Job

Job Chapter 4

Eliphaz Speaks: The Innocent Prosper

Job 4:1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2 If we assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? but who can withhold himself from speaking?

Eliphaz decides he can take no more of Job's words of grief. He speaks first but by making assumptions not based on what he saw with his own eyes but on what he assumes. Making assumptions is a human trait we need to avoid. Sometimes God, through His Holy Spirit, strongly reveals something to us like He did through the Old Testament prophets. It is quite another thing to make assumptions and judgments based on our own imaginations or human instincts. Sometimes we are right but many times we are dead wrong and it brings much harm to the innocent.

Paul writes in the book of Galatians:

Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

When we go in the spirit of meekness, we are less likely to be holier than thou or judgmental. There are times of judgment but it has to be a righteous judgment.

Jesus said in the book of John:

John 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

In John chapter 5 The Pharisees saw Jesus healing on the Sabbath day and they made evil assumptions accusing Jesus of breaking the Sabbath by healing a sick man on the Sabbath day.

They were not judging according to what was right, in that a person was made free of disease which was a good thing but they judged by the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law which was meant to do good not evil. They judged Jesus by outward appearances rather than by a righteous judgment. This is legalism, not knowing the motive and heart of Jesus. We all make this mistake many times.

Now back to Job where Eliphaz speaks to Job making the same type of assumption but not out of hate toward Job but with just a little self righteousness not being able to see Job's heart toward God. It is a human trait we all can be guilty of many times.

Job 4:3 Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands.
4 Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.
5 But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.

Eliphaz starts out by complimenting Job on the good he has done before telling Job of what he really thinks has caused this evil to come upon him.

Job 4:6 Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?
7 Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?

Eliphaz didn't know that in his day Jesus, the most innocent person that ever walked on the earth, suffered and died not deserving that death at all.

Job 4:8 Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.
9 By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.

Although there is a law of reaping what one sows and evil does happen because of our sins, there are times when innocent people suffer even though they have done nothing wrong. We've all heard of innocent people suffering throughout history. We don't always understand it, and in that case it is to be left in the hands of God who knows all hearts and will judge righteously in the long run.

Job 4:10 The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken.
11 The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion's whelps are scattered abroad.

Some of this may be true in a since that rulers that are rich have oppressed and sinned against the innocent and end up like a lion without pray, old and with broken teeth. He seems to be using this to assume Job is one that had it all but is now under God's judgment perhaps from some sins unknown to them.

Job 4:12 Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof.
13 In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men,
14 Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake.
15 Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up:
16 It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,
17 Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?
18 Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly:
19 How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?
20 They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it.
21 Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom.

These words of Eliphaz seem as words of wisdom and truth that he claims he saw in a vision. While there is a lot of truth within his words, it was a mistake to apply them to Job at this time. It was like casting darts at him assuming his troubles and suffering in the flesh was because of his sins. Even the truth can be misapplied to the wrong people. Using God's word or truth to accuse an innocent person is like using the word as a hammer. Good word but wrong timing. Whether or not he had a vision or dream from the Lord, we don't know. We all have dreams and visions but discernment is needed to understand if it is a message from the Lord. Motive and timing seems to be important even in sharing God's word.

I was reading a book the other day that was a real blessing and full of nuggets of truth and wisdom but then they began to blast and tear down a public figure for sins that they could not have known about unless they knew the person. The only way they could have known the bad about them is from the news media which we now know is very politically biased. To judge someone and accuse them solely on the news media is a mistake many make. We end up with tyrants and bullies in charge of the government when we vote according to rumors and speculation.

We can only go by what they publically stand for, what they say themselves or if they were previously in some kind of government office, we look at the voting records on things we think are important. We can't go by what the media says about them. I never finished the book after I read that part. It seems like Eliphas is a good person but he is mixing the good that he believes in with the bad he is assuming Job has done. Wrong person and wrong timing. God help us. DC

Job Chapter 5