Read Job 4:1-7:21.

Introduction⤒🔗

When the First Responders rescue squad arrives at the scene of an accident, one of their first priorities is to make the victim as comfortable as possible. They seek to administer compassion and tender care to the accident victim.

In a similar way, when we encounter a Christian brother or sister who is experiencing deep and perhaps unintelligible suffering, we must treat them with great sensitivity and compassion.

We must not act like Elipaz who callously counsels Job to let his “fear [of God],” (i.e. his devotion to God), sustain him in his time of intense suffering (4:6). To such counsel Job responds by pleading, “To him who is ready to faint, kindness should be shown by his friend; or else he might forsake the fear of the Almighty” (6:14).

What Job is saying is, I need your compassion, or else I may be tempted to forsake my fear of God! Compassion needs to be the first response to a suffering brother or sister.

Treat a Suffering Brother or Sister with Compassion, rather than Seeking to Supply Pat Answers←⤒🔗

Eliphaz reminds Job that he has instructed and strengthened others in their times of distress; but now when he finds himself in distress he fails to heed his own counsel: Job should apply to himself the counsel he so often offered to others (4:1-5).

Eliphaz reminds Job that he “instructed many” (4:3) and he admits, “Your words have helped the tottering to stand, and you have braced up those with shaking knees” (4:4). But now when the situation is reversed and Job finds himself to be the one who is suffering, he faints and is dismayed (4:5). One thing that is implied about Job’s counsel to others, the very thing Job himself now needs, and the thing Eliphaz fails to minister, is compassion: Job strengthened feeble hands (4:3), Job helped the tottering to stand (4:4a), Job braced up those with shaking knees (4:4b).

Eliphaz’s advice is that Job should take confidence in the fact that the righteous are sustained while the wicked are overthrown (4:6-11). By means of his rhetorical question, Eliphaz is encouraging Job to be confident that, because of his devotion to God, (his “fear [of God]”), and his integrity, God will take care of him and will bless him; God will come to his rescue: “Should not your fear [of God] be your confidence? Is not the integrity of your ways your hope?” (4:6)

Eliphaz asserts that it is not the innocent who perish; rather, it is the ungodly that are cut off: “those who plow evil and sow trouble” are the ones who are consumed “by the blast of [God’s] anger” (4:7-9). Eliphaz alludes to a familiar proverb to underscore the truth of his testimony:

¹⁰The lion may roar, and the fierce lion may growl, but the young lion’s teeth are broken! ¹¹The lion perishes for lack of prey, and the lioness’s cubs are scattered. 4:10-11

The fierce lion (depicting the proud evildoer) is rendered impotent and helpless by God, (his teeth are broken); his ways are frustrated, (he is deprived of his prey); and he comes to loss and humiliation.

To summarize Eliphaz, he instructs Job: You claim to be righteous, so let your righteousness sustain you, knowing that God blesses the righteous. But Eliphaz will now proceed to assert that, in the ultimate sense, no man is righteous before God, and every man deserves whatever he gets—that is the lesson Eliphaz draws from a vision he has received.

Eliphaz now goes on to report the vision (4:12-21). He describes the terrifying experience of having an encounter with a spiritual being, (an angel as a messenger of God), in the middle of the night: “A spirit glided past my face; the hair of my flesh stood up” (4:12-16). Eliphaz goes on to relate the message communicated to him by this terrifying supernatural messenger: no mortal man can be righteous before God or be pure before his Maker (4:17-21). The implication is that no man can dispute the way God deals with him; no man can claim that God is dealing unjustly with him; no man can maintain that because of his personal righteousness he deserves better treatment than what he is presently receiving from God. This is the case because by nature man is unrighteous before God. What is communicated here is essentially the same doctrine as is taught in Romans 3:10 and Romans 3:23, as well as Psalm 143:2:

¹⁰There is no one righteous, not even one. Rom. 3:10

²³...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Rom. 3:23

²Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you. Psalm 143:2

Note: This teaching, which deals with the sinfulness of man in the presence of God in absolute terms, is not to deny the relative (or, better said, the incomplete) righteousness of the godly man as he devotes himself to the LORD and keeps himself from great transgression, (such is the case with Job). This “incomplete” righteousness is actually the perfect righteousness of Christ that has not yet been fully realized in the Christian’s life, nevertheless, it is a genuine righteousness. By faith, the Christian has become united to Christ and his life is being transformed into His perfect righteousness.

