Job 15:2 | KingComments | STEP | The three friends each gave their vision and Job answered after each speech. But they’re not out of words. Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar begin their second round of discussions in this chapter. They will stubbornly, and more fiercely than in the first round, hold on to their rigid view from the first round of discussions, and at the end add their clichés about the terrible fate that always afflicts the wicked. With this they rub salt into Job’s wounds, for he knows that they see him as the paragon of the wicked being punished by the righteous God. As in the first round of conversation, Job responds to each of the friends. In this second, shorter, round of discussions, the three friends speak in the same order. Eliphaz begins again. He has been the most cautious and dignified of the three so far. He answers Job’s defense to the words of Zophar ( ). In his first speech to Job, he spoke in a relatively friendly tone. In this second speech his tone changes. He listened with growing indignation to Job’s reactions to the visions of them, his friends. Out of the smoldering fire of indignation, a flame of fire emerges in this chapter. In a sharp tone he reproves Job. Little of his original prudence and dignity can be found. Job does not speak as a wise man ( ), he puts somewhat sarcastically in a rhetorical question ( ). This is evident from his answers. The knowledge he expresses in it is nothing but a changeable, elusive wind that gives no hold whatsoever. It is just hot air. No, it’s even worse, it’s like an “east wind”. The easterly wind is a dry and scorching wind that can destroy a harvest. That definitely doesn’t fill his belly. He means there’s no food in it, nothing that gives any ground to his claims of innocence. On the contrary, it is devastating and damaging to his own arguments. Job may want to argue, but his words make absolutely no sense, they are “useless” ( ). His powerful ‘statements’ he thinks he is making, “are not profitable”. Eliphaz uses the usual argument in discussions you cannot win. When you can’t convince someone else because he has a good response, you simply call the other person’s words daydreaming. In the eyes of Eliphaz, Job messes up things even more. Job’s words and statements are not only meaningless, they also have a devastating effect on a person’s reverence or his fear of God and his prayer to God ( ). From what Job says, it appears that there is no longer any fear of God in him. He defies God by clinging to his innocence, yet he must realize that God is plunging him into misery because of his sins. With such an attitude, Job hinders his meditation before God, that is, he makes it powerless. He does not have to count on God to answer his prayer. It is clear from everything Job has said that God cannot listen to him. His own words make everything clear ( ). Listen to what guilt comes out of his mouth. What unheard statements about God! On top of that Job has chosen “the language of the crafty”. In his first speech Eliphaz spoke in general about “the crafty”. Now he directly accuses Job of being one of them. This not so nice assessment implies the accusation of hypocrisy. Job speaks lies. No one at all has to testify against Job, for everything that comes out of his own mouth proves that he is guilty ( ). Here we see a parallel with what is said of the Lord Jesus ( ). If Job did not feel guilty, he would not speak such words, according to Eliphaz. Eliphaz forgets that truly innocent people want to defend their innocence. He is blind to this because of his short-sighted view of God and His dealings with people. Together with his friends he constantly insists on the same anvil: Job suffers enormously, so he has sinned enormously; Job says he is innocent, so he is a hypocrite, because of course he is guilty (cf. ). Nothing remains of his earlier attempts to comfort Job.

‏ Job 15:2

Introduction

The three friends each gave their vision and Job answered after each speech. But they’re not out of words. Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar begin their second round of discussions in this chapter. They will stubbornly, and more fiercely than in the first round, hold on to their rigid view from the first round of discussions, and at the end add their clichés about the terrible fate that always afflicts the wicked. With this they rub salt into Job’s wounds, for he knows that they see him as the paragon of the wicked being punished by the righteous God. As in the first round of conversation, Job responds to each of the friends.

Job Is Condemned by His Own Mouth

In this second, shorter, round of discussions, the three friends speak in the same order. Eliphaz begins again. He has been the most cautious and dignified of the three so far. He answers Job’s defense to the words of Zophar (Job 15:1). In his first speech to Job, he spoke in a relatively friendly tone. In this second speech his tone changes. He listened with growing indignation to Job’s reactions to the visions of them, his friends. Out of the smoldering fire of indignation, a flame of fire emerges in this chapter. In a sharp tone he reproves Job. Little of his original prudence and dignity can be found.

Job does not speak as a wise man (Job 12:3 ; Job 13:2), he puts somewhat sarcastically in a rhetorical question (Job 15:2). This is evident from his answers. The knowledge he expresses in it is nothing but a changeable, elusive wind that gives no hold whatsoever. It is just hot air. No, it’s even worse, it’s like an “east wind”. The easterly wind is a dry and scorching wind that can destroy a harvest. That definitely doesn’t fill his belly. He means there’s no food in it, nothing that gives any ground to his claims of innocence. On the contrary, it is devastating and damaging to his own arguments.

Job may want to argue, but his words make absolutely no sense, they are “useless” (Job 15:3). His powerful ‘statements’ he thinks he is making, “are not profitable”. Eliphaz uses the usual argument in discussions you cannot win. When you can’t convince someone else because he has a good response, you simply call the other person’s words daydreaming.

In the eyes of Eliphaz, Job messes up things even more. Job’s words and statements are not only meaningless, they also have a devastating effect on a person’s reverence or his fear of God and his prayer to God (Job 15:4). From what Job says, it appears that there is no longer any fear of God in him. He defies God by clinging to his innocence, yet he must realize that God is plunging him into misery because of his sins. With such an attitude, Job hinders his meditation before God, that is, he makes it powerless. He does not have to count on God to answer his prayer.

It is clear from everything Job has said that God cannot listen to him. His own words make everything clear (Job 15:5). Listen to what guilt comes out of his mouth. What unheard statements about God! On top of that Job has chosen “the language of the crafty”. In his first speech Eliphaz spoke in general about “the crafty”. Now he directly accuses Job of being one of them. This not so nice assessment implies the accusation of hypocrisy. Job speaks lies.

No one at all has to testify against Job, for everything that comes out of his own mouth proves that he is guilty (Job 15:6). Here we see a parallel with what is said of the Lord Jesus (Mt 26:65). If Job did not feel guilty, he would not speak such words, according to Eliphaz. Eliphaz forgets that truly innocent people want to defend their innocence. He is blind to this because of his short-sighted view of God and His dealings with people. Together with his friends he constantly insists on the same anvil: Job suffers enormously, so he has sinned enormously; Job says he is innocent, so he is a hypocrite, because of course he is guilty (cf. Job 9:20). Nothing remains of his earlier attempts to comfort Job.