June 12th Job 4 Eliphaz rebukes Job
1: Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered
and said, 2: If we assay to
commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? but who can withhold himself from
speaking? 3: Behold, thou hast
instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands. 4: Thy words have upholden him that
was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees. 5: But now it is come upon thee, and
thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled. 6: Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the
uprightness of thy ways? 7:
Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the
righteous cut off? 8: Even as I
have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same. 9: By the blast of God they perish,
and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed. 10: The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion,
and the teeth of the young lions, are broken. 11: The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout
lion's whelps are scattered abroad. 12:
Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof.
13: In thoughts from the
visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men, 14: Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to
shake. 15: Then a spirit passed
before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up: 16: It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an
image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying, 17: Shall mortal man be more just
than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker? 18: Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he
charged with folly: 19: How
much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the
dust, which are crushed before the moth? 20:
They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any
regarding it. 21: Doth not
their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom.
Job 5
1: Call now, if there be any that will
answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn? 2: For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly
one. 3: I have seen the foolish
taking root: but suddenly I cursed his habitation. 4: His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the
gate, neither is there any to deliver them. 5: Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of
the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up their substance. 6: Although affliction cometh not
forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; 7: Yet man is born unto trouble, as
the sparks fly upward. 8: I
would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause: 9: Which doeth great things and
unsearchable; marvellous things without number: 10: Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the
fields: 11: To set up on high
those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety. 12: He disappointeth the devices of
the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise. 13: He taketh the wise in their own
craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong. 14: They meet with darkness in the
daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night. 15: But he saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and
from the hand of the mighty. 16:
So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth. 17: Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore
despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: 18: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his
hands make whole. 19: He shall
deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. 20: In famine he shall redeem thee
from death: and in war from the power of the sword. 21: Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither
shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh. 22: At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt
thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth. 23: For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field:
and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee. 24: And thou shalt know that thy
tabernacle shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt
not sin. 25: Thou shalt know also
that thy seed shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth. 26: Thou shalt come to thy grave in a
full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season. 27: Lo this, we have searched it, so
it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good.
Job 6 Job answers him
1: But Job answered and said, 2: Oh that my grief were throughly
weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together! 3: For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea:
therefore my words are swallowed up. 4:
For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my
spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me. 5: Doth the wild ass bray when he
hath grass? or loweth the ox over his fodder? 6: Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is
there any taste in the white of an egg? 7:
The things that my soul refused to touch are as my sorrowful meat. 8: Oh that I might have my request;
and that God would grant me the thing that I long for! 9: Even that it would please God to destroy me; that he would
let loose his hand, and cut me off! 10:
Then should I yet have comfort; yea, I would harden myself in sorrow: let him
not spare; for I have not concealed the words of the Holy One. 11: What is my strength, that I
should hope? and what is mine end, that I should prolong my life? 12: Is my strength the strength of
stones? or is my flesh of brass? 13:
Is not my help in me? and is wisdom driven quite from me? 14: To him that is afflicted pity
should be shewed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty. 15: My brethren have dealt
deceitfully as a brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away; 16: Which are blackish by reason of
the ice, and wherein the snow is hid: 17:
What time they wax warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of
their place. 18: The paths of
their way are turned aside; they go to nothing, and perish. 19: The troops of Tema looked, the
companies of Sheba waited for them. 20:
They were confounded because they had hoped; they came thither, and were
ashamed. 21: For now ye are
nothing; ye see my casting down, and are afraid. 22: Did I say, Bring unto me? or, Give a reward for me of your
substance? 23: Or, Deliver me
from the enemy's hand? or, Redeem me from the hand of the mighty? 24: Teach me, and I will hold my
tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred. 25: How forcible are right words! but
what doth your arguing reprove? 26:
Do ye imagine to reprove words, and the speeches of one that is desperate,
which are as wind? 27: Yea, ye
overwhelm the fatherless, and ye dig a pit for your friend. 28: Now therefore be content, look
upon me; for it is evident unto you if I lie. 29: Return, I pray you, let it not be iniquity; yea, return
again, my righteousness is in it. 30:
Is there iniquity in my tongue? cannot my taste discern perverse things?
