Job 4-6 Chuck Swindoll
Job’s three friends have traveled to show Job sympathy and to “comfort him” (2:11). We have seen that these friends share with Job the privilege of being men associated with wisdom and wise counsel. They are not just any old friends; they are counselors whose advice would naturally be sought. So when they sit for those terrible seven days and seven nights of silence, we know that something is wrong, for there is no advice forthcoming.
In chapter 3 Job breaks that silence with the most moving and passionately unsettled lament, spoken, it would seem, to himself more than to anyone else. But his friends are there listening. Or are they really listening?
There is obviously a problem with the views of all of Job's Counselors. We find it out at the end of Job. To be honest, their counsel seems so right. The reason it seems so right is that we all tend to adopt the worldview of these guys simply because, as D Lloyd Jones put, welfare all Catholics at heart. We all think God should reward the good and punish the wicked and so all problems are because someone has sinned.
Eliphaz speaks first in all three cycles of speeches. Here is the man from Teman in Edom, renowned for its wisdom. Eliphaz is the senior friend.
Job's Counsellors Believed in Karma
Remember: who that was innocent ever perished?
Or where were the upright cut off? (v. 7)
Verse 7 is a critical verse. Eliphaz says, “Listen to this key truth—give me one example of an innocent person who has died an untimely death, of a morally upright person who has been cut off from life in his prime. You can’t, can you? No, of course you can’t; it has never happened, and it never will.” This is, of course, an unfalsifiable claim, for it assumes what it seeks to prove. It is the kind of claim of which we may say, “Never let the evidence get in the way of a good theory.”
As I have seen, those who plow iniquity
and sow trouble reap the same.
By the breath of God they perish,
and by the blast of his anger they are consumed. (vv. 8–9)
It is raised again by Eliphaz later—“What is man, that he can be pure? Or he that is born of woman, that he can be righteous?” (15:14)—and by Bildad—“How then can man be in the right before God? How can he who is born of woman be pure?” (25:4). The implied answer from Eliphaz is, he cannot. There is no way that imperfect mortal human beings can stand clean and right in the presence of God. Nowhere on earth is there a man in the right with God. This is the answer of human religion.
But it is also the Satan’s answer. The substance of the Satan’s challenge in chapters 1, 2 is that no human being on earth is genuinely in the right with God. And so, quite unwittingly no doubt, and meaning well, Eliphaz becomes here the spokesman for the Satan.
You see,” implies Eliphaz, “if the innocent did perish, the world would be unfair, and that cannot be.” Again in 5:17–26 Eliphaz says in essence, “Job, your suffering is God’s discipline. You sinned, and because God loves you he disciplines you. So learn from his discipline.”. Eliphaz is sure Job has sinned because he sees Job suffering. It is an entirely valid argument, assuming that Job has sinned.
The emotional stakes are raised in 8:4–7, where Bildad draws another conclusion from their system. In effect he said, “So your children died, did they, Job? Well, that means they must have sinned.” This is of questionable comfort to Job, even though Bildad interprets the friends’ way of thinking sensitively and tells Job (8:5–7) that it may not be too late for Job himself. “If you repent, God may yet restore you.” Again, within the terms of their mind-set this is all correct.
The friends’ frustration with Job becomes evident when Zophar pushes things even further. “Know then that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves” (11:6b). In essence he is saying, “God has even forgotten or overlooked some of your sin, Job. Presumably if he hadn’t, you’d already be dead like your children.” Zophar is fed up with Job’s protestations of innocence. “Count yourself lucky because God hasn’t really punished you for all your sins!” And then again, as with Bildad in 8:4–7, in 11:13–19 there is another appeal for Job to repent as they deduce that he ought.
So that is the comforters’ outlook. We see the formula in the musical The Sound of Music. The handsome Captain Von Trapp declares his love for the young heroine. And in her delight she sings:
Perhaps I had a wicked childhood
Perhaps I had a miserable youth
But somewhere in my wicked, miserable past
There must have been a moment of truth.
For here you are standing there loving me
Whether or not you should
So somewhere in my youth or childhood
I must have done something good.
Nothing comes from nothing
Nothing ever could
So somewhere in my youth or childhood
I must have done something good.
