Job
4:13–19 (RSV)
13 Amid
thoughts from visions of the night,
when deep sleep falls on men,
14 dread
came upon me, and trembling,
which made all my bones shake.
15 A
spirit glided past my face;
the hair of my flesh stood 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
mortal man be righteous before God?
Can a man be pure before his Maker?
18 Even
in his servants he puts no trust,
and his angels he charges with error;
19 how
much more those who dwell in houses of clay,
whose foundation is in the dust,
who are crushed before the moth.
…
Job
5:6–8 (RSV)
6 For
affliction does not come from the dust,
nor does trouble sprout from the ground;
7 but
man is born to trouble
as the sparks fly upward.
8 “As
for me, I would seek God,
and to God would I commit my cause;
…
Job
5:27 (RSV)
27 Lo,
this we have searched out; it is true.
Hear, and know it for your good.”
NOTE: Eliphaz's
vision is correct, although incorrectly applied. It is true that no man can be
righteous before God on their own merit (vss 13-19). That is why Jesus had to
die for our sins, because no man can meet God's standard of perfection, except
God himself. But then Eliphaz confuses things by suggesting that people bring
trouble upon themselves. And that one can avoid suffering by seeking out God.
As a general piece of wisdom, there is much truth in those principles, but they
are not absolute nor do they explain all suffering. In fact, if Eliphaz was to
stop and think, if no man can be perfect before God, then all men should expect
suffering. But he would probably argue on the degree of suffering as dependent
upon our efforts. His last statement makes it very clear that he sees Job at
fault, since it is for Job's own good that he listens to Eliphaz and his
friends. God's anger against Eliphaz and his friends is because of their
skewing of practical wisdom with a works-oriented message, ala the Health and
Wealth Gospel.
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