Eliphaz accuses Job of Wickedness

Eliphaz gives more description of the alleged wickedness of Job in the passage below, though there is no other reason to believe this is true from what we know of Job. His scathing accusations of Job include showing no kindness to the thirsty, hungry, widows and fatherless. Interestingly these are the group of disadvantaged people that God keeps mentioning for us to take care of.


Eliphaz explains that the wickedness of Job brought about the disasters, v10-11. He describes Job and the wicked as having turned away from God. In fact, Eliphaz pleads with Job to repent. From v21-30, Eliphaz gives an excellent encouragement for people to turn back to God. He mentions about putting away our earthly treasures, praying to God and He will hear us, God will exalt the humble, and above all God is a Gracious God that he will even deliver those who are not innocent. Though this advice is mis-directed to Job, which wasn't his wickedness that brought the disasters, we can still take heed of God's grace and goodness.

Job 22

 ¹ Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:

 ² “Can a man be profitable to God,
      Though he who is wise may be profitable to himself?
 ³ Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous?
      Or is it gain to Him that you make your ways blameless?
 ⁴ “Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you,
      And enters into judgment with you?
 ⁵ Is not your wickedness great,
      And your iniquity without end?
 ⁶ For you have taken pledges from your brother for no reason,
      And stripped the naked of their clothing.
 ⁷ You have not given the weary water to drink,
      And you have withheld bread from the hungry.
 ⁸ But the mighty man possessed the land,
      And the honorable man dwelt in it.
 ⁹ You have sent widows away empty,
      And the strength of the fatherless was crushed.
 ¹⁰ Therefore snares are all around you,
      And sudden fear troubles you,
 ¹¹ Or darkness so that you cannot see;
      And an abundance of water covers you.
 ¹² “Is not God in the height of heaven?
      And see the highest stars, how lofty they are!
 ¹³ And you say, ‘What does God know?
      Can He judge through the deep darkness?
 ¹⁴ Thick clouds cover Him, so that He cannot see,
      And He walks above the circle of heaven.’
 ¹⁵ Will you keep to the old way
      Which wicked men have trod,
 ¹⁶ Who were cut down before their time,
      Whose foundations were swept away by a flood?
 ¹⁷ They said to God, ‘Depart from us!
      What can the Almighty do to them?’^[a]
 18 Yet He filled their houses with good things;
      But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
 ¹⁹ “The righteous see it and are glad,
      And the innocent laugh at them:
 ²⁰ ‘Surely our adversaries^[b] are cut down,
      And the fire consumes their remnant.’
 ²¹ “Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace;
      Thereby good will come to you.
 ²² Receive, please, instruction from His mouth,
      And lay up His words in your heart.
 ²³ If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up;
      You will remove iniquity far from your tents.
 ²⁴ Then you will lay your gold in the dust,
      And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks.
 ²⁵ Yes, the Almighty will be your gold^[c]
      And your precious silver;
 ²⁶ For then you will have your delight in the Almighty,
      And lift up your face to God.
 ²⁷ You will make your prayer to Him,
      He will hear you,
      And you will pay your vows.
 ²⁸ You will also declare a thing,
      And it will be established for you;
      So light will shine on your ways.
 ²⁹ When they cast you down, and you say, ‘Exaltation will come!’
      Then He will save the humble person.
 ³⁰ He will even deliver one who is not innocent;
      Yes, he will be delivered by the purity of your hands.”

Is Job's claim of righteousness fair?

After the detailed response by Job, Eliphaz counters Jobs arguments. Remember that Job has just lost everything and was feeling pretty bad no doubt. Job went as far as cursing the fact that he was born. Amid this self-pity, he still had reverence for God and the same time knowing that he did no wrong to deserve this.

It is the last point above that his friends like Eliphaz, had the most trouble with. Only Job and God knew the things Job did and whether he did wrong or not. Job honestly thought he did no wrong that deserved such punishment. The more he tried to explain, the more his friends mistook this for self-righteousness.

