Job 4

“But what Satan could not do with all his Sabeans, and all his Chaldeans, and all his winds from the wilderness to help him, that he soon did with the debating approaches and the controversial assaults of Eliphaz, and Zophar, and Bildad, and Elihu. Oh, the unmitigable curse of controversy!” —A W

The three friends were silent for seven days (Job 2:13), and Job later wished they had stayed that way (13:5). “Then Eliphaz, the Temanite, answered [Job].” But what did he answer? The pain in Job’s heart? No, he answered the words from Job’s lips; and this was a mistake. A wise counselor and comforter must listen with the heart and respond to feelings as well as to words. You do not heal a broken heart with logic; you heal a broken heart with love. Yes, you must speak the truth; but be sure to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15).

His approach (Job 4:1–4). Eliphaz’s approach seems to start out positive enough, even gentle; but it was only honey to prepare Job for the bitterness that would follow. “If someone ventures a word with you, will you be impatient?” he asked (v. 2 niv).

“Don’t get upset, Job!” is what he was saying. “In the past, your words have been a help to many people; and we want our words to be a help to you.”

Never underestimate the power of words to encourage people in the battles of life. James Moffatt translates Job 4:4, “Your words have kept men on their feet.” The right words, spoken at the right time, and with the right motive, can make a tremendous difference in the lives of others. Your words can nourish those who are weak and encourage those who are defeated. But your words can also hurt those who are broken and only add to their burdens, so be careful what you say and how you say it.

His accusation (Job 4:5–11). Eliphaz then moved into his accusation. Job could give it, but he couldn’t take it! He could tell others how to handle their trials; but when trials came to his life, he didn’t practice what he preached. “Is not your reverence your confidence?” asked Eliphaz. “And the integrity of your ways your hope?” (v. 6 nkjv). If Job is living a godly life, Eliphaz argues, then he has nothing to fear; because God always blesses the righteous and judges the wicked.

This is the basic premise of all three friends: Do what is right and things will go well for you; do what is wrong and God will send judgment. That judgment may sometimes be gradual, like the growing of a crop for harvest (v. 8); or it may be sudden, like the coming of a storm or the attack of a lion (vv. 9–11). But you can be sure that judgment will come; for God is a righteous Judge.

Most people will agree that ultimately God blesses the righteous, His own people, and judges the wicked; but that is not the question discussed in Job. It is not the ultimate but the immediate about which Job and his three friends are concerned, and not only they but also David (Ps. 37), Asaph (Ps. 73), and even the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 12:1–6).

His arguments (Job 4:12—5:7). Eliphaz presented two arguments to prove his point: experience (4:12–21) and observation (5:1–7). The first argument is based on an eerie experience he had one night when he saw a “vision” and heard a voice. Two questions must be answered: What was the content of the message, and was the message a direct revelation from God?

Since there are no punctuation marks in the Hebrew manuscripts of the Old Testament, we are not always certain where quotations begin and end. Most English translations make 4:17–21 the complete statement of the “spirit”; but some students feel the statement is limited to verse 17, and the rest is commentary by Eliphaz. Either way, it’s the same message: man’s life is brief and frail, and he can never be righteous enough in himself to please God.

But was this statement a direct revelation from God? Probably not; the whole experience doesn’t seem to fit God’s pattern for revealing truth. For one thing, it lacks the authority of “The word of the Lord came to me saying” or “Thus says the Lord.” And God doesn’t usually sneak up on people and scare them. We don’t know for sure, but it’s possible that Eliphaz had a dream, meditated on it, and gradually transformed it into a vision.

One thing is sure: Eliphaz was not telling the whole story about God and man. Yes, man lives in a house of clay that eventually turns to dust; and man’s life can be snuffed out like swatting a moth or pulling down a tent. But man is also made in the image of God, and the God who made him is a God of grace and mercy as well as a God of justice.

Eliphaz’s second argument is based on his own personal observations of life (5:1–7). He has seen sinners prosper and take root, only to be destroyed and lose everything. This was a not-so-subtle description of Job’s situation. It must have hurt Job deeply to hear that it was his sin that killed his children. But in Psalm 73, Asaph takes a wholly different view. He concludes that God allows the wicked to prosper in this life because it’s the only “heaven” they will know. God will adjust things in the next life and see to it that His people are rewarded and the wicked are punished.

The problem with arguing from observation is that our observations are severely limited. Furthermore, we can’t see the human heart as God can and determine who is righteous in His sight. Some sinners suffer judgment almost immediately, while others spend their lives in prosperity and die in peace (Eccl. 8:10–14).

Trouble doesn’t grow out of the ground, like weeds; it’s a part of man’s birth, because man is born a sinner (Job 5:6–7). If Job is in trouble, concludes Eliphaz, he caused it himself because he sinned against God. Therefore, Job must repent of his sins and ask for God’s forgiveness.

His appeal (Job 5:8–17). This led to an appeal from Eliphaz that Job seek God and commit himself to Him. The God who does wonders and cares for His creation will surely help Job if he humbles himself and confesses his sins. Job should see his trials as discipline from God to make him a better man (vv. 17–18), a theme that will later be taken up by Elihu. Job must have been in bad shape for God to have to take away his wealth, his family, and his health in order to straighten him out! And isn’t discipline a tool of God’s love (Prov. 3:11–12; Heb. 12:1–11)?

His assurance (Job 5:17–27). Eliphaz closes his speech with words of assurance. The same God who wounds will also heal (Deut. 32:39; Hos. 6:1–2). He will deliver you from trouble, save you from your enemies, and give you a long and happy life and a peaceful death. “We have examined this, and it is true. So hear it and apply it to yourself” (Job 5: niv).

But this is Satan’s philosophy said in different words! “Does Job fear God for nothing? … Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life” (1:9; 2: nkjv). Eliphaz was asking Job to make a bargain with God: Confess your sins, and God will restore all that you have lost. If Job had done that, it would have disgraced Jehovah and vindicated Satan; and Job was not about to do it.