Job 15 Eliphaz’s Second Response to Job
Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied: “A wise man wouldn’t answer with such empty talk! You are nothing but a windbag. The wise don’t engage in empty chatter. What good are such words?”
Hoo boy! Eliphaz, tell us how you really feel, why don’t you? Job has been eloquently pouring out his grief, only for Eliphaz, who is in good health and not suffering, to dismiss all Job’s words as “empty chatter.” This might not be so sad, were it not for the fact that there are many people who behave just like Eliphaz. Without having the slightest idea how deeply someone is suffering, these people verbally assault the sufferer, quoting bright platitudes in an effort to make themselves look good.
“Have you no fear of God, no reverence for him? Your sins are telling your mouth what to say. Your words are based on clever deception. Your own mouth condemns you, not I. Your own lips testify against you.” Malarkey! Job’s sins are not pushing him to say things; on the other hand, what’s going on in Eliphaz’s life that he feels it imperative to continue to castigate Job? Strangely enough, many times critics will single out imagined sins while they themselves are the ones actually committing those same sins.
“Were you the first person ever born? Were you born before the hills were made? Were you listening at God’s secret council? Do you have a monopoly on wisdom? What do you know that we don’t? What do you understand that we do not? On our side are aged, gray-haired men much older than your father!” Hmmm. All these years, Job has assumed that Eliphaz has been a friend; meanwhile, it sounds as if Eliphaz has associated with Job for his own purposes. Previously, when Job would speak, Eliphaz would compliment him on his wisdom. Now Eliphaz evidently feels that it’s his turn to lecture. Presumably, Job is older, likely in his fifties or even sixties, so he too is one of the “aged gray-haired men.” While Eliphaz is attempting to shore up his position by alluding to nameless elderly advisors, let’s please remember that not every elderly person is wise. Unfortunately, it’s quite possible to age without learning anything.
“Is God’s comfort too little for you? Is his gentle word not enough? What has taken away your reason? What has weakened your vision, that you turn against God and say all these evil things?” This question twists Job’s motives and mis-represents him. Job has not turned against God; on the contrary, Job is confused. Formerly, Job thought God was his friend; now Job doesn’t know what to think, as God appears to have removed Himself and to be persecuting Job. It’s highly unlikely that Eliphaz has ever enjoyed the kind of relationship with God that Job has.
“Can any mortal be pure? Can anyone born of a woman be just? Look, God does not even trust the angels. Even the heavens are not absolutely pure in his sight. How much less pure is a corrupt and sinful person with a thirst for wickedness!” Say what? Now Eliphaz is implying that Job must be “wicked and corrupt with a thirst for wickedness.” How bizarre! If Job had never endured the losses of his wealth and his family, Eliphaz might have been coming around to enjoy Job’s hospitality in hopes of getting something from Job. At that point, Eliphaz would have been praising Job, talking about how great and kind Job was. Job hasn’t changed; only his circumstances have changed. Eliphaz is giving a graphic demonstration of what it means to be a fair-weather-friend.
“If you will listen, I will show you. I will answer you from my own experience. And it is confirmed by the reports of wise men who have heard the same thing from their fathers—from those to whom the land was given long before any foreigners arrived. The wicked writhe in pain throughout their lives. Years of trouble are stored up for the ruthless. The sound of terror rings in their ears, and even on good days they fear the attack of the destroyer. They dare not go out into the darkness for fear they will be murdered. They wander around, saying, ‘Where can I find bread?’ They know their day of destruction is near. That dark day terrifies them. They live in distress and anguish, like a king preparing for battle. For they shake their fists at God, defying the Almighty. Holding their strong shields, they defiantly charge against him.”
Eliphaz argues that wicked people are always punished and that righteous people don’t suffer; however, that is not necessarily the case. Jesus promised his disciples that they would face tribulations, and he was speaking to men whom he had discipled for three years. Matthw 5:10-12a tells us, “God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven.” Despite Eliphaz’s claims to ancient wisdom, he is the one who is full of hot air.
“These wicked people are heavy and prosperous; their waists bulge with fat. But their cities will be ruined. They will live in abandoned houses that are ready to tumble down. Their riches will not last, and their wealth will not endure. Their possessions will no longer spread across the horizon. They will not escape the darkness. The burning sun will wither their shoots, and the breath of God will destroy them.“ Sorry, but wicked people do not always suffer as Eliphaz is claiming. God orchestrates people’s lives and God is the One who allows wealth to remain or removes it. True, wickedness carries with it its own reward. But these blanket statements from Eliphaz are simply false allegations.
“Let them no longer fool themselves by trusting in empty riches, for emptiness will be their only reward. They will be cut down in the prime of life; their branches will never again be green. They will be like a vine whose grapes are harvested too early, like an olive tree that loses its blossoms before the fruit can form. For the godless are barren. Their homes, enriched through bribery, will burn. They conceive trouble and give birth to evil. Their womb produces deceit.”
Okay, Eliphaz, so now you are implying that Job must have committed some secret sin to be suffering in this fashion? The men who are now lecturing Job and accusing him of all kinds of secret sins evidently believe that having sat with him for seven days and nights gives them carte blanche to say whatever thoughts straggle through their minds. Sadly, when friends suffer, many of us respond in the same fashion.
What Job’s comforters fail to realize is that all the time they are verbally assaulting Job, vaunting their own intelligence and experience, God is watching and listening. The best thing these men have done is to sit shiva with Job; however, after that, it’s all been down-hill. Little do these men realize that God is keeping track of everything they are saying and their false accusations.
Potholes are large cavities that develop when roads are not well maintained. Anyone driving a road with potholes must watch carefully; otherwise, they might wreck their vehicle. Going off the edge of a deep pothole feels a bit like jumping off the edge of the Grand Canyon. Here Eliphaz has blundered into a host of moral potholes and has no idea that he has done so. Eventually, God will take Eliphaz to task, but for now, Eliphaz is simply serving as a bad example. Don’t be like Eliphaz!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to be humble and sensitive when counseling those who are suffering, realizing that You are the only One who knows the human heart. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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