10/27/2011 6:55:19 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Eliphaz’s Rebuke
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Job 4-5
Message of the verses: I realize that this is a lot of Scripture to comment on and so I will go as far as I can go in this SD.
Dr. Wiersbe entitles this second chapter of his commentary on Job “Discussion Begins,” and in his introduction to the chapter he writes the following, “A wise counselor and comforter must listen with the heart and respond to feelings as well as to words. You do not hear 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 (Ephesians 4:15).”
“His approach (Job 4:1-4)” is the first sub-point in today’s SD: “1 ¶ Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, 2 "If one ventures a word with you, will you become impatient? But who can refrain from speaking? 3 "Behold you have admonished many, And you have strengthened weak hands. 4 "Your words have helped the tottering to stand, And you have strengthened feeble knees.”
Eliphaz begins his speech to Job in what seems to be the right way, but in reality he was feeding him honey before he began his harsh and bitter words to him. He did give a complement to Job saying that in the past Job’s words have helped those who were hurting, and one would expect that Eliphaz’s words would do the same for Job, but they won’t, however one gets the feeling that he thinks they will.
His accusation (Job 4:5-11): “5 "But now it has come to you, and you are impatient; It touches you, and you are dismayed. 6 "Is not your fear of God your confidence, And the integrity of your ways your hope?
7 ¶ "Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright destroyed? 8 "According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity And those who sow trouble harvest it. 9 "By the breath of God they perish, And by the blast of His anger they come to an end. 10 "The roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion, And the teeth of the young lions are broken. 11 "The lion perishes for lack of prey, And the whelps of the lioness are scattered.”
Well the niceness did not last long as Eliphaz begins his assaults on Job asking him to be able to take what he had dished out to those he was trying to help. He was saying that you can dish it out but you can’t take it.
Eliphaz is saying that only those who do well are blessed by God, and those who do wrong receive his punishment, and so Job must have been doing something terribly wrong to be in the mess that he finds himself in now. According to Eliphaz the storms can come in slowly, (V-8) or they can come in rapidly (Vs-9-11).
This quote from Dr. Wiersbe that I am about to write is something that one must realize in order to understand the book of Job. “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): “12 ¶ "Now a word was brought to me stealthily, And my ear received a whisper of it. 13 "Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, When deep sleep falls on men, 14 Dread came upon me, and trembling, And made all my bones shake. 15 "Then a spirit passed by my face; The hair of my flesh bristled up. 16 "It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance; A form was before my eyes; There was silence, then I heard a voice: 17 ’Can mankind be just before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker? 18 ’He puts no trust even in His servants; And against His angels He charges error. 19 ’How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who are crushed before the moth! 20 ’Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces; Unobserved, they perish forever. 21 ’Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them? They die, yet without wisdom.’
“1 ¶ "Call now, is there anyone who will answer you? And to which of the holy ones will you turn? 2 "For anger slays the foolish man, And jealousy kills the simple. 3 "I have seen the foolish taking root, And I cursed his abode immediately. 4 "His sons are far from safety, They are even oppressed in the gate, And there is no deliverer. 5 "His harvest the hungry devour And take it to a place of thorns, And the schemer is eager for their wealth.
“6 ¶ "For affliction does not come from the dust, Nor does trouble sprout from the ground, 7 For man is born for trouble, As sparks fly upward.”
I suppose that when one reads the first part of his argument which can be described as his experience, that one will wonder where this vision came from. He does not go into a lot of detail about the vision, only that he saw it. Did it come from the Lord? Perhaps it came from having some bad food before he went to bed that night. Perhaps it came from a demon. I am not saying that it was not real to Eliphaz, but am only saying that the source of the vision is not given.
Eliphaz is asking the question can a man ever be righteous enough before God, but again did these words come from the Lord, for usually in the OT when a prophet has something that he says that comes from the Lord he will begin with “Thus says the Lord,” and this does not happen here.
The second part of his argument is based on Eliphaz’s experience that is found in 5:1-7. Eliphaz argues that he has seen men prosper even when they are sinners, but that then they will be judged by the Lord. I wonder what Job was thinking when he heard this accusation, for if Job did sin that could have been the cause of the killing of all of his children, yet we have already seen that this is not case.
There have been others who speak of these kinds of things, like Asaph does in Psalm 73. There are some sinful people who seem to get along fine for a long time and even die at an old age in a wealthy state. There are some who are punished early on in life for their wrong doing. Sometimes these people will come to know the Lord because of the trouble that they find themselves in. God knows the hearts of all people and will do what is just and right to all people, so what Eliphaz is saying is not always the case. However in verses six and seven he does seem to say that all men are born sinners even though it is hard to see that when a little baby is born. Our sixth grandchild was born this past Tuesday, and one has a hard time believing that he was born with the nature of Adam, but that is surely the case.
His appeal (Job 5:8-16): “8 "But as for me, I would seek God, And I would place my cause before God; 9 Who does great and unsearchable things, Wonders without number. 10 "He gives rain on the earth And sends water on the fields, 11 So that He sets on high those who are lowly, And those who mourn are lifted to safety. 12 "He frustrates the plotting of the shrewd, So that their hands cannot attain success. 13 "He captures the wise by their own shrewdness, And the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted. 14 "By day they meet with darkness, And grope at noon as in the night. 15 "But He saves from the sword of their mouth, And the poor from the hand of the mighty. 16 "So the helpless has hope, And unrighteousness must shut its mouth.”
Eliphaz is actually telling Job that because God is merciful that he ought to confess his sins before the Lord and then God will heal him. Job must have done something very wrong in order to have this much trouble come upon him.
His assurance (Job 5:17-27): “17 ¶ "Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves, So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. 18 "For He inflicts pain, and gives relief; He wounds, and His hands also heal. 19 "From six troubles He will deliver you, Even in seven evil will not touch you. 20 "In famine He will redeem you from death, And in war from the power of the sword. 21 "You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, And you will not be afraid of violence when it comes. 22 "You will laugh at violence and famine, And you will not be afraid of wild beasts. 23 "For you will be in league with the stones of the field, And the beasts of the field will be at peace with you. 24 "You will know that your tent is secure, For you will visit your abode and fear no loss. 25 "You will know also that your descendants will be many, And your offspring as the grass of the earth. 26 "You will come to the grave in full vigor, Like the stacking of grain in its season. 27 "Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is. Hear it, and know for yourself.’”
Eliphaz is tell Job to make a deal with the Lord and then He will make all well again, but that is exactly what Satan wanted Job to do for remember what Satan said earlier, “Does Job fear God for nothing?...Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.” (Job 1:9; 2:4 NIV). Job was not about to confess a sin that he did not commit.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: The part at the beginning of this SD is something that I needed to hear, and that is when speaking to people who are hurting it is best not to try and solve their problems, but just have a listening ear and a loving heart. By God’s grace I will do that from now on.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
1. Have a listening ear and a loving heart when talking to people who are hurting.
2. Put on the spiritual armor: The belt of truth; the breastplate of righteousness; the shoes of the gospel of peace; the shield of faith; the helmet of salvation; and the sword of the Spirit.
3. Continue to learn contentment in life.
4. Trust the Lord with the doctor’s appointment that I have this morning, trusting that the Lord will guide me along the right path.
10/27/2011 8:10:13 AM
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