Job 16 Job’s Fifth Speech: A Response to Eliphaz
“Then Job spoke again: “I have heard all this before. What miserable comforters you are! Won’t you ever stop blowing hot air? What makes you keep on talking? I could say the same things if you were in my place. I could spout off criticism and shake my head at you. But if it were me, I would encourage you. I would try to take away your grief. Instead, I suffer if I defend myself, and I suffer no less if I refuse to speak.”
Ever notice that when someone is determined to declare your guilt, you have no means of defense? If you speak, your adversary will twist your words, and if you remain silent, your adversary will claim your silence is evidence of your guilt. Eliphaz is that kind of guy. Truth and Eliphaz have no relationship. Eliphaz has made up his mind; don’t confuse him with the facts!
“O God, you have ground me down and devastated my family. As if to prove I have sinned, you’ve reduced me to skin and bones. My gaunt flesh testifies against me. God hates me and angrily tears me apart. He snaps his teeth at me and pierces me with his eyes. People jeer and laugh at me. They slap my cheek in contempt. A mob gathers against me. God has handed me over to sinners. He has tossed me into the hands of the wicked.” Sadly, in every community there are always human jackals, people waiting for an excuse to tear someone else apart. All these years, Job has assumed that God is good and benevolent. Job knows about the malcontents in his community; however, now he is being attacked by those whom he thought were friends, including God.
“I was living quietly until he shattered me. He took me by the neck and broke me in pieces.
Then he set me up as his target, and now his archers surround me. His arrows pierce me without mercy. The ground is wet with my blood. Again and again he smashes against me, charging at me like a warrior. I wear burlap to show my grief. My pride lies in the dust. My eyes are red with weeping; dark shadows circle my eyes. Yet I have done no wrong, and my prayer is pure.”
Job is an honest man. Had Job committed some terrible sin, he would have expected retribution from God. But Job has been searching his heart and straining to remember anything he has done that might make God attack him. Job is baffled, for he has no idea what he might have done. Many times, we assume that God is attacking us when it is actually Satan. We live in a fallen sinful world, and Satan has full opportunities to try to destroy those who have been serving God. When such attacks come, we blame God rather than blaming the Father of Lies. No matter what happens, God has not changed; He remains good throughout all time. Our biggest and most demanding task is to hold on and trust in God’s goodness, even in the face of terrible evil.
“O earth, do not conceal my blood. Let it cry out on my behalf. Even now my witness is in heaven. My advocate is there on high. My friends scorn me, but I pour out my tears to God. I need someone to mediate between God and me, as a person mediates between friends. For soon I must go down that road from which I will never return.” Can earth bear witness on anybody’s behalf? Yes. The Sentinel Organization has documented numerous cases where non-productive infertile land has suddenly produced magnificently when those working it have repented and gotten right with God. For concrete proof, check out the Transformation series at https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&p=transformations+video+george+otis+jr&type=E210US105G0#id=3&vid=c4e281271381589ca323ad821dd203a5&action=click These videos document the reviving of land in Fiji, in Guatemala, Kenya, and many other places. I am a farmer’s daughter, and I can testify that land that is farmed with love and passion bears far more than land that is farmed with indifference.
Even in despair, Job continues to trust that someone can reason with God on his behalf. The use of mediators or go-betweens is a common one throughout Africa. When selecting such a person, one must be certain that they will represent honestly, fairly, and discretely. In some situations, the advocate must have an excellent command of the formalities in whatever language is being spoken, for there might be taboos that will otherwise be violated.
Years ago, we found ourselves trapped in an unfortunate living situation in which we were verbally assaulted on a daily basis. Only the intervention of two friends who were both royals and who both spoke “court Twi” granted us deliverance and relief. Here Job is hoping and longing for someone who can speak God’s language and plead his case.
Job is also concerned, for he has no idea how much more his battered body can stand. Sometimes when we are suffering, we feel as if we will shatter if one more stressful thing is dumped upon us. But God remains faithful, and He can provide ways of escape. Viewed in the light of history, we know that Job will yet suffer more at the hands of his alleged friends but will eventually emerge with God’s favor. Many of us want swift relief and give up on God far too early; meanwhile, God is trying to fit us for a greater work, one that can only be accomplished by our enduring pain.
The biggest problem with Job’s comforters is that they have never suffered very much. Perhaps these men might have had one or two bad farming seasons, or someone has cheated them in a business deal. But none of these men has endured repeated suffering that continues for days, weeks, months, and even years. When Joni Earickson Tada dove into shallow water at the age of seventeen, breaking her neck, she thought her life was over. But in the decades that have followed, Joni has become an artist, a singer, and the founder of Joni and Friends, a group that advocates internationally for disabled people, and the author of 48 books. Because of quadriplegia, Joni produces her paintings and drawings by holding pens and brushes in her mouth.
Joni is a breast cancer survivor and has spoken to cancer patients on many occasions through radio programs and videos. Now at the age of 76, Joni continues to minister to millions of people through videos, radio and TV programs. If anybody might sympathize with Job, it would be Joni Earickson Tada. Despite all these problems, Joni continues to witness to God’s goodness and faithfulness.
“l know just how you feel” must be one of the least helpful and most hurtful phrases ever uttered to someone with chronic pain. Nobody knows exactly how someone else feels, except for God. Equally hurtful are pious sentiments. There’s a wry saying that “They told me ‘cheer up, it might be worse,’ and sure enough, I cheered up and it got worse!” Far better to find small practical means of helping. Talk is cheap, but help is dear. Be a helper!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be encouragers and not attackers for those suffering. Give us Your Heart of Love so that we will heal and not inflict more pain. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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