Based upon his vision, which stresses the sinfulness of man and the justice of God in absolute terms, Eliphaz proceeds to argue that whatever calamities are suffered in life are not capricious, but are infinitely just; therefore, it is foolish and sinful to become vexed against God (5:1-7). There is no one who can come to Job’s defense against God, neither man nor angel (5:1). It is the fool who allows himself to become vexed and indignant against God; and he does so to his own destruction:

²Surely, vexation kills a fool, and envy slays the simple. ³I have seen a fool taking root; and I declared that his estate would be cursed, [doomed to] sudden destruction. ⁴His children are far from safety; they are crushed in the court without a defender. ⁵His harvest is devoured by the hungry—they take it from among the thorns, and the thirsty pants for his wealth. 5:2-5

Eliphaz argues that affliction and trouble do not just sprout from the ground (5:6), i.e. such things do not just happen, they are not capricious; neither are they just a part of the natural order of things. On the contrary, they are the just deserts of sinful man: “man gives birth to trouble” (5:7). Eliphaz asserts that sinful man, by virtue of his character and conduct, produces trouble and deserves the consequences of just retribution.

Eliphaz counsels Job to cast himself upon God’s mercy (5:8-16). He assures Job of God’s graciousness, as seen from the fact that He supplies rain for the earth (5:10-11). He cautions Job that God sets Himself against the proud and against those who adamantly set themselves against Him (5:12-14). He reminds Job that God “saves the needy...from the clutches of the powerful” (5:15-16). If Job is willing to identify himself as one who is needy and if he will look to God for mercy, he can be assured that God will be gracious to him and deliver him. Eliphaz is implying that Job’s calamity is due to personal sin, originating from his life as a sinner.

Eliphaz exhorts Job not to reject the discipline of the Almighty (5:17-27). Job should recognize his present afflictions to be the means by which God corrects and disciplines him, and he should humbly accept these afflictions as such for his ultimate benefit:

¹⁷Blessed is the man whom God corrects; therefore, do not reject the discipline of the Almighty. ¹⁸He inflicts wounds, then he bandages them; he strikes, then his hands heal. 5:17-18

Eliphaz now enumerates the various calamities from which God will protect/deliver the man who trustingly submits to Him: famine, war, the scourge of the tongue, (i.e. slander and false accusations), the destructive storm, ferocious beasts (5:19-23). Job is assured that the result of trusting submission to God’s disciplining work will be the enjoyment of the blessings of peace and prosperity:

²⁴You will know that all is well with your tent; you will take stock of your property and find nothing missing. ²⁵You will know that your children will be many, and your descendants will be like the grass of the earth. ²⁶You will come to the grave in full vigor, like sheaves of grain gathered in their season. ²⁷Listen; we have investigated this, and it is true; therefore, pay attention and apply these things to yourself. 5:24-27

Eliphaz, and Job’s other two friends, tend to see things only in absolute terms: God is just, He rewards the righteous and He punishes the guilty. Since there is none that is truly righteous before God, whatever calamity is divinely inflicted upon a man is justly deserved; rather than protest against God, a man should humble himself before God in repentance.

But there are two essential elements that appear to be outside and beyond the friends’ purview: First, they fail to take into consideration the moral anomalies that exist in this present life; instances in which the wicked enjoy God’s blessing and the devout experience treatment that one would expect to be the exclusive lot of the unrepentant sinner. Second, they seem to be unaware of the fact that God employs suffering to accomplish a variety of purposes (as Elihu will later explain to Job)—the friends only view suffering as the punishment God inflicts upon deserving sinners or the discipline He imposes upon the erring saint.

