Job 22:22 | KingComments | STEP | After his harsh accusations, Eliphaz calls Job to repent, with associated promises of blessing ( ). We still hear the same accusation in the exhortations that he is resisting God. To him Job remains an evil man. But, he promises Job, if he ceases his resistance and submits to God, he will be richly blessed. Apart from the context in which these words are spoken, we can apply them to our personal life of faith. They contain valuable exhortations and motivating blessings for us. The starting point is the call to submit to God and not to oppose Him. As a result, we will receive rich blessings. Therefore, let us listen carefully to this wonderful message in itself and take it to heart and work it out in our life. Eliphaz begins by telling Job to yield ( ). If Job simply submits to God’s dealings with him, he will once again have a confidential relationship with God and thus experience peace. Also good – in a material and spiritual sense – will come to him. From the mouth of Eliphaz it is a cold call addressed to someone who wrestles with God and is not yet out of it. Eliphaz interprets this wrestling with God as opposition to God. According to Eliphaz, this is why all these disasters have come over Job. The word of Eliphaz is an important word, not to tell others, but to ourselves. Getting used to God means getting used to God through daily contact with Him. Then we don’t get upside down when things go differently than we thought, but accept that He has the best for us, even though we can’t always understand why He acts this way with us. It has to do with knowing God, with His way of acting. The result is that we have peace in our hearts. There is no peace if we live in a state of war with God. But when we are accustomed to Him, to His way of acting, peace descends in our life. That peace is a benefit for our mind, for our thinking, for our conscience, for our body. As long as we criticize Him and want to dictate to Him how He should act, we do not know this peace. Job must open himself to receiving instruction from the mouth of God, whatever that instruction may be ( ). The words he hears from God’s mouth must then be established in his heart. It means embracing the truth of God and not forgetting it. This is also an important word for us. Are we open to the teaching of God’s Word and do we want to take it into our hearts? Only then it is able to control our deepest feelings and all our actions, for from the heart flow “the springs of life” ( ). Eliphaz still presupposes that Job is an unrepentant sinner. Therefore, he must first return to the Almighty ( ). After that, everything that has been broken down can be “restored” again. He will then become healthy again, live in prosperity and enjoy a happy family life. He can show the authenticity of his conversion by removing the unrighteousness far away from his tent. As long as he banishes sin from his life, the way to restoration is open for him. Job is advised by Eliphaz to place the gold “in the dust”, yea, the pure gold of Ophir (cf. ) among the stones of the brooks ( ). This means that from now on Job must no longer put his trust in his riches, but in God alone. Then God the Almighty will be his gold and his treasures of silver, yea, He will be his true treasure ( ). We too may search for those treasures which are “above, where Christ is” ( ), “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” ( ).

‏ Job 22:22

Last Call to Repentance

After his harsh accusations, Eliphaz calls Job to repent, with associated promises of blessing (Job 22:21-30). We still hear the same accusation in the exhortations that he is resisting God. To him Job remains an evil man. But, he promises Job, if he ceases his resistance and submits to God, he will be richly blessed.

Apart from the context in which these words are spoken, we can apply them to our personal life of faith. They contain valuable exhortations and motivating blessings for us. The starting point is the call to submit to God and not to oppose Him. As a result, we will receive rich blessings. Therefore, let us listen carefully to this wonderful message in itself and take it to heart and work it out in our life.

Eliphaz begins by telling Job to yield (Job 22:21). If Job simply submits to God’s dealings with him, he will once again have a confidential relationship with God and thus experience peace. Also good – in a material and spiritual sense – will come to him. From the mouth of Eliphaz it is a cold call addressed to someone who wrestles with God and is not yet out of it. Eliphaz interprets this wrestling with God as opposition to God. According to Eliphaz, this is why all these disasters have come over Job.

The word of Eliphaz is an important word, not to tell others, but to ourselves. Getting used to God means getting used to God through daily contact with Him. Then we don’t get upside down when things go differently than we thought, but accept that He has the best for us, even though we can’t always understand why He acts this way with us. It has to do with knowing God, with His way of acting.

The result is that we have peace in our hearts. There is no peace if we live in a state of war with God. But when we are accustomed to Him, to His way of acting, peace descends in our life. That peace is a benefit for our mind, for our thinking, for our conscience, for our body. As long as we criticize Him and want to dictate to Him how He should act, we do not know this peace.

Job must open himself to receiving instruction from the mouth of God, whatever that instruction may be (Job 22:22). The words he hears from God’s mouth must then be established in his heart. It means embracing the truth of God and not forgetting it. This is also an important word for us. Are we open to the teaching of God’s Word and do we want to take it into our hearts? Only then it is able to control our deepest feelings and all our actions, for from the heart flow “the springs of life” (Pro 4:23).

Eliphaz still presupposes that Job is an unrepentant sinner. Therefore, he must first return to the Almighty (Job 22:23). After that, everything that has been broken down can be “restored” again. He will then become healthy again, live in prosperity and enjoy a happy family life. He can show the authenticity of his conversion by removing the unrighteousness far away from his tent. As long as he banishes sin from his life, the way to restoration is open for him.

Job is advised by Eliphaz to place the gold “in the dust”, yea, the pure gold of Ophir (cf. 1Kgs 9:28) among the stones of the brooks (Job 22:24). This means that from now on Job must no longer put his trust in his riches, but in God alone. Then God the Almighty will be his gold and his treasures of silver, yea, He will be his true treasure (Job 22:25).

We too may search for those treasures which are “above, where Christ is” (Col 3:1), “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2:3).