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Job

CHAPTER 15

1 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said, 2 Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind? 3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk? or with speeches wherewith he can do no good? 4 Yea, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God. 5 For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty. 6 Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yea, thine own lips testify against thee.

Eliphaz begins his second rebuke of Job's remarks.
Job has insisted that he is right with God. He acknowledges sin, but has said that the difficulties he faces are not attributable directly to sin in his life. In other words, when a man IS forgiven, and when a man seeks forgiveness from his sin, God does not treat him in chastisement for sins (1John 1:9).
Job's friends just simply cannot believe that. They believe that ONLY the righteous are blessed, and only the wicked receive terrible ordeals. Now one must understand that the righteousness Job's friends espouse is closely kin to intellectual wisdom. In their eyes, if a man is wise enough to understand that God IS, then the man is wise enough to educate himself and order his affairs in such a way as not to receive the rebuke of the Lord.
According to Eliphaz, Job is ignorant (verse 2).
Now is that any way to minister to a friend in need?
According to Eliphaz, Job's questioning God is "unprofitable talk," (verse 3) and causes others to say that faith in God and prayer are useless (verse 4).
We must also grasp that Job has just been talking about a resurrection (Chap. 14:14-15). Job has prophesied of it, and has also said that ALL MEN suffer while in this body (Chap. 14:22).
The implications are clear. Job believes there will come a day when God will call man from the dust of the ground; but until that day even the GOOD suffer!
Eliphaz calls such prophesy heresy (verse 5). He cannot comprehend any rewards of life beyond death. His faith in God is based purely upon a physical time.

7 Art thou the first man that was born? or wast thou made before the hills? 8 Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself? 9 What knowest thou, that we know not? what understandest thou, which is not in us? 10 With us are both the grayheaded and very aged men, much elder than thy father. 11 Are the consolations of God small with thee? is there any secret thing with thee? 12 Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at, 13 That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest such words go out of thy mouth? 14 What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? 15 Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight. 16 How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water? 17 I will shew thee, hear me; and that which I have seen I will declare; 18 Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid it: 19 Unto whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger passed among them.

Eliphaz is accusing Job of exactly what he himself is doing! He asks Job rhetorically if he is the "first" man ever born, and if all wisdom is only given to Job. He wants to know if Job thinks he has wisdom that these elders don't have.
Eliphaz himself judges people on the basis of intellectual reasoning, and is accusing Job of trying to say that he is wiser than these others.
Notice what he says in verse 17, "I WILL SHOW THEE..." He believes that wisdom has been passed down to him from his father and grandfather, etc. And what he is really saying is, "If you don't see it MY way, you MUST be ignorant!"

20 The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor. 21 A dreadful sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him. 22 He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword. 23 He wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? he knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand. 24 Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle. 25 For he stretcheth out his hand against God, and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty. 26 He runneth upon him, even on his neck, upon the thick bosses of his bucklers: 27 Because he covereth his face with his fatness, and maketh collops of fat on his flanks. 28 And he dwelleth in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabiteth, which are ready to become heaps. 29 He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof upon the earth. 30 He shall not depart out of darkness; the flame shall dry up his branches, and by the breath of his mouth shall he go away. 31 Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence. 32 It shall be accomplished before his time, and his branch shall not be green. 33 He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive. 34 For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery. 35 They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit.

Now here is wisdom according to Eliphaz:
ONLY the wicked suffer evil. And that is BECAUSE:
1) he does not believe in a resurrection for judgment (verse 22),
2) In fear of today being the last day, the wicked constantly roam seeking food (without preparing for it) (verse 23),
3) He is constantly in fear because he rebels against God (verses 24-25).
In other words, the wicked are always suffering, and their suffering is caused by their wicked ways.
Eliphaz notices several other things about the wicked, then he comes to a general conclusion (verses 34-35).
Hypocrites, those who take and make bribes, and yes, even other sinners (murderers, adulterers, etc.) will be left DESOLATE - without God. They shall indeed be cast into the fire that burns for eternity.
The reason? They conceive mischief, their mischief gives birth to vanity, and when vanity is eaten of the spirit (belly), then all that remains is SELF-DECEIPT!
Yes. It is a truth. Eliphaz has stated a righteous principal. But he has used it in an unrighteous judgment of his fellow human being.
ONLY GOD can declare whether a man be righteous or wicked. Our own perception, and even that declaration from the law, only declares whether a person's action shows wickedness. But only God can declare the SOUL! Man is a "fruit inspector," but not a "root inspector!"
Eliphaz would include Job among the WICKED. But at the beginning of this book, we have seen where GOD declared Job RIGHTEOUS!!