Job, on the other hand, is far more spiritually astute. He affirms the absolute justice and righteousness of God. Yet, by both observation and experience, he is forced to acknowledge the anomalies of life in this present world: there are times when the wicked enjoy blessing, whereas the devout, (i.e. the man in whom the perfect righteousness of Christ the Savior is being reproduced), endure treatment that seemingly should be reserved exclusively for the unrepentant sinner.

Although he shows himself to be more spiritually astute than his friends, nevertheless, at this point, like his friends, Job fails to grasp the fact that God employs suffering in a variety of ways to accomplish a variety of purposes. Consequently, Job’s present spiritual condition is akin to the ship described on Acts 27:41, which was grounded on a shoal and, consequently, was in the process of being torn apart by the cross currents of two converging seas. Job is caught in the “cross currents” of God’s righteousness and the anomalies of this present life—he is in need of someone to compassionately help “the tottering to stand.”

Let us now go on to consider Job’s response to Eliphaz’ speech as it is recorded in Job 6:14-30.

He pleads with his friends to show him kindness and compassion; without their Christian compassion to uphold and sustain him, Job fears that he is in jeopardy of abandoning his devotion to the LORD: “To him who is ready to faint, kindness should be shown by his friend; or else he might forsake the fear of the Almighty” (6:14).

Job accuses his friends of betraying him in his time of need: he compares them to a wadi in the wilderness that dries up in the heat of summer and thereby proves to be a bitter disappointment to the thirsty caravans (6:15-21). Their betrayal consists in their failure to minister kindness and compassion to him in his time of acute suffering. Job testifies that he asked nothing from his friends. He did not expect them to give him a gift from their wealth, nor did he expect them to risk their lives to rescue him from a tyrannical warlord (6:22-23)—all he expected was that they would be sympathetic toward him and show him compassion.

Job now directly appeals to his friends to show him compassion (6:24-30). He expresses his willingness to be instructed, he assures them that he does not possess an unreasonable, hardened attitude (6:24). He seems to admit that his friends (through the speech of Eliphaz) have spoken “honest words,” (i.e. Eliphaz has spoken sound doctrine). But the manner in which they have spoken those words is "forceful," or, "grievous," (6:25). They have exhibited no tenderness or sympathy in addressing their friend in his time of suffering. His friends should realize that “the words of a despairing man [should be treated] like wind” (6:26). That is to say, a man in his suffering and agony may say things he really does not mean, or things he has not clearly thought through, and therefore these friends should treat such a man accordingly. They should appreciate the circumstances under which the speech was uttered and perhaps even dismiss it, certainly not condemn the man for making such utterances in a time of great duress.

Job graphically describes the harsh, insensitive manner in which they have dealt with their suffering friend: they “have cast lots for the fatherless” (6:27). Job is referring to the casting of lots to see who would claim the orphan child to be their slave—such is the callous attitude displayed by his friends.

Job urges his friends, “look at me,” (i.e. he pleads with them to discern that he is a sincere man who is under great duress and therefore is to be pitied), and “relent,” (the verb שׁ בוֹ, meaning, "to turn," here has the meaning, "to relent"). He pleads with them to change their attitude towards him from that of insensitive reprimand to that of sympathetic listening, for he assures them that his cause is righteous:

²⁸But now be so kind as to look at me. Surely I will not lie to your face. ²⁹Relent, do not be unjust; reconsider, for my cause is righteous. ³⁰Is there any false testimony on my tongue? Can my palate not discern deceptive words? 6:28-30

Conclusion←⤒🔗

Let us remember to treat a suffering brother of sister with compassion; rather than merely seeking to supply pat answers in an insensitive manner while exhibiting a callous or even judgmental attitude.

We must always affirm the great truth of God’s absolute righteousness and justice; but we need also to honestly acknowledge the anomalies of life in this present world.

Furthermore, we need to appreciate the multiple purposes for which God administers suffering. Taking these things into account will enable us to be more compassionate toward a brother or sister in Christ who find themselves in the midst of deep, and sometimes inexplicable, trials.

