Job 5:17-27 | KingComments | STEP | In the closing part of this first speech by Eliphaz, we again receive wonderful instruction in wonderful language about God and His dealings with man. Only Eliphaz applies it in the wrong way because he applies it to the wrong person. Eliphaz speaks about God Who chastises and punishes mortal man with whom he means Job. Yet he calls that mortal “happy” ( ; ). Here he means to say that discipline or punishment has such important advantages that we should submit to it without complaining about it. What eludes Eliphaz is that God can discipline someone, without this necessarily being an expression of His displeasure with such a person. Discipline indicates the existence of a relationship. God wants to improve that relationship through discipline ( ; ). Eliphaz sees the discipline of God as proof that there is something sinful in the life of Job. He calls upon Job to listen to this discipline and not to despise it, but to obey it. Job must know that the sorrow and wounds that are his share have been inflicted on him by the Almighty ( ). They come from Him. But Job must also know that the same Almighty is able to give relief and that His hands heal. Salvation will come from the same hand that strikes (cf. ). For the first time, Eliphaz does not speak to Job in veiled terms, but speaks directly to him with ‘you’. We can apply the “six troubles” ( ) that struck Job as follows: three in his possessions, the fourth in his children, the fifth in his health, the sixth in his wife. There is a seventh trouble. We recognize it in his friends. As with the six previous plagues, we must also acknowledge that the coming of the friends has been arranged by God. Their contribution to Job’s suffering must be seen as coming from God. Also with their actions God has His purpose in His education of Job. He wants to use them to discover Job to himself through them. Perhaps we can also say the following of these numbers. Six is the number of man’s toil, seven is the number of perfection. This leads to the thought that after the toil of man, rest with God follows. Eliphaz presents Job with further blessings that will be his share if he accepts the discipline of the Almighty. Thus God will not let him die of starvation, but deliver him from it ( ). Nor will he be killed if war is waged against him. If he trusts in God, God will protect him in times of hunger and war. God will also ensure that his reputation is not tarnished by slanderous tongues ( ). He does so by ensuring that the truth exposes the lie and slander. Nor will he have to fear imminent destruction, as he has now experienced. If such devastation comes to pass, he will be safe and happy. He will even laugh at them ( ), which means that he does not take them seriously because they are not a threat to him. The same goes for wild beasts, which must always be taken into account. He doesn’t have to be afraid that these animals will attack him. Nor will they cause any damage to his harvest. There will be no stones on his land that make his way impassable or prevent the corn from rising ( ; ; ). He will live in peace with the wild beasts. Such harmony between man and beast will be a reality in the realm of peace ( ; ). All elements of nature that can be against man will then work together with the righteous. There will also be peace in his home ( ). When he is on the road, he does not have to worry about what happens at home. He has flawlessly arranged the care for his home, for everything that happens. God will take care of it for someone who trusts in Him. The same goes for his offspring ( ). It will be many and prosperous ( ). Finally, Eliphaz points to the long life that is the part of those who trust in God ( ). He will grow old and not be torn from life prematurely due to sickness or accident as a result of sin. He will not be taken away from life until he is fully satisfied with life and the fruit of righteousness has ripened in his life. Eliphaz compares it to a “stacking of grain” which, when the corn is ripe, is brought in “in its season”. Grain is not cut off when it is still green, but only when it is golden yellow. Of the whole picture sketched by Eliphaz, nothing can be recognized in Job. So there must be something wrong with him. That is why Eliphaz concludes his first speech to Job by emphasizing once more the research he and his friends have done into the cause and effect of sins ( ). Again we hear that he is basing himself on his observation: they have “investigated” it. The results of his investigation and those of his friends are not open to discussion, for “so it is”. It is the certainty of someone who says: “I have the truth, and I alone.” Eliphaz here resembles someone who was called to account for a very unhealthy interpretation of Scripture once. The answer this person gave was: ‘We spent a lot of time in that explanation and certainly didn’t go over night.’ An answer like that silences any criticism. It means that you have to be impressed by their research and that you have to accept the result, the explanation, on that basis. Such an approach is of course reprehensible. Someone who adopts such an attitude disqualifies himself as a trustworthy interpreter of Scripture. Eliphaz says something similar to Job. Now, let Job be sensible enough to resign himself to the results of their investigation and make use of them. To oppose this is, of course, very stupid. Then you just put their ‘thorough’ investigation aside. That would be very stubborn. It’s the soothing: ’Listen to us, and everything will be fine.’ Responding in such a way to the need in which someone is, we nowadays call ‘manipulating’. But Job does not let himself be manipulated as the following two chapters show. The attitude of Eliphaz and his friends in the beginning can be an example for us. They first start by observing a silence of seven days, a full week. But as they begin to speak, we see that Job’s personal struggle encounters a high wall of incomprehension. Eliphaz comes with strong criticism ( ), with watertight theological arguments ( ), with personal experience – a vision he wrongly attributes to God ( ). He speaks with such conviction of his own right that he challenges Job to turn to God himself; then he will hear from God the same thing he has heard from him ( ). Finally, to top it all off, Eliphaz in his pride declares his own right as an omniscient – as if he were God himself

‏ Job 5:17-27

The Use of Discipline

In the closing part of this first speech by Eliphaz, we again receive wonderful instruction in wonderful language about God and His dealings with man. Only Eliphaz applies it in the wrong way because he applies it to the wrong person.