In a way, his friends were quite biblical because Eliphaz essentially was saying that there is no one righteous before God - so how could Job be so bold or foolish to think that he did not anything wrong. In the passage below, Eliphaz talks about the smallness of man compared to the greatness of God, and how the evil man foolishly thinks he can challenge God, refering to Job.

Have we ever been in such situation with our brothers or sisters in Christ where instead of giving comfort, they become doctrinal, biblical and religious. What should our response be?

Job 15

Eliphaz Accuses Job of Folly

 ¹ Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: ² “ Should a wise man answer with empty knowledge,
      And fill himself with the east wind?
 ³ Should he reason with unprofitable talk,
      Or by speeches with which he can do no good?
 ⁴ Yes, you cast off fear,
      And restrain prayer before God.
 ⁵ For your iniquity teaches your mouth,
      And you choose the tongue of the crafty.
 ⁶ Your own mouth condemns you, and not I;
      Yes, your own lips testify against you.
 ⁷ “Are you the first man who was born?
      Or were you made before the hills?
 ⁸ Have you heard the counsel of God?
      Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
 ⁹ What do you know that we do not know?
      What do you understand that is not in us?
 ¹⁰ Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us,
      Much older than your father.
 ¹¹ Are the consolations of God too small for you,
      And the word spoken gently^[a] with you?
 ¹² Why does your heart carry you away,
      And what do your eyes wink at,
 ¹³ That you turn your spirit against God,
      And let such words go out of your mouth?
 ¹⁴ “What is man, that he could be pure?
      And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous?
 ¹⁵ If God puts no trust in His saints,
      And the heavens are not pure in His sight,
 ¹⁶ How much less man, who is abominable and filthy,
      Who drinks iniquity like water!
 ¹⁷ “I will tell you, hear me;
      What I have seen I will declare,
 ¹⁸ What wise men have told,
      Not hiding anything received from their fathers,
 ¹⁹ To whom alone the land was given,
      And no alien passed among them:
 ²⁰ The wicked man writhes with pain all his days,
      And the number of years is hidden from the oppressor.
 ²¹ Dreadful sounds are in his ears;
      In prosperity the destroyer comes upon him.
 ²² He does not believe that he will return from darkness,
      For a sword is waiting for him.
 ²³ He wanders about for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’
      He knows that a day of darkness is ready at his hand.
 ²⁴ Trouble and anguish make him afraid;
      They overpower him, like a king ready for battle.
 ²⁵ For he stretches out his hand against God,
      And acts defiantly against the Almighty,
 ²⁶ Running stubbornly against Him
      With his strong, embossed shield.
 ²⁷ “ Though he has covered his face with his fatness,
      And made his waist heavy with fat,
 ²⁸ He dwells in desolate cities,
      In houses which no one inhabits,
      Which are destined to become ruins.
 ²⁹ He will not be rich,
      Nor will his wealth continue,
      Nor will his possessions overspread the earth.
 ³⁰ He will not depart from darkness;
      The flame will dry out his branches,
      And by the breath of His mouth he will go away.
 ³¹ Let him not trust in futile things, deceiving himself,
      For futility will be his reward.
 ³² It will be accomplished before his time,
      And his branch will not be green.
 ³³ He will shake off his unripe grape like a vine,
      And cast off his blossom like an olive tree.
 ³⁴ For the company of hypocrites will be barren,
      And fire will consume the tents of bribery.
 ³⁵ They conceive trouble and bring forth futility;
      Their womb prepares deceit.”

Job's friend Eliphaz speaks

In the two chapters below, we see how Job's friend Eliphaz provides advice for Job. We can tell from Job 5:8-16 that Eliphaz is a type of person who has high regard for God, he sees God's magnificence and has great trust in the goodness of God. In Job 4:12-21, Eliphaz believes he has seen a vision and perhaps uses to give authority to what he was about to say to Job. 


