Job 5
Eliphaz continues speaking today. Job 5:1-7 sounds very bleak, offering little hope whatsoever. Call now; is there anyone who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn? (v. 1) In other words, “Don’t bother looking for any help. Nobody is coming.” And then in vv. 6-7: For affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble sprout from the ground, but man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward. That is, “You must have brought all this trouble on yourself, but that just goes to say that you are human; pain comes to everyone, and you are nothing special.”
But then Eliphaz seems to change his tone somewhat, apparently offering some hope. Job 5:8-26 sounds very much like what we might find elsewhere in Scripture, rather like Psalm 91. Eliphaz’s advice here seems pretty good. Certainly, Job 5:8-11 is on target. Eliphaz begins to go a little astray in Job 5:12-16 in that he suggests that God moves against the wicked swiftly and surely (even though a little looking around in this world would suggest otherwise). But Job 5:17 is certainly true and is echoed in Hebrews 12:5-11. And the rest of the chapter offers encouragement for anyone committed to the LORD (though again, a little life observation would suggest that the blessings do not necessarily come quickly or even at all in this life, so perhaps we should not view these verses as “promises” per se). In the final verse, Job 5:27, Eliphaz ends with a rather self-assured, “Trust us; we know what we’re talking about.” But it is still offered “for your good.”
Nevertheless, although these latter verses sound uplifting and positive, the implication is that the fault lies with Job and that to reap such blessings he must stop sowing whatever vile sin he must be guilty of. Since we know the “back story” here, we know that Eliphaz is wrong in his assessment of Job — and of himself. (He clearly assumes himself to be more righteous than Job, since he himself is not suffering; in fact, given the stark realities of Job’s condition, he concludes everyone must be more righteous than Job…) So telling Job to mend his ways is somewhat out of line. But what about the next guy? What do we say to a friend struggling with life? Repentance is generally a pretty good first step, and so we hear both John the Baptist and Jesus preaching, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Mt. 3:2; 4:17) Nevertheless, if we offer such counsel, we must do so in humility with gentleness and understanding, not making the mistake of Eliphaz and assuming some kind of superior righteousness of our own.
But then, what about ourselves? What message do we send to ourselves when we find ourselves facing pain, suffering, or difficult circumstances? Yes, we should evaluate our actions and attitudes and see if there is anything that we did to contribute to the problem. (If we commit a crime and land in jail, we should put two and two together and realize that actions have consequences…) But if we have already repented or otherwise don’t find anything, do we nevertheless continue to blame ourselves, playing the role of Eliphaz to our own Job? Do we trust God for the forgiveness He offers through the Cross? Do we accept discipline as the act of a loving Father? Do we trust that Christ shares and understands our suffering? Let’s sit with those questions a bit today.