Job 4:6 | KingComments | STEP | Eliphaz addresses Job about his fear of God ( ). Was this not his “confidence”? But where is this confidence now? With this he suggests that apparently there is something wrong with this confidence in God, because otherwise Job wouldn’t be in sackcloth and ashes. He knows that Job feared God, but in his response to the disasters that have struck him, he judges, nothing of this has been revealed. In fact, Eliphaz says the same as satan who also suggested that Job only feared God because of the prosperity he had ( ). And then the integrity of Job’s ways. Wasn’t his hope that nothing bad would happen to him? Here too we see a veiled accusation that Job is not quite right after all. He feared God and was honest in his dealings with men, yet all this evil befalls him. Without immediately accusing Job of a lack of fear of God, Eliphaz gives Job something to think of, which is a suggestion in that direction. Eliphaz speaks in each of his speeches about the God-fearing of Job ( ), which he covers up and calls into question. But Job does not wrestle with the question: “Am I God-fearing and upright?” The question he’s wrestling with is this one: “Why is God acting this way with a man as God-fearing and upright as I am?” However, Eliphaz doesn’t see that. To him, things are much simpler. Job has to check whether an innocent person has ever perished and whether any of them have ever been destroyed ( ). He teaches Job that God does not let disaster come to the righteous, and that evil affects only the evildoer, no matter how powerful he is. But Eliphaz forgets, for example, Abel. Abel was murdered precisely because he was better than his brother because of the sacrifice he offered ( ; cf. ; ; ; ). Eliphaz also contradicts God’s judgment about Job ( ). The yardstick Eliphaz uses in his assessment of the situation of Job is that of his own experience and perception and not that of Divine revelation, of what God shows. Nor can God reveal Himself to him, for he has his own concept of Who God is. This measure – the own concept of Who God is – is also laid down by modern man. For man, even so-called Christian man, what God reveals in His Word is not a measure and normative, but what he ‘feels’ and ‘sees’. Here we see an example of religion rather than a relation with God, of theology or ‘knowledge of God’ instead of ‘being taught by God’ ( ). The basis of Eliphaz’s reasoning is the law of sowing and reaping ( ; ; ; ). That he can observe and judge. His judgment is not based on Scripture, but on his own experience. The law that he observes exists, but does not always work in a way that can be explained logically to us. This is how Eliphaz deals with it, however. He makes it a rigid, absolute law without exception. He bases this on what he has observed. He sees that people suffer because they sin. What they reap is determined by what they sow. Job reaps suffering, then he must have sown sin. In fact, the starting point of the argument of the three friends is: Who ever died innocently? We see this reinforced in the further accusation of Eliphaz in the third round of conversation in which he elaborates this starting point with an iron logic ( ). He observes that Job perishes “by the breath of God” and “by the blast of His anger” ( ). With “the breath of God” is meant His judgment. The breath can be compared to a hot, scorching wind that passes over a cornfield, through which the harvest dries up and is lost (cf. ). “The blast of His anger” refers to God’s anger and wrath at sin (cf. ; ). In Eliphaz gives an illustration of an unrighteous one. He compares him to a roaring lion and his voice to that of a fierce lion. But the impression made has no effect when it comes to averting disaster. When disaster has come, there is nothing left of his impressive roaring and growling. Nothing is left of the previously so impressive and unjust person. In Hebrew, eight different names are used for lions. They’re all used to indicate the mightiness of this animal. Here it is described that even the devastating and tearing power they possess is taken from them at some point, so that they lose any threat. Even for the future, no threat remains, because the lion perishes and the cubs are scattered. In this way, the unjust perishes and so do his children. According to Eliphaz, this is an important lesson for Job.