From Job 4:1-11, 5:1-7, 5:17-27 however, we see the Eliphaz is the type of person who believes disaster comes because we have done something wrong. In 4:7 “ Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright ever cut off?" He believes correctly that all of us are sinners but then he attributes disasters because we have sinned. From 5:17-27, Eliphaz believes in the grace and goodness of God, in God's ability to restore to anyone who repents and gets corrected by God. 


In general, Eliphaz has a very healthy and positive attitude towards God. But his error is in the belief of earthly punishment that follows when we sinned. So he concludes that because great disaster has struck Job, Job must have sinned and must seek forgiveness from God. 

Job 4

Eliphaz: Job Has Sinned

 ¹ Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: ² “If one attempts a word with you, will you become weary?
      But who can withhold himself from speaking?
 ³ Surely you have instructed many,
      And you have strengthened weak hands.
 ⁴ Your words have upheld him who was stumbling,
      And you have strengthened the feeble knees;
 ⁵ But now it comes upon you, and you are weary;
      It touches you, and you are troubled.
 ⁶ Is not your reverence your confidence?
      And the integrity of your ways your hope?
 ⁷ “ Remember now, who ever perished being innocent?
      Or where were the upright ever cut off?
 ⁸ Even as I have seen,
      Those who plow iniquity
      And sow trouble reap the same.
 ⁹ By the blast of God they perish,
      And by the breath of His anger they are consumed.
 ¹⁰ The roaring of the lion,
      The voice of the fierce lion,
      And the teeth of the young lions are broken.
 ¹¹ The old lion perishes for lack of prey,
      And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.
 ¹² “Now a word was secretly brought to me,
      And my ear received a whisper of it.
 ¹³ In disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night,
      When deep sleep falls on men,
 ¹⁴ Fear came upon me, and trembling,
      Which made all my bones shake.
 ¹⁵ Then a spirit passed before my face;
      The hair on my body stood up.
 ¹⁶ It stood still,
      But I could not discern its appearance.
      A form was before my eyes;
      There was silence;
      Then I heard a voice saying:
 ¹⁷ ‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God?
      Can a man be more pure than his Maker?
 ¹⁸ If He puts no trust in His servants,
      If He charges His angels with error,
 ¹⁹ How much more those who dwell in houses of clay,
      Whose foundation is in the dust,
      Who are crushed before a moth?
 ²⁰ They are broken in pieces from morning till evening;
      They perish forever, with no one regarding.
 ²¹ Does not their own excellence go away?
      They die, even without wisdom.’

Job 5

Eliphaz: Job Is Chastened by God

 ¹ “Call out now;
      Is there anyone who will answer you?
      And to which of the holy ones will you turn? ² For wrath kills a foolish man,
      And envy slays a simple one.
 ³ I have seen the foolish taking root,
      But suddenly I cursed his dwelling place.
 ⁴ His sons are far from safety,
      They are crushed in the gate,
      And there is no deliverer.
 ⁵ Because the hungry eat up his harvest,
      Taking it even from the thorns,^[a]
      And a snare snatches their substance.^[b]
 6 For affliction does not come from the dust,
      Nor does trouble spring from the ground;
 ⁷ Yet man is born to trouble,
      As the sparks fly upward.
 ⁸ “But as for me, I would seek God,
      And to God I would commit my cause—
 ⁹ Who does great things, and unsearchable,
      Marvelous things without number.
 ¹⁰ He gives rain on the earth,
      And sends waters on the fields.
 ¹¹ He sets on high those who are lowly,
      And those who mourn are lifted to safety.
 ¹² He frustrates the devices of the crafty,
      So that their hands cannot carry out their plans.
 ¹³ He catches the wise in their own craftiness,
      And the counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them.
 ¹⁴ They meet with darkness in the daytime,
      And grope at noontime as in the night.
 ¹⁵ But He saves the needy from the sword,
      From the mouth of the mighty,
      And from their hand.
 ¹⁶ So the poor have hope,
      And injustice shuts her mouth.
 ¹⁷ “ Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects;
      Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.
 ¹⁸ For He bruises, but He binds up;
      He wounds, but His hands make whole.
 ¹⁹ He shall deliver you in six troubles,
      Yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.
 ²⁰ In famine He shall redeem you from death,
      And in war from the power of the sword.
 ²¹ You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,
      And you shall not be afraid of destruction when it comes.
 ²² You shall laugh at destruction and famine,
      And you shall not be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
 ²³ For you shall have a covenant with the stones of the field,
      And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.
 ²⁴ You shall know that your tent is in peace;
      You shall visit your dwelling and find nothing amiss.
 ²⁵ You shall also know that your descendants shall be many,
      And your offspring like the grass of the earth.
 ²⁶ You shall come to the grave at a full age,
      As a sheaf of grain ripens in its season.
 ²⁷ Behold, this we have searched out;
      It is true.
      Hear it, and know for yourself.”