Eliphaz speaks about God Who chastises and punishes mortal man with whom he means Job. Yet he calls that mortal “happy” (Job 5:17; Psa 94:12). Here he means to say that discipline or punishment has such important advantages that we should submit to it without complaining about it. What eludes Eliphaz is that God can discipline someone, without this necessarily being an expression of His displeasure with such a person. Discipline indicates the existence of a relationship. God wants to improve that relationship through discipline (Heb 12:5-6 ; 10; Pro 3:11-12).

Eliphaz sees the discipline of God as proof that there is something sinful in the life of Job. He calls upon Job to listen to this discipline and not to despise it, but to obey it. Job must know that the sorrow and wounds that are his share have been inflicted on him by the Almighty (Job 5:18). They come from Him. But Job must also know that the same Almighty is able to give relief and that His hands heal. Salvation will come from the same hand that strikes (cf. Hos 6:1).

For the first time, Eliphaz does not speak to Job in veiled terms, but speaks directly to him with ‘you’. We can apply the “six troubles” (Job 5:19) that struck Job as follows: three in his possessions, the fourth in his children, the fifth in his health, the sixth in his wife. There is a seventh trouble. We recognize it in his friends. As with the six previous plagues, we must also acknowledge that the coming of the friends has been arranged by God. Their contribution to Job’s suffering must be seen as coming from God. Also with their actions God has His purpose in His education of Job. He wants to use them to discover Job to himself through them.

Perhaps we can also say the following of these numbers. Six is the number of man’s toil, seven is the number of perfection. This leads to the thought that after the toil of man, rest with God follows.

Eliphaz presents Job with further blessings that will be his share if he accepts the discipline of the Almighty. Thus God will not let him die of starvation, but deliver him from it (Job 5:20). Nor will he be killed if war is waged against him. If he trusts in God, God will protect him in times of hunger and war.

God will also ensure that his reputation is not tarnished by slanderous tongues (Job 5:21). He does so by ensuring that the truth exposes the lie and slander. Nor will he have to fear imminent destruction, as he has now experienced. If such devastation comes to pass, he will be safe and happy. He will even laugh at them (Job 5:22), which means that he does not take them seriously because they are not a threat to him.

The same goes for wild beasts, which must always be taken into account. He doesn’t have to be afraid that these animals will attack him. Nor will they cause any damage to his harvest.

There will be no stones on his land that make his way impassable or prevent the corn from rising (Job 5:23; 2Kgs 3:19; Isa 5:2 ; Isa 62:10). He will live in peace with the wild beasts. Such harmony between man and beast will be a reality in the realm of peace (Isa 11:6-9; Hos 2:18). All elements of nature that can be against man will then work together with the righteous.

There will also be peace in his home (Job 5:24). When he is on the road, he does not have to worry about what happens at home. He has flawlessly arranged the care for his home, for everything that happens. God will take care of it for someone who trusts in Him. The same goes for his offspring (Job 5:25). It will be many and prosperous (Psa 128:1 ; 3).

Finally, Eliphaz points to the long life that is the part of those who trust in God (Job 5:26). He will grow old and not be torn from life prematurely due to sickness or accident as a result of sin. He will not be taken away from life until he is fully satisfied with life and the fruit of righteousness has ripened in his life. Eliphaz compares it to a “stacking of grain” which, when the corn is ripe, is brought in “in its season”. Grain is not cut off when it is still green, but only when it is golden yellow.

Of the whole picture sketched by Eliphaz, nothing can be recognized in Job. So there must be something wrong with him. That is why Eliphaz concludes his first speech to Job by emphasizing once more the research he and his friends have done into the cause and effect of sins (Job 5:27). Again we hear that he is basing himself on his observation: they have “investigated” it. The results of his investigation and those of his friends are not open to discussion, for “so it is”. It is the certainty of someone who says: “I have the truth, and I alone.”

Eliphaz here resembles someone who was called to account for a very unhealthy interpretation of Scripture once. The answer this person gave was: ‘We spent a lot of time in that explanation and certainly didn’t go over night.’ An answer like that silences any criticism. It means that you have to be impressed by their research and that you have to accept the result, the explanation, on that basis. Such an approach is of course reprehensible. Someone who adopts such an attitude disqualifies himself as a trustworthy interpreter of Scripture.

Eliphaz says something similar to Job. Now, let Job be sensible enough to resign himself to the results of their investigation and make use of them. To oppose this is, of course, very stupid. Then you just put their ‘thorough’ investigation aside. That would be very stubborn. It’s the soothing: ’Listen to us, and everything will be fine.’ Responding in such a way to the need in which someone is, we nowadays call ‘manipulating’. But Job does not let himself be manipulated as the following two chapters show.

The attitude of Eliphaz and his friends in the beginning can be an example for us. They first start by observing a silence of seven days, a full week. But as they begin to speak, we see that Job’s personal struggle encounters a high wall of incomprehension. Eliphaz comes with strong criticism (Job 4:1-11), with watertight theological arguments (Job 4:17 ; Job 5:7), with personal experience – a vision he wrongly attributes to God (Job 4:12-21). He speaks with such conviction of his own right that he challenges Job to turn to God himself; then he will hear from God the same thing he has heard from him (Job 5:8). Finally, to top it all off, Eliphaz in his pride declares his own right as an omniscient – as if he were God himself – by saying “so it is” (Job 5:27).