‏ Job 4:6

God’s Favor for the Righteous

Eliphaz addresses Job about his fear of God (Job 4:6). Was this not his “confidence”? But where is this confidence now? With this he suggests that apparently there is something wrong with this confidence in God, because otherwise Job wouldn’t be in sackcloth and ashes. He knows that Job feared God, but in his response to the disasters that have struck him, he judges, nothing of this has been revealed. In fact, Eliphaz says the same as satan who also suggested that Job only feared God because of the prosperity he had (Job 1:9).

And then the integrity of Job’s ways. Wasn’t his hope that nothing bad would happen to him? Here too we see a veiled accusation that Job is not quite right after all. He feared God and was honest in his dealings with men, yet all this evil befalls him.

Without immediately accusing Job of a lack of fear of God, Eliphaz gives Job something to think of, which is a suggestion in that direction. Eliphaz speaks in each of his speeches about the God-fearing of Job (Job 4:6 ; Job 15:4 ; Job 22:4), which he covers up and calls into question. But Job does not wrestle with the question: “Am I God-fearing and upright?” The question he’s wrestling with is this one: “Why is God acting this way with a man as God-fearing and upright as I am?”

However, Eliphaz doesn’t see that. To him, things are much simpler. Job has to check whether an innocent person has ever perished and whether any of them have ever been destroyed (Job 4:7). He teaches Job that God does not let disaster come to the righteous, and that evil affects only the evildoer, no matter how powerful he is. But Eliphaz forgets, for example, Abel. Abel was murdered precisely because he was better than his brother because of the sacrifice he offered (Gen 4:3-8; cf. Isa 57:1; Ecc 9:2; Mt 23:35; Heb 11:36-38). Eliphaz also contradicts God’s judgment about Job (Job 1:8 ; Job 2:3).

The yardstick Eliphaz uses in his assessment of the situation of Job is that of his own experience and perception and not that of Divine revelation, of what God shows. Nor can God reveal Himself to him, for he has his own concept of Who God is. This measure – the own concept of Who God is – is also laid down by modern man. For man, even so-called Christian man, what God reveals in His Word is not a measure and normative, but what he ‘feels’ and ‘sees’. Here we see an example of religion rather than a relation with God, of theology or ‘knowledge of God’ instead of ‘being taught by God’ (Isa 54:13).

The basis of Eliphaz’s reasoning is the law of sowing and reaping (Job 4:8; Gal 6:8; Pro 22:8a; Hos 8:7a). That he can observe and judge. His judgment is not based on Scripture, but on his own experience. The law that he observes exists, but does not always work in a way that can be explained logically to us. This is how Eliphaz deals with it, however. He makes it a rigid, absolute law without exception. He bases this on what he has observed.

He sees that people suffer because they sin. What they reap is determined by what they sow. Job reaps suffering, then he must have sown sin. In fact, the starting point of the argument of the three friends is: Who ever died innocently? We see this reinforced in the further accusation of Eliphaz in the third round of conversation in which he elaborates this starting point with an iron logic (Job 22:1-11).

He observes that Job perishes “by the breath of God” and “by the blast of His anger” (Job 4:9). With “the breath of God” is meant His judgment. The breath can be compared to a hot, scorching wind that passes over a cornfield, through which the harvest dries up and is lost (cf. 2Thes 2:8). “The blast of His anger” refers to God’s anger and wrath at sin (cf. 2Sam 22:16; Acts 9:1).

In Job 4:10-11 Eliphaz gives an illustration of an unrighteous one. He compares him to a roaring lion and his voice to that of a fierce lion. But the impression made has no effect when it comes to averting disaster. When disaster has come, there is nothing left of his impressive roaring and growling. Nothing is left of the previously so impressive and unjust person.

In Hebrew, eight different names are used for lions. They’re all used to indicate the mightiness of this animal. Here it is described that even the devastating and tearing power they possess is taken from them at some point, so that they lose any threat. Even for the future, no threat remains, because the lion perishes and the cubs are scattered. In this way, the unjust perishes and so do his children. According to Eliphaz, this is an important lesson for Job.