Job's Grief

As Job started to grief, we firstly see Job being consoled by his 3 friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar. In Job 2:13 we see one of the best ways for friends to provide comfort by just being there for support, not needing to say anything in particular.


In Job 3 we can see Job's griefing process involve a lot of self-pitying thoughts. Most of us felt like this one degree or other at some time in our lives. Although Job sounded quite extreme, to the point of questioning whether he should be born, one of the best thing about Job is that he was not blaming God, even though he believed God was responsible.


Verse 23 reference to light, seems to show that Job realized that God had great favor on him, and also hinting that he knows about God's Hedge of protection around him. Perhaps like us sometimes, Job doesn't fully understand why disaster is happening in his life, but the good thing about Job is that he realizes that he is favored by God.






Job 2:
¹¹ Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment together to come and mourn with him, and to comfort him. ¹² And when they raised their eyes from afar, and did not recognize him, they lifted their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe and sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven. ¹³ So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.


Job 3:


¹ After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. ² And Job spoke, and said:
 ³ “May the day perish on which I was born,
      And the night in which it was said, 

      ‘A male child is conceived.’
 ⁴ May that day be darkness;
      May God above not seek it,
      Nor the light shine upon it.
 ⁵ May darkness and the shadow of death claim it;
      May a cloud settle on it;
      May the blackness of the day terrify it.
 ⁶ As for that night, may darkness seize it;
      May it not rejoice^[a] among the days of the year,
      May it not come into the number of the months.
 ⁷ Oh, may that night be barren!
      May no joyful shout come into it!
 ⁸ May those curse it who curse the day,
      Those who are ready to arouse Leviathan.
 ⁹ May the stars of its morning be dark;
      May it look for light, but have none,
      And not see the dawning of the day;
 ¹⁰ Because it did not shut up the doors of my mother’s womb,
      Nor hide sorrow from my eyes.
 ¹¹ “Why did I not die at birth?
      Why did I not perish when I came from the womb?
 ¹² Why did the knees receive me?
      Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?
 ¹³ For now I would have lain still and been quiet,
      I would have been asleep;
      Then I would have been at rest
 ¹⁴ With kings and counselors of the earth,
      Who built ruins for themselves,
 ¹⁵ Or with princes who had gold,
      Who filled their houses with silver;
 ¹⁶ Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child,
      Like infants who never saw light?
 ¹⁷ There the wicked cease from troubling,
      And there the weary are at rest.
 ¹⁸ There the prisoners rest together;
      They do not hear the voice of the oppressor.
 ¹⁹ The small and great are there,
      And the servant is free from his master.
 ²⁰ “Why is light given to him who is in misery,
      And life to the bitter of soul,
 ²¹ Who long for death, but it does not come,
      And search for it more than hidden treasures;
 ²² Who rejoice exceedingly,
      And are glad when they can find the grave?
 ²³ Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden,
      And whom God has hedged in?
 ²⁴ For my sighing comes before I eat,^[b]
      And my groanings pour out like water.
 ²⁵ For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me,
      And what I dreaded has happened to me.
 ²⁶ I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;
      I have no rest, for trouble comes.”