Eliphaz: Can a Man Be of Use to God?
“Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied: “Can a man be of use to God? Can even a wise man benefit Him? Does it delight the Almighty that you are righteous? Does He profit if your ways are blameless? Is it for your reverence that He rebukes you and enters into judgment against you?
Is not your wickedness great? Are not your iniquities endless? For you needlessly demanded security from your brothers, stripping off their clothes and leaving them naked. You gave no water to the weary, and you withheld food from the famished, while the land belonged to a mighty man, and a man of honor lived on it. You sent widows away empty-handed, and the strength of the fatherless was crushed. Therefore snares surround you, and sudden peril terrifies you; it is so dark you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you. Is not God as high as the heavens? Look at the highest stars, how lofty they are! Yet you say: ‘What does God know? Does He judge through thick darkness? Clouds veil Him so that He cannot see, as He traverses heaven’s horizon.’
Will you stay on the ancient path that wicked men have trod? They were snatched away before their time, and their foundations were swept away by a river. They said to God, ‘Depart from us. What can the Almighty do to us?’ But it was He who filled their houses with good things; so I stay far from the counsel of the wicked. The righteous see it and are glad; the innocent mock them: ‘Surely our foes are destroyed, and fire has consumed their excess.’
Reconcile now and be at peace with Him; thereby good will come to you. Receive instruction from His mouth, and lay up His words in your heart. If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored. If you remove injustice from your tents and consign your gold to the dust and the gold of Ophir to the stones of the ravines, then the Almighty will be your gold and the finest silver for you. Surely then you will delight in the Almighty and lift up your face to God. You will pray to Him, and He will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows. Your decisions will be carried out, and light will shine on your ways. When men are brought low and you say, ‘Lift them up!’ then He will save the lowly. He will deliver even one who is not innocent, rescuing him through the cleanness of your hands.”
Talk about being confused! First, Eliphaz claims that God doesn’t care whether or not men are righteous. But then Eliphaz claims that Job has committed unspeakable crimes for which God is punishing him. Eliphaz is arguing both sides of the question and doing a poor job of it.
Job has already testified to his track record as someone who has been helping the poor and defenseless; yet, Eliphaz is claiming the exact opposite. Where Eliphaz has gotten this information is anyone’s guess. It’s likely that Eliphaz is the kind of guy who loves to listen to gossip and who will believe any story as long as it’s wild enough. No doubt, Job has envious neighbors who are more than happy to recount vivid stories to a sympathetic listener, namely Eliphaz.
Having jumped to wrong conclusions based on these stories, Eliphaz is now entranced by his own descriptions of God’s retribution for Job’s imagined crimes. You can practically see Eliphaz drooling as he visualizes Job suffering even more than he has already.
Finally, Eliphaz attempts to sanitize these vicious verbal assaults by mouthing pious platitudes about God’s mercy if Job will repent. What a hypocrite!
APPLICATION: The Book of Job is amazing because just when you think the insults can’t get any worse, another visitor weighs in with new attacks. The amazing or depressing thing is that these guys really believe they themselves are pure and righteous, despite their vicious assaults on Job. One wonders exactly secret sins these men have harbored themselves. Ironically, many times those who criticize others are drawing on their own experience. And these guys also have no problems speaking for God, even though they have no relationship with Him. Just wait; eventually, God will settle with these guys.
When Jesus was ministering on earth, he repeatedly got criticized for associating with tax collectors, prostitutes, and other undesirables. The Jewish religious community was divided into two camps: there were those who were truly searching for the Messiah and who came to believe that Jesus was Messiah. Then there were those who could have claimed Eliphaz as a brother from another mother, men who had no problem in imagining Jesus to be guilty of the most heinous crimes.
Those whom Jesus touched had no problems believing him to be the Messiah. Those who remained at a distance refused, choosing to believe satanic lies. The question for each of us is this: whom will you believe? Will you jump to conclusions about someone based on wild stories, or will you give that individual the same chance you would want to be given? And if you have the opportunity to counsel someone who is grieving, will you take the time to get the truth? May God help each of us to demonstrate His mercy and grace to those around us!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be kind, merciful, and gracious to those around us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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