath of his mouth shall he go away.
31 Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence.
32 It shall be accomplished before his time, and his branch shall not be green.
33 He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive.
34 For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.
35 They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit.

Imagine saying all those things to Job who loved God and was faithful to God. His troubles is not because of any sin he had done or deceit, hypocrisy or any other evil thing. The only thing Job has done amiss was thinking God was doing this to him. His friends are making judgments out of their own mind.

I'm reminded of Paul the apostle who with others was stranded upon an island. As they built a fire, a viper wrapped around his hand. The natives of the island assumed that Paul was an evil person that done something very bad, both because he was already a prisoner that was shipwrecked with his captors and also because that viper would bring instant death if it had of bitten Paul and they thought that would only happen to evil people. When Paul was not hurt they went the other extreme and assumed Paul was some kind of god. This is told in the book of Acts.

We see here some of the words of Job's friends are true but it is badly aimed at the wrong person at the wrong time. DC

Job Chapter 16