Job 4:13 | KingComments | STEP | In order to further substantiate his claims in – that blessing follows fear of God and uprightness – Eliphaz comes to him with a word that has been brought to him in a vision ( ). It is again an appeal to his own experience and perception. In he speaks about the eye, what he has seen, now he speaks about “my ear”, what he has heard. The way he does this has something mysterious or even mystical. It is a little reminiscent of the way false prophets and false teachers act and of the method of satan, who pretends to be “an angel of light” ( ). It has been “stealthily” brought to him and his ear “received a whisper of it”. It is vague and uncontrollable to others. Eliphaz wants to impress Job even more with what he has heard, by telling how much he himself has been impressed by the word that has been brought to him ( ). It is a remark that resembles manipulation. If someone wants to pass on something from the Word of God, it is not necessary that he first points out what it has all done to him. If the speaker does so with great emphasis, there is a good chance that he and his experience will become the center of attention. Then the attention is subtly shifted from God’s Word to the speaker. Such vague messages are also heard in professing Christianity. In some circles the saying ‘so says the Lord’ is regularly heard, and then something follows that the hearers should not question. Or something is passed on which the Lord would have made clear to someone and which everyone else should accept in good faith in the speaker – and not in the Word of God! We have the whole Word of God as our touchstone, and on the basis of it the truth of a statement must be confirmed, and if not, rejected. Eliphaz uses expressions that testify to great eloquence, but which do not provide any proof of the veracity of his assertions. He speaks of “disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night”. It is the time when “deep sleep falls on men”. The expression “deep sleep” is associated with supernatural experiences ( ; ). He also speaks of “trembling” that came over him and that shocked all his bones ( ). This also suggests a supernatural experience. With it he seems to say: ‘Job, that which has evoked awe in me, must do the same to you. You can’t just ignore this.’ When Eliphaz thus painted his experience and emotions, he tells what he saw: “A spirit passed by my face” ( ). Again he tells about the feelings this caused him: “The hair of my flesh bristled up”, that is, he got goose bumps because of great fear or because of the supernatural character of the vision. Then the spirit stood still ( ). Eliphaz saw nothing familiar in the form of the spirit. He only saw the outline of it before his eyes. At first it was silent for some time, as if the right spiritual climate must first be there to hear and understand the message. We may pray to God to receive the gift of discernment of spirits in such cases ( ; ). This is something Eliphaz did not have. The spirit asks the question whether mankind, a mortal human being – and Eliphaz will apply this to Job in his thoughts – would be just before God ( ). He then asks whether a man – and Eliphaz will again apply this to Job in his thoughts – can be pure before his Maker. Both questions are so-called rhetorical questions, i.e. questions to which the answer is contained in the question. Of course mankind is not just before God, and of course a man is not pure before his Maker. Eliphaz here speaks truths that cannot be refuted, but what is the use of it for Job? In any case, it does not meet the needs of the suffering Job. There is no consolation for Job. By the way, if it is true that all men are unclean before God, and no one is righteous before Him – and this is true! – then Eliphaz should sit beside Job before God. But he won’t get that far. By the way, this question is answered in the New Testament. In the letter to the Romans we read the basis on which a human being can be just or righteous before God and be pure before his Maker. That letter teaches us that this foundation lies in faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross. In the vision, man – and he means Job – is then compared with God’s “servants” and “His angels” ( ). His servants are people who know and serve Him and pass on His word to others. His angels are holy beings who are always in God’s presence. None of them, however, are perfect. His servants have at times sinned, and God has also found error with the most exalted angel ( ) and judged him and his followers for it. Nothing that is iniquity in those who dwell in heaven escapes Him. The same is true even more so for those who are bound to the earth ( ). Pictorially, Eliphaz says that the mortal lives in a tar, easily breakable house of clay, the foundation of which is in the completely powerless dust. With the clay house he means the body of man ( ). Paul calls the body “an earthen vessel” ( ). Its tenderness and fragility are eloquently illustrated by the comparison with the crushing of a moth. Just as moths are crushed, people “are broken in pieces” “between morning and evening” ( ). It indicates the brevity of human life. He is, so to speak, born in the morning and is no longer there in the evening. It is all so commonplace that it goes unnoticed by the masses when a person dies. When a man dies, the “tent-cord” or the thread of life with which he was connected to the earth is “plucked up within them” ( ; cf. ). Here again we hear a beautiful metaphor, that of breaking up a tent attached to the ground with tent cords (cf. ). Paul compares bodily death with the “breaking down” of “our earthly tent in which we live” ( ). Thus a man dies “yet without wisdom”, by which Eliphaz means that he dies like a wicked man before his time. If a life is suddenly cut off, it is proof to him that it must have been a wicked life. Such a person is one who has not acquired wisdom in his brief and perishable life. Here too we hear a reproach toward Job that he lacks wisdom about God.

