I
|
n this chapter, Eliphaz continues his initial answer to Job.
Now, some of what he says seems to be good counsel… until you consider the
context. For example, Job 5:17 sounds much like Hebrews 12:5-6 or Proverbs
3:11-12. Indeed, it is true that a guilty man who receives discipline from
God's hand should be grateful that God cares enough to adjust him. Yet, what
did that have to do with Job. He wasn't being punished for any crime or moral
shortcoming! So, perhaps Eliphaz was stating an obvious principle, but, if it
didn't apply to Job's situation then at that moment and in that situation it
was about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.
So anyway, Eliphaz was essentially continuing his diatribe on
Job's suspected flaws. The world that Eliphaz believed in was a world where the
good guy always wins and the bad guy always loses. And, while that is a fine
rule in the eternal scheme of things, the nasty now and now ruled by Lucifer
tends to allow for the prosperity of some very wicked men indeed. Somehow Eliphaz
didn't take that into account though.
In fact, Eliphaz didn't even believe that senseless
suffering existed. He expostulated that trouble doesn't just "spring out
of the ground" (Job 5:6). On top of
that, Eliphaz speculated about how he would handle the situation if he were in
Job's place (Job 5:8). I'm sure that made Job feel much better, right? NOT! As Eliphaz
rambled on about his hypothetical pet rocks and how he could live in harmony
with the wild beasts, I'm sure Job rolled his eyes to himself and shook his
head in disbelief at the self-absorbed babble of this supposed friend.
No comments:
Post a Comment