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. Of what does Eliphaz remind Job in Job 4:3? How effective has Job’s ministry been? See Job 4:4 But what has happened to Job when he has encountered trials? See Job 4:5 What is Eliphaz implying? Note Lk. 4:23a Is Job able to minister to himself what he has ministered to others? What do the phrases found in verses 3b, 4a and 4b imply? As a Christian, you can minister compassion to others, but can you minister compassion to yourself? To whom you must look? See Isa. 50:4,

³Behold; you have instructed many, and you have strengthened feeble hands. ⁴Your words have helped the tottering to stand, and you have braced up those with shaking knees. ⁵But now trouble has come to you, and you faint; it strikes you, and you are dismayed. Job 4:3-5

²³And [Jesus] said to them, 'You will surely quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself.’Lk. 4:23

⁴The Lord GOD has given me the speech of one who has been taught, so that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He wakens me every morning; he wakens my ear to listen like a disciple.Isa. 50:4

This passage is a reference to Jesus the Messiah.

2. By means of a rhetorical question, what counsel does Eliphaz give Job? See Job 4:6 What “encouragement” does Eliphaz give Job? Note Job 4:7-8 If you felt yourself to be forsaken by God and someone counselled you to allow your faultless godly life to be your confidence of acceptance with God, in light of Psalm 24:3b-4a, would such counsel give you hope? Would you not rather follow the example of the Psalmist? Note Psl. 143:2,

⁶Should not your fear [of God] be your confidence? Is not the integrity of your ways your hope? Job 4:6

Job’s “fear of God” is a reference to his devotion to the LORD his God.

⁷Consider this: Who, being innocent, has ever perished? Where were the upright ever destroyed? ⁸According to what I have observed, it is those who plow evil and sow trouble who reap the same. Job 4:7-8

³Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in his holy place? ⁴He who has clean hands and a pure heart...Psl. 24:3-4

²Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for in your sight no one living is righteous. Psl. 143:2

3. In response to Eliphaz’s counsel, how does Job describe himself? What does he say he needs? What does he fear he is in danger of doing? See Job 6:14 Have you ever found yourself in such a spiritual crisis? If you should ever feel like the Lord Jesus (Matt. 27:46), you can only do what He did (Lk. 23:46a).

¹⁴To him who is ready to faint, kindness should be shown by his friend; or else he might forsake the fear of the Almighty. Job 6:14

⁴⁶About the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'Matt. 27:46

⁴⁶And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, he said, 'Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.'Lk. 23:46

4. What does Eliphaz counsel Job to do in Job 5:17-18? Is Eliphaz assuming that Job’s present trial is the consequence of some sin of which Job is guilty and for which he needs to repent? Is all personal suffering the punishment for some personal sin? Or are there other purposes for which God employs suffering in the Christian’s life? Note Jn. 9:1-3; Jn. 15:1-2,

¹⁷Blessed is the man whom God corrects; therefore, do not reject the discipline of the Almighty. ¹⁸He inflicts wounds, then he bandages them; he strikes, then his hands heal. Job 5:17-18

¹As he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. ²His disciples asked him, Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind? ³Jesus answered, Neither this man nor his parents sinned; [he was born blind] so that the works of God might be displayed in him. Jn. 9:1­-3

¹I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. ²He removes every branch in me that does not bear fruit. But he prunes every branch that does bear fruit, so that it may bear more fruit. Jn. 15:1-2

5. How would you evaluate Eliphaz’s treatment of Job and his counsel to Job? How does Job view his friends’ counsel? See Job 6:21a In the midst of this spiritual crisis in his life, what has Job needed and expected from his friends? Note, again, Job 6:14a How should you minister to a Christian friend who finds himself in spiritual crisis? If you should find yourself in such a state, to whom should you look? See Psl. 86:15-16,

²¹Why do you not pardon my transgression and forgive my iniquity? Soon I will lie down in the dust; then you will eagerly seek me, but I will begone. Job 6:21

¹⁴To him who is ready to faint, kindness should be shown by his friend; or else he might forsake the fear of the Almighty. Job 6:14

¹⁵But you, O LORD, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in mercy and truth. ¹⁶Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me. Give your strength to your servant, and save the son of your maidservant. Psl. 86:15-16