Job 4
The Address of EliphazThis section begins Eliphaz’s first speech to Job. Eliphaz tries to be gentle as he prepares to speak hard truths. He wants to help Job, but he is also ready to correct him. Eliphaz believes it is sometimes necessary to speak honestly, even if it might hurt someone who is already suffering. He thinks that true friends must sometimes give correction, not just comfort. v. 2: Eliphaz asks Job if he will be upset if his friends try to speak with him. He says, “If someone ventures a word with you, will you be impatient?” . Eliphaz is careful and polite. He does not want to speak alone, but includes his friends by saying “we.” He is humble and only wants to try to help. Eliphaz is worried that Job might take their words the wrong way, but he feels he cannot stay silent. He believes it is important to defend God’s honor and to help Job’s soul, even if it is difficult. Eliphaz reminds us that it is sometimes necessary to correct our friends, even if they are suffering, as long as we do it with kindness and wisdom. God Himself does not enjoy causing pain (Lamentations 3:33 a), and we should also be careful not to add to someone’s grief (Psalm 69:26 b). v. 3-4: Eliphaz remembers how Job used to help others. He says, “You have instructed many; you have strengthened weak hands. Your words have supported those who stumbled; you have strengthened faltering knees” (Job 4:3-4 c). Job was known for giving good advice and comforting people in trouble. He helped his neighbors and friends, not just his own family. Job encouraged people to keep going when they were weak or afraid. Eliphaz may be praising Job to make his correction easier to accept, or to remind Job that he should now take his own advice. It is often easier to give advice than to follow it ourselves. The Bible says, “Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way” (Isaiah 35:3-4; Hebrews 12:12 d). Paul also praised the Corinthians before correcting them (1 Corinthians 11:2 e). – v. 5: Eliphaz then points out that now Job is the one suffering, but he is not handling it well. He says, “But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged; it strikes you, and you are dismayed” . Eliphaz makes Job’s suffering sound small by saying it only “touches” him, even though Job’s pain is actually very great. He also makes Job’s reaction seem worse than it is, saying Job is fainting or losing control. Eliphaz does not show enough understanding for how hard Job’s situation is. When people are in deep pain, we should be gentle with their words and not judge them too harshly. v. 6: Finally, Eliphaz questions Job’s faith and character. He asks, “Should not your piety be your confidence and your blameless ways your hope?” . Eliphaz suggests that Job’s religion and good life should give him hope, but he also hints that maybe Job’s faith was not real. He wrongly thinks that if Job were truly good, he would not be suffering like this or would handle it better. This is the same idea that Satan wanted to prove—that Job was a hypocrite (Job 1:9-11 f). But Job will not give in to this false accusation. The Bible warns us not to judge others too quickly or harshly (Proverbs 24:10; Romans 2:21 g). A person’s whole character should not be judged by one moment of weakness. Eliphaz Argues from Experience and ObservationIn this section, Eliphaz gives another reason to doubt Job’s innocence. He believes that Job’s great suffering is proof that Job must have done something wrong. Eliphaz uses ideas that seem logical at first but are actually mistaken. He thinks that good people never suffer like Job, and that only wicked people face such ruin. He tries to support his argument by sharing what he has seen and heard about life.v. 7: Eliphaz asks Job to remember if he has ever known an innocent and upright person who perished as Job does. He says, “Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the righteous cut off?” . Eliphaz believes that good people do not suffer final destruction. While it is true that the truly righteous will not perish forever (2 Thessalonians 2:3 h), his idea does not apply to suffering in this life. In reality, sometimes even righteous people face trouble or death, like Abel, Lot, and Jacob (Deuteronomy 26:5; Isaiah 57:1 i; Ecclesiastes 9:2 j). v. 8: Eliphaz then says he has often seen that people who do evil get what they deserve. “As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it” . He means that people who do wrong will eventually suffer for it. Eliphaz thinks that since Job is suffering, he must have brought it upon himself by sinning. But this is a harsh and unfair judgment. v. 9: Eliphaz continues, saying that the wicked are destroyed by God’s power. “By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his anger they are consumed” . He believes God’s anger destroys those who sin, sometimes suddenly and sometimes slowly. Eliphaz may even be hinting that the wind that killed Job’s children was a punishment, but this is not always the case (Luke 13:2 k). God’s anger is strong (Psalm 90:11 l), but He does not punish everyone in the same way in this life. v. 10-11: Eliphaz uses the picture of lions to describe powerful people who are