Thus far Job’s friends, it would appear, had remained in silence, too astonished to speak. Their seeing him in that plight and their failure to speak one word of sympathy, seem to have drawn forth his mournful outbreak in the third chapter. Why would not God allow him to die? Death would have put an end to his trial, but then he never would have learned the precious lesson God was seeking to teach His beloved servant. Job said: “My foot hath held His steps; His way have I kept, and not declined; neither have I gone back from the commandment of His lips,” and again: “Till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast and will not let it go.” Great in life and prosperity, he would be great in adversity and death. Dear child of God that he was, he had not yet learned to say, “I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing.”
Job loved God, and he knew God loved him; he also knew He could have prevented this great calamity. But why should He allow him to come into such suffering? This he could not understand. He could not see what God was doing in and through it all. He did not understand that it was with a hand of love God was dealing with him and making all things work together for his good. But Job lived to see “the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” Jas. 5:1111Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. (James 5:11), and this is only experienced by those who are broken and humbled in His presence.
Eliphaz, apparently the elder of the three, attempts to answer Job. His reasoning is based on his own experience and what he has observed in others. He says, “Even as I have seen...” This he feels is a sure guide and he feels himself to be fully qualified to decide on the question as to why Job had suffered these calamities. But it is a mistake to found a general rule upon individual experience. Eliphaz asks, “Whoever perished being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off? Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same. By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of His nostrils are they consumed.” But what false reasoning this was! What about Abel? Was he slain because of his evil doings? Certainly not according to the divine record we have of him in 1 John 3:1212Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. (1 John 3:12). “Not as Cain who was of the wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.” Was Cain slain by the breath of God? No, he wasn’t. If we read the account in Genesis 4:8-158And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. 9And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? 10And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. 11And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; 12When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. 13And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. 15And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. (Genesis 4:8‑15), we see there the long-suffering of God, pleading with him. Eliphaz would imply that Job was guilty of some great sin and that he was reaping the fruit of it. But this was not the case with Job at all, and Job knew it. Eliphaz also speaks of “thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways.” But he was only reasoning from the limited amount of light they had in those days. We who now have the complete Word of God and have leard something of the teaching of the New Testament know that uprightness of our ways is not the ground of our confidence. Christ is our ground and hope and only He can give confidence before God. Thus Eliphaz’ reasonings were faulty and they were a great scourge to poor suffering Job.
ML 09/20/1959