Today we read of Eliphaz one of Jobs friends who rebukes him
and of Job’s answer to him. Eliphaz says to Job, Who can help himself from
saying something to you. He said you have been a teacher of righteousness to
many people and you have been a faithful pastor to them. But now this thing has
come on you and you are troubled. Isn’t this the fruit of your fear of the Lord
and your faith in God and isn’t this the outcome of your hope and righteous
life? Can you think of an innocent man who perished in this way? Can you think
of a righteous man who was cut down in life? I have seen that those who plough
crookedness and sow evil things will reap the same fruit. They perish under the
fierce heat of God. By the breath of his nostrils they are burnt up. The Lord
brings his judgment on all – on the lion that roars, on the fierce lion and the
young lions and the Lord causes the old lion to die from lack of food. The well
fed lion’s kittens are scattered by the hand of God. I have learnt a secret
thing in the dreams of the night. It was a nightmare which causes me to be
frightened and trembling. Then a ghost passed in front of me causing my hair to
stand up. It stood in front of me yet l could hardly make out its shape. It was
silent at first and then it spoke saying. Will a man be more righteous that
God? Can a man be more pure than his maker? The Lord puts no trust in his
servants and even the angels of God do stupid things in comparison to the
wisdom of the LORD. How much less are men who live in bodies of clay, whose
cells were made of the dust of the earth and who die before a moth finishes his
flight. Moths live and die within a day and they die without any man knowing
it. Don’t their beautiful bodies which they have die with them? They die yet
they have no wisdom. Ask anyone about what has fallen to you and to which of
the righteous men will you turn? Because wrath kills the foolish man and envy
kills the stupid man. I have seen the foolish man trying to establish himself.
But l cursed his home. His children are in danger. They are destroyed in the
business of men. Nobody will deliver them. The hungry eat their harvest and
they are a prey to robbers. Affliction does not come from nothing and trouble does
not appear from nowhere. Yet men are born to trouble as surely as the sparks
fly upward from a fire. If l were you l would seek after the Lord and to the
Lord l would make my case. He dies great things which are unable to be
fathomed. He sends rain on the earth and floods on dry ground. He lifts up the
low and he lifts up those that mourn. He makes the plans of the crafty to fail.
He takes the wise in their own craftiness. The advice of the arrogant is taken
to its ultimate end. They fall into darkness at noon. But the Lord saves the
poor from the sword. So the poor look heavenward. Blessed is the man who God
corrects. So do not despise the chastening of the Almighty God. He makes sore
and he binds up. He wounds and he restores to health. He will deliver you when
six waves of trouble break over you yes in the seventh trouble you will find
that no evil will touch you. He will save you from death in the midst of famine
and in war he will save you from the sword. You will be protected from the
cutting criticism of men. And you must not be afraid of destruction when it
comes. You will laugh in the face of destruction and famine. And you will not
be afraid of wild beasts. Even the stones of the field will be on your side and
the beasts of the field will be at peace with you. Your body will be in peace
and you will come to your own home within sinning. You will know that your
family will be great and your descendants ill be as numerous as the grass of
the pasture. You will die a very old man, like a sheaf of wheat that comes at
the end of harvest time. So these are our best thoughts on your case, listen
and know that it is said for your good. Eliphaz had said all the very best that
he could think. He had declared the very best of the wisdom of men even
righteous men. He had spoken of the foolishness of the fools and the
righteousness of the righteous. He had assumed that Job had been judged by the
Lord for his sin. Yet he comforted him in the knowledge that the Lord will
eventually have mercy on him and deliver him from all his troubles. Job answers
him. He says. If all my grief were weighed it would be heavier than the whole
earth. Words cannot express how l feel. The arrows of the Almighty God are in
me. The poison on the arrows gives me a raging fever. The terrors of God are
set in battle array against me. Does the wild ass bray when he has grass to
eat? Does the ox low when he is eating? Can bland food be eaten without salt?
Is there any flavour in the white of an egg? My soul draws back from eating in
my time of trouble. Oh that the Lord would grant my prayer and give me the
thing l long for. If the Lord wants to l would want him to destroy me. Then l
would have comfort. Yes l would strengthen myself in my sorrows. Let him not
spare me because l have not remained silent before the Holy One. I have no more
strength to have hope. And what is the point of prolonging my life? Is my
strength made of rock? Is my flesh made of brass? I cannot help myself. And
have l quite lost my mind? My friends should look in pity on me and not leave
off from the fear of the Lord. My brothers have dealt with me deceitfully like
brooks that dry up. They are like water that is frozen and like water locked up
in the snow, when they melt they disappear. They slip off the path and are
lost. They are killed by the soldiers of Tema and Sheba. They are completely
confused because they had hoped in God but now they have seen me they are
ashamed to not understand. Your wisdom has come to nothing and when you see me
you are afraid. Did l ask for your help? Did l ask you to deliver me? Can you
redeem me from the hand of the Almighty? Teach me where l have gone astray and
l will hold my tongue. Words that are right are forceful but your arguments do
not reprove me. You reproving is based on your imagination and your speeches
like a man that is desperate. They are as fleeting as the wind? You overwhelm
the orphan and you dig a pit for your friend. You speak to me as if l have been
lying. Have l told a lie? Can’t l taste the difference between the truth and a
lie? (My comments on these long discussions seem to me to be like very free
paraphrases. I am trying to express the flavour and sense of these sentences in
and easily understandable English form.) Job has been accused of so secret sin
which has brought on him the judgment of God yet Job protests saying I could
want to die if the Lord wanted that for me. And my friends have come to try to
comfort me but that are no comfort they are like snow which promises water but
the water that trickles from the snow disappears as soon as it has melted. You
cannot really help me says Job. You cannot deliver me. And you dig my grave but
l have done nothing wrong. I can tell the difference between truth and a lie.
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