My wife let me know she remembered this song well from our kids loving this musical!
Inversely how often have I heard these words;
“Have I done something terribly wrong? What have I done to deserve this?” It came into the open when a dear Christian friend of mine, suffering deep depression, cried out, “I must have done something terrible in the past.” It was evident when a man said to a missionary friend of mine in China, “I fear I must have done something wrong because God has punished me.” Yes, say the comforters to all these sufferers, you must have.
To a dear friend I esteemed so highly, he mentioned a series of traumatic events. I responded unthinkingly with an Aussie idiom " oh dear, you must have killed a Chinaman!" My dear friend was an imminent world renowned doctor, Dr. Ang Ang, indeed he was a Chinaman! My statement was meant to say that the worldview of karma says to get evil you must have done evil, or rather nothing comes from nothing!
We don't believe in karma! God is far deeper in His purposes than that shallow interpretation. Our assumptions may be very wrong.
Second, shame blocks grace and hinders relief. Shame-based counsel leaves us under an extra load of guilt rather than offering the fresh hope of recovery. Shame shoves you further into the tight grip of anguish. In light of that, I hope you will forever remove these three words from your vocabulary: “Shame on you.” They do no good.
Third, pride eclipses mercy and compassion. When you come across as though you have the final answer and you imply that you’re the model example, you stop the flow of mercy. Pride and compassion cannot coexist.
Fourth there are times when others’ words only make our troubles worse.
That may seem too elementary to mention, so why would I? Well, have you learned it? Are you still listening to everybody? If so, small wonder you’re confused.
The counsel of some people only complicates our troubles. Few traps are more disastrous than the trap of believing everything you hear. Let me level with you. Virtually every significant decision I’ve made in my Christian life, where I’ve sought the counsel of many people (all of them, very sincere), someone has counseled me incorrectly. They weren’t evil people; they just didn’t have sufficient understanding, so their advice was skewed. Since bad counsel doesn’t stop with Eliphaz, let’s make sure we don’t give equal weight to everyone’s advice. Pick your counselors very carefully. And even then, filter the advice through prayer and common sense.
Fifth there are times when God’s ways only make us more confused. There I’ve said it. I’ve been wanting to say that all through this chapter, and I finally worked up the courage. My point? Don’t expect to understand everything that happens when it occurs.
Job 23
Job finally reaches the place where he can rest his case as he says:
But He knows the way I take;
When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
My foot has held fast to His path:
I have kept His way and not turned aside.
I have not departed from the command of His lips;
I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.
Thankfully today we approach our sufferings grounded in what Job could only see dimly in the future; the coming of the Messiah, the Mediator he desired, the One who could guarantee grace, mercy, forgiveness and redemption, the Lord Jesus Christ.
We can say with the words of Bonar's hymn;
1 I BLESS the Christ of God;
I rest on love divine; And with unfaltering lip and heart, I call this Saviour mine.
2 His cross dispels each doubt;
I bury in His tomb Each thought of unbelief and fear, Each lingering shade of gloom.
3 I praise the God of grace;
I trust His truth and might;
He calls me His, I call Him mine, My God. my joy. my light.
4 In Him is only good, In me is only ill; My ill but draws His goodness forth, And me He loveth still.
5 'Tis He who saveth me, And freely pardon gives;
I love because He loveth me, I live because He lives.
6 My life with Him is hid, My death has pass'd away, My clouds have melted into light, My midnight into day.
Horatius Bonar, 1863,
We can also say with Bonar
THY way, not mine, O Lord, However dark it be;
Oh lead me by Thine own right hand, Choose out the path for me.
2 Smooth let it be or rough, It will be still the best;
Winding or straight it matters not, It leads me to Thy rest.
3 I dare not choose my lot, I would not if I might; But choose Thou for me, O my God, So shall I walk aright.
4 Take Thou my cup, and it With joy or sorrow fill; As ever best to Thee may seem, Choose Thou my good and ill.
5 Choose Thou for me my friend, My sickness or my health;
Choose Thou my joys and cares for me, My poverty or wealth.
6 Not mine, not mine the choice, In things or great or small; Be Thou my Guide, my Guard, my Strength, My Wisdom, and my All.
Horatius Bonar
Cast yourself on Him.
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