Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2 “Can a person do anything to help God?
Can even a wise person be helpful to him?
3 Is it any advantage to the Almighty if you are righteous?
Would it be any gain to him if you were perfect?
4 Is it because you’re so pious that he accuses you
and brings judgment against you?
5 No, it’s because of your wickedness!
There’s no limit to your sins."
I love how Eliphaz assumes the heart of God. I'm not saying that there may not be truth with what he's saying, but I would feel very uncomfortable saying these things or anything similar to this about God's heart without any acknowledgement that I could be wrong, because God is so much bigger, holier, and more awesome than I am. Also Scripture confesses that God's ways and thoughts are so much more higher and deeper than any of ours so we might only be able to come up with a fraction of the truth about God anyway. By the way, I'm thankful that this is where Christianity differs from Gnosticism. Gnosticism calls for salvation by knowledge. You come to understand a certain level of things and poof, you've achieved salvation. As another side note, I'm not saying that this is what certain people are saying, but I've always felt a little uneasy whenever people say that all you have to do to be saved is 'believe', and they mean it in the sense of reaching the level of knowledge that Jesus is God's Son and the Christ. To me, and it really might just be me, this is a little to close to the edge of Gnostic Christianity. Jesus demands your life, to put it frankly. He's to be your Savior AND Lord and you are to live a life of discipleship to Him. OK, I'm off the soap box. =)
Verses 6-11:
6 “For example, you must have lent money to your friend
and demanded clothing as security.
Yes, you stripped him to the bone.
7 You must have refused water for the thirsty
and food for the hungry.
8 You probably think the land belongs to the powerful
and only the privileged have a right to it!
9 You must have sent widows away empty-handed
and crushed the hopes of orphans.
10 That is why you are surrounded by traps
and tremble from sudden fears.
11 That is why you cannot see in the darkness,
and waves of water cover you."
Yes, you stripped him to the bone.
7 You must have refused water for the thirsty
and food for the hungry.
8 You probably think the land belongs to the powerful
and only the privileged have a right to it!
9 You must have sent widows away empty-handed
and crushed the hopes of orphans.
10 That is why you are surrounded by traps
and tremble from sudden fears.
11 That is why you cannot see in the darkness,
and waves of water cover you."
And here Eliphaz jumps to more conclusions, this time about Job again. One interesting thought here, though, is the fact that the 'sin' Eliphaz is accusing Job of is neglecting those in need. Here's something that has always been at God's heart and will always be, and I can say THAT with confidence, because God has issued a command and an expectation for His people to care for those in need ever since He called the Israelites. Even Jesus said something to this effect.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’"
Verses 12-18:
12 “God is so great—higher than the heavens,
higher than the farthest stars.13 But you reply, ‘That’s why God can’t see what I am doing!
How can he judge through the thick darkness?
14 For thick clouds swirl about him, and he cannot see us.
He is way up there, walking on the vault of heaven.’
15 “Will you continue on the old paths
where evil people have walked?
16 They were snatched away in the prime of life,
the foundations of their lives washed away.
17 For they said to God, ‘Leave us alone!
What can the Almighty do to us?’
18 Yet he was the one who filled their homes with good things,
so I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking."
where evil people have walked?
16 They were snatched away in the prime of life,
the foundations of their lives washed away.
17 For they said to God, ‘Leave us alone!
What can the Almighty do to us?’
18 Yet he was the one who filled their homes with good things,
so I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking."
Sounds to me that Eliphaz is accusing Job of being a deist or at least a semi-deist. Basically he's saying that God doesn't see what's going on here so He's not intimately involved in the affairs of His creation. However, there's a blatant hole in his theory because Job has already talked about how God is allowing/doing these things and that He sees what's going on.
Verses 19-25:
and the innocent will laugh in contempt.
20 They will say, ‘See how our enemies have been destroyed.
The last of them have been consumed in the fire.’
21 “Submit to God, and you will have peace;
then things will go well for you.
22 Listen to his instructions,
and store them in your heart.
23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored—
so clean up your life.
24 If you give up your lust for money
and throw your precious gold into the river,
25 the Almighty himself will be your treasure.
He will be your precious silver!"
I love verses 21-25, and frankly can't believe that this is Eliphaz speaking, lol. To me this sounds like part of a sermon nearing the invitation/altar-call time. To me it also serves a reminder that I should be forsaking all else and keeping God as the center and ruler of my life.
Verses 26-30:
and look up to God.
27 You will pray to him, and he will hear you,
and you will fulfill your vows to him.
28 You will succeed in whatever you choose to do,
and light will shine on the road ahead of you.
29 If people are in trouble and you say, ‘Help them,’
God will save them.
30 Even sinners will be rescued;
they will be rescued because your hands are pure.”
Pretty cool thought here. Being in right standing with God and serving Him with the entirety of your life opens the door to some pretty exciting opportunities to see God working through you and in you. =) What do you guys see in this chapter?
"Father we recommit our lives to You. We forsake anything else that tries to fight for number one priority if our lives. We give that space solely to You. I pray that You would use us and do some incredible and miraculous things through us. We love You! It's in Jesus' name that I pray, amen!"
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