‏ Job 4:13

Vision About God’s Greatness and Holiness

In order to further substantiate his claims in Job 4:6 – that blessing follows fear of God and uprightness – Eliphaz comes to him with a word that has been brought to him in a vision (Job 4:12). It is again an appeal to his own experience and perception. In Job 4:8 he speaks about the eye, what he has seen, now he speaks about “my ear”, what he has heard. The way he does this has something mysterious or even mystical. It is a little reminiscent of the way false prophets and false teachers act and of the method of satan, who pretends to be “an angel of light” (2Cor 11:14). It has been “stealthily” brought to him and his ear “received a whisper of it”. It is vague and uncontrollable to others.

Eliphaz wants to impress Job even more with what he has heard, by telling how much he himself has been impressed by the word that has been brought to him (Job 4:13). It is a remark that resembles manipulation. If someone wants to pass on something from the Word of God, it is not necessary that he first points out what it has all done to him. If the speaker does so with great emphasis, there is a good chance that he and his experience will become the center of attention. Then the attention is subtly shifted from God’s Word to the speaker.

Such vague messages are also heard in professing Christianity. In some circles the saying ‘so says the Lord’ is regularly heard, and then something follows that the hearers should not question. Or something is passed on which the Lord would have made clear to someone and which everyone else should accept in good faith in the speaker – and not in the Word of God! We have the whole Word of God as our touchstone, and on the basis of it the truth of a statement must be confirmed, and if not, rejected.

Eliphaz uses expressions that testify to great eloquence, but which do not provide any proof of the veracity of his assertions. He speaks of “disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night”. It is the time when “deep sleep falls on men”. The expression “deep sleep” is associated with supernatural experiences (Gen 15:12; Job 33:15).

He also speaks of “trembling” that came over him and that shocked all his bones (Job 4:14). This also suggests a supernatural experience. With it he seems to say: ‘Job, that which has evoked awe in me, must do the same to you. You can’t just ignore this.’

When Eliphaz thus painted his experience and emotions, he tells what he saw: “A spirit passed by my face” (Job 4:15). Again he tells about the feelings this caused him: “The hair of my flesh bristled up”, that is, he got goose bumps because of great fear or because of the supernatural character of the vision. Then the spirit stood still (Job 4:16). Eliphaz saw nothing familiar in the form of the spirit. He only saw the outline of it before his eyes. At first it was silent for some time, as if the right spiritual climate must first be there to hear and understand the message. We may pray to God to receive the gift of discernment of spirits in such cases (1Cor 12:10; 1Jn 4:1). This is something Eliphaz did not have.

The spirit asks the question whether mankind, a mortal human being – and Eliphaz will apply this to Job in his thoughts – would be just before God (Job 4:17). He then asks whether a man – and Eliphaz will again apply this to Job in his thoughts – can be pure before his Maker. Both questions are so-called rhetorical questions, i.e. questions to which the answer is contained in the question. Of course mankind is not just before God, and of course a man is not pure before his Maker.

Eliphaz here speaks truths that cannot be refuted, but what is the use of it for Job? In any case, it does not meet the needs of the suffering Job. There is no consolation for Job. By the way, if it is true that all men are unclean before God, and no one is righteous before Him – and this is true! – then Eliphaz should sit beside Job before God. But he won’t get that far.

By the way, this question is answered in the New Testament. In the letter to the Romans we read the basis on which a human being can be just or righteous before God and be pure before his Maker. That letter teaches us that this foundation lies in faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross.

In the vision, man – and he means Job – is then compared with God’s “servants” and “His angels” (Job 4:18). His servants are people who know and serve Him and pass on His word to others. His angels are holy beings who are always in God’s presence. None of them, however, are perfect. His servants have at times sinned, and God has also found error with the most exalted angel (Eze 28:15) and judged him and his followers for it. Nothing that is iniquity in those who dwell in heaven escapes Him.

The same is true even more so for those who are bound to the earth (Job 4:19). Pictorially, Eliphaz says that the mortal lives in a tar, easily breakable house of clay, the foundation of which is in the completely powerless dust. With the clay house he means the body of man (Gen 2:7). Paul calls the body “an earthen vessel” (2Cor 4:7).

Its tenderness and fragility are eloquently illustrated by the comparison with the crushing of a moth. Just as moths are crushed, people “are broken in pieces” “between morning and evening” (Job 4:20). It indicates the brevity of human life. He is, so to speak, born in the morning and is no longer there in the evening. It is all so commonplace that it goes unnoticed by the masses when a person dies.

When a man dies, the “tent-cord” or the thread of life with which he was connected to the earth is “plucked up within them” (Job 4:21; cf. Ecc 12:6-7). Here again we hear a beautiful metaphor, that of breaking up a tent attached to the ground with tent cords (cf. Isa 38:12). Paul compares bodily death with the “breaking down” of “our earthly tent in which we live” (2Cor 5:1).

Thus a man dies “yet without wisdom”, by which Eliphaz means that he dies like a wicked man before his time. If a life is suddenly cut off, it is proof to him that it must have been a wicked life. Such a person is one who has not acquired wisdom in his brief and perishable life. Here too we hear a reproach toward Job that he lacks wisdom about God.