Job 22:13-14 | KingComments | STEP | Surely Job must know that God is far above men ( ). He should look at “the distant stars,” the highest observable in creation, “how high they are”. Well, God is once again infinitely high beyond them. What, then, does Job imagine that he takes up the word against Him and pretends to be innocent? Instead of bowing before that supreme Majesty and acknowledging Him in the punishments He brings upon him, Job dares to attribute ignorance to God. God is so exalted that – as according to Eliphaz, Job imagines himself – He hides in thick darkness. He does not concern Himself with the earth and what happens on it ( ). And if He cannot or will not see what is happening on earth, He will of course not punish evil. So God’s judgments cannot have come upon Job because he would have sinned. Eliphaz puts statements in Job’s mouth that Job did not make. He presupposes to know what Job thinks about God and imputes to Job thoughts that are not present in Job’s mind. Eliphaz simply draws his own conclusions from what Job said about the suffering of the God-fearing and the prosperity of the wicked ( ). This makes it clear to him that Job considers God to be Someone Who does not interfere with what people do. But he, the theologian Eliphaz, knows better. Of course God does interfere with what people do. For him, Job is a textbook example of that. What Eliphaz here assumes of Job is quite absurd. It shows to what foolish ideas a man can come up with about another man, if he continues unremittingly to look at things from his own theological point of view. Then people are put in people’s mouths things they have never said and never intended. Words are pulled out of context and around them a conclusion is formed that fits in with the thinking of one’s own theology. That theology is the yardstick to judge the other. Whatever the other person says or does to prove the opposite, he is always wrong. Admitting that the other is right, means the end of one’s own right. And that is not possible, because that right is based on solid theological research. Recently, in a report of a theological debate, there was a sentence with which criticism of a certain theological view was parried: ‘Your criticism concerns the results of one hundred years of exegetical research.’ This is an example of a bad response to a question about what Scripture says. Findings of people in any field should never be the end of all contradiction. This is particularly true of the study of Scripture. In such a way, Job is approached by Eliphaz and his friends. Our experiences, our traditions or our findings should not be the yardstick by which we measure our observations. It must always be only God’s Word. In Eliphaz and his friends, man dictates the interpretation of God’s actions. Each of us must be aware that we can fall into the same fault as Job’s friends. We judge another according to what we know of God. But we can only judge something properly if we live in a living relationship with God. We then have no high regard for our knowledge of God, but will be humble. In that state of mind we can judge all things through the Holy Spirit and God’s Word ( ).

‏ Job 22:13-14

Everything Is Known to God

Surely Job must know that God is far above men (Job 22:12). He should look at “the distant stars,” the highest observable in creation, “how high they are”. Well, God is once again infinitely high beyond them. What, then, does Job imagine that he takes up the word against Him and pretends to be innocent?

Instead of bowing before that supreme Majesty and acknowledging Him in the punishments He brings upon him, Job dares to attribute ignorance to God. God is so exalted that – as according to Eliphaz, Job imagines himself – He hides in thick darkness. He does not concern Himself with the earth and what happens on it (Job 22:13-14). And if He cannot or will not see what is happening on earth, He will of course not punish evil. So God’s judgments cannot have come upon Job because he would have sinned.

Eliphaz puts statements in Job’s mouth that Job did not make. He presupposes to know what Job thinks about God and imputes to Job thoughts that are not present in Job’s mind. Eliphaz simply draws his own conclusions from what Job said about the suffering of the God-fearing and the prosperity of the wicked (Job 21:1-16). This makes it clear to him that Job considers God to be Someone Who does not interfere with what people do. But he, the theologian Eliphaz, knows better. Of course God does interfere with what people do. For him, Job is a textbook example of that.

What Eliphaz here assumes of Job is quite absurd. It shows to what foolish ideas a man can come up with about another man, if he continues unremittingly to look at things from his own theological point of view. Then people are put in people’s mouths things they have never said and never intended. Words are pulled out of context and around them a conclusion is formed that fits in with the thinking of one’s own theology. That theology is the yardstick to judge the other.

Whatever the other person says or does to prove the opposite, he is always wrong. Admitting that the other is right, means the end of one’s own right. And that is not possible, because that right is based on solid theological research. Recently, in a report of a theological debate, there was a sentence with which criticism of a certain theological view was parried: ‘Your criticism concerns the results of one hundred years of exegetical research.’ This is an example of a bad response to a question about what Scripture says. Findings of people in any field should never be the end of all contradiction. This is particularly true of the study of Scripture. In such a way, Job is approached by Eliphaz and his friends.

Our experiences, our traditions or our findings should not be the yardstick by which we measure our observations. It must always be only God’s Word. In Eliphaz and his friends, man dictates the interpretation of God’s actions. Each of us must be aware that we can fall into the same fault as Job’s friends. We judge another according to what we know of God. But we can only judge something properly if we live in a living relationship with God. We then have no high regard for our knowledge of God, but will be humble. In that state of mind we can judge all things through the Holy Spirit and God’s Word (1Cor 2:15).