CHAPTER 16

1 Then Job answered and said, 2 I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all. 3 Shall vain words have an end? or what emboldeneth thee that thou answerest? 4 I also could speak as ye do: if your soul were in my soul's stead, I could heap up words against you, and shake mine head at you. 5 But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the moving of my lips should asswage your grief. 6 Though I speak, my grief is not asswaged: and though I forbear, what am I eased?

Job has heard this argument before. It didn't set well with him then, and it certainly doesn't now. He KNOWS that God has declared him righteous. His only question is WHY has God allowed him to suffer SO MUCH.
Job is right; these men are certainly miserable "comforters." They have only accused and tried to convict Job of sin. They have not tried to comfort him in any way!!
It is true, that if a man is LIVING in sin, his only means of finding comfort is to find the Lord. And someone certainly needs to tell that man about Jesus. But NEVER should we ACCUSE and try to convict a man for his sin. Just tell him about Jesus, and God Himself will do the convicting. Tell him what a wonderful God we have to have come in the Person of Jesus and died on a cross for our sins. Tell him about this wonderful Jesus Who has promised to come again and receive all those who surrender to him for eternal glory.
To try and convict a person of his sin is "vain words (verse 3)." It's easy for a man to do that when viewing another man's calamity (verse 4).
But the right way of a friend is to COMFORT someone and try to minister to them (verse 5).
Job is experiencing great difficulty with these friends. When he speaks, it is not accepted, and if he doesn't speak they pounce on him! (verse 6)

7 But now he hath made me weary: thou hast made desolate all my company. 8 And thou hast filled me with wrinkles, which is a witness against me: and my leanness rising up in me beareth witness to my face. 9 He teareth me in his wrath, who hateth me: he gnasheth upon me with his teeth; mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me. 10 They have gaped upon me with their mouth; they have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully; they have gathered themselves together against me. 11 God hath delivered me to the ungodly, and turned me over into the hands of the wicked.

God has caused Job to be WEARY, and even his friends make him feel DESOLATE! (verse 7).
Actually the phrase "..thou hast filled me with wrinkles," is a phrase that could be stated, "..You (God) have CUT ME DOWN! (verse 8)" Job has assurance of salvation in his heart! He KNOWS that the devil has no power that God doesn't GIVE to him. He KNOWS that God has forgiven him of his sins. He KNOWS that sickness and death come to ALL men.
Therefore, Job KNOWS that this suffering is coming from God for some reason he does not understand.
God has allowed those who hate him to "gnash" upon him (verse 9), and they "open the mouth" (gape) in astonishment (verse 10), and it feels as if they have SMITTEN him on the cheek in reproach (verse 10), and it seems that they have even GATHERED together against him (verse 10).
GOD, Job says, has delivered him to the UNGODLY!
THIS is exactly what happened to our Saviour. Job, if you will, is a prophetic example of what will later happen to Jesus for our sakes.

12 I was at ease, but he hath broken me asunder: he hath also taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces, and set me up for his mark. 13 His archers compass me round about, he cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth not spare; he poureth out my gall upon the ground. 14 He breaketh me with breach upon breach, he runneth upon me like a giant. 15 I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and defiled my horn in the dust. 16 My face is foul with weeping, and my eyelids is the shadow of death; 17 Not for any injustice in mine hands: also my prayer is pure. 18 O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no place. 19 Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high. 20 My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God. 21 O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbour! 22 When a few years are come, then I shall go the way whence I shall not return.

Job had been granted great grace from God, for he had been "at ease." But now he is broken down.
He has covered himself with sackcloth and ashes (verse 15), and is repentant before God, even though he knows there is no sin which he hasn't confessed before God (verse 17).
And now he genuinely cries out for a SAVIOUR (Verse 21)!!

My friend, when the world gets you down, and you have no comprehension of the reason, understand this : YOU HAVE A SAVIOUR. HE is JESUS CHRIST THE LORD!

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