cruel and hurt others. He says, “The roaring of the lion, the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions are broken. The old lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered” (Job 4:10-11 m). He means that even the strongest and most dangerous people will be destroyed. Their power will be broken, and their families will be scattered. Eliphaz could be hinting that Job, who was once powerful and wealthy, has lost everything because he acted like one of these lions. But the Bible shows that sometimes good people do suffer, and it is wrong to judge them only by their troubles (Psalm 3:7; Nahum 2:12 n). – Job 4:12 – Eliphaz’s Vision Eliphaz begins by sharing a vision he received, which he believes carries a message from God. This word came to him “secretly,” highlighting how God sometimes communicates with His people in quiet, private ways. Some of the sweetest moments of communion with God happen in secret, where only He sees. God can bring conviction, counsel, and comfort to His people through private whispers, just as powerfully as through public teaching. In Eliphaz’s time, before the written Word, God sometimes revealed even common truths through extraordinary means. Today, we are blessed to have the Bible—a more certain word than even visions or voices. v. 13: Eliphaz describes how this message came to him “in thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men.” The timing is significant: it was when he had withdrawn from the world and everything was quiet. The more we are separated from worldly distractions, the more ready we are for communion with God. When we are still and reflect on God, we are in the best position to hear from Him. Sometimes, God surprises us with conviction or insight in the night, when our hearts are most open. v. 14: Before Eliphaz saw or heard anything, he was overcome with fear and trembling that shook his very bones. This holy awe prepared him for a divine encounter. God often humbles those He intends to honor, teaching us to serve Him with reverence and to rejoice with trembling. A sense of God’s majesty should fill us with both fear and joy, especially when He draws near. v. 15: Eliphaz saw a spirit pass before his face, making the hair on his body stand up. This was not a dream or a figment of his imagination, but a real, though mysterious, encounter. The spirit’s presence was so overwhelming that it filled him with dread. Ever since humanity’s fall, even good news from heaven can be terrifying, because we know we are unworthy. How gracious it is that God usually sends us messages through people like ourselves, rather than through spirits whose presence would make us afraid! v. 16: Eliphaz could not make out the spirit’s form; it stood still, but he could not recognize its appearance. Then, in a hushed silence, a voice came. God’s revelations are often veiled in mystery, awakening our conscience rather than satisfying our curiosity. We know little about the spiritual world now, but one day we will understand more. For now, God gives us just enough light to humble and instruct us. v. 17: The heart of the vision is this searching question: “Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can a man be more pure than his Maker?” This is a rebuke to anyone who would question God’s justice or wisdom, as if we could be more fair or pure than He is. It is foolish and wrong to think we know better than God or to complain about His ways. We are sinful and short-sighted; He is our Creator and Lord. All the justice and purity we have comes from Him, so He must be infinitely more just and pure than we are. v. 18: The vision continues by showing that even God’s angels, as glorious as they are, are nothing compared to Him. God does not put His trust in them, nor does He need them. Angels are His servants, but He is infinitely above them. If God does not rely on angels or boast in their service, how much less should we think highly of ourselves? Even angels are limited and imperfect compared to God’s infinite wisdom and power. v. 19: If angels are so small before God, how much more frail is man, who lives in a “house of clay” with foundations in the dust? Our bodies are weak and easily broken, like clay pots. We are made from the earth and will return to it. Our lives are fragile, and we are constantly reminded of our mortality. Compared to angels, we are even less to be trusted or gloried in. v. 20: People are destroyed from morning to evening; they perish forever, often without anyone noticing. Life is short and uncertain—sometimes lasting only from sunrise to sunset. Death is always at work in us, and our passing is often little regarded by others. This should humble us and remind us not to put our trust in ourselves or in other people. v. 21: When the “cord” of life is snapped, all our achievements and wisdom vanish. People die without wisdom, often because they have not prepared for eternity. All our beauty, strength, and learning cannot save us from death. Instead of complaining against God in our troubles, we should marvel that we are spared at all. Our only hope is in God’s mercy, not in our own strength or righteousness.
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