Day 14, January 14 Bible Reading

Day 14, January 14

Job 4-7 First series of discussions: Eliphaz and Job debate

Eliphaz was the son of Esau from his wife Adah. His son Teman was likely the ancestor of the Temanites, the tribe of Eliphaz. Amalek, the son from his concubine, was the ancestor of the Amalekites, a perennial enemy of Israel.
4:2-5 Eliphaz’s opening remarks. A week of sitting in silence together not talking about the elephant in the middle of the room could get a bit uncomfortable! Eliphaz indicated that Job strengthened many hands and knees, but now weariness has come on him.
4:6-11 Eliphaz continues his thesis. He said the Law of Sowing and Reaping, otherwise known as “karma” is in effect. Is integrity and excellence your hope and confidence Job? Have you ever seen the upright cut off, or innocent perish? Those who plow inquiry reap the same; God sees to it.

4:12-21 Now Eliphaz claims to have a vision of a strange spirit who brought him a word. There are churches today where you can see this happening every day. I question it in both cases. At least Eliphaz does not attribute his “word” and his “vision” to the Lord.

This is what people do when they want to artificially increase the weight of their words. Like Eliphaz, they like to declare "I have a word from God". It's always a secret word. This word was told to Eliphaz secretly, whispered in his ear. He was told in a dream, so disturbing, that he was in fear and trembling and all bones shook as a spirit passed in front of him, and told him this word in a hushed voice. What drama lol. Sigh. Smh. This continues today. I have always said, if someone shows up and says "God told me to marry you" tell that person to make sure and tell the angel who told you that to visit me also....

Eliphaz then reminds Job that even the watchers (angels) sinned. This is a reference to the sons of God coming down to have sex with the women before the flood.

How much more God will charge men who sin, and crush them. Then your so-called excellence will die.
Interestingly Peter used this same argument when he declared in 2 Peter 2:4-10; saying if God did not spare angels who sinned, the Lord knows how to deliver the godly and reserve unjust for judgement.

5:1-7 Eliphaz now appeals to common sense: this kind of trouble does not just appear out of nowhere; this has to come from God. The foolish even though he takes root, will be crushed and will have no deliverer. Even his sons weren’t spared.
5:8-16 Eliphaz makes a case for why Job should seek God on this matter, and talks about how great and marvelous God is (this part is true), but then he adds a little dig by reminding Job that God knows when you sin and that He will punish those who do. Eliphaz is sure at this point that this is a simple case of Job sinning and God meting out His justice against him.
5:17-27 Eliphaz continues in this vein of certainty that Job has sinned, and now he tells him that if he will just repent from his sins, God will bless him with much more than than he ever dreamed, that he will live a long and good life on the earth for doing so. And Eliphaz is very certain of this.

6:2-7 Job’s speech after a week of suffering in silence was a bit rash, Job now admits, but Eliphaz’ counsel didn’t make it any better; in fact, his words were so tasteless to Job that he refused to accept them. He is in so much anguish that he cannot even describe what he is experiencing, but it feels like God has shot him with poisonous arrows, which are bad enough, but now the poison is filling his body as well.
6:8-13 Job again wishes for his death, not by suicide, but that God would finish what He started. He might as well shoot some more arrows and let him die. But in all this, Job maintains his innocence.
6:14-23 Job appeals to Eliphaz to show him kindness if he really believes that Job is such a great sinner. He then speaks to all three friends collectively; perhaps he feels that the others must agree with Eliphaz as well, and accuses them of being as reliable as a stream fed by snow when it gets hot. (This tells us that Job must live in a location where this happens, so that would rule out Edom.) So far, his friends have offered him no help, and he has not asked for anything from them except comfort, which he has not received from them.

6:24-30 “Tell me what I have done wrong, so I can repent!” Job is basically challenging his friend now. Yes, he admits that his words in his first speech were pouring out his soul but that speech was not his sin that got him here in the first place. And then he throws a few insults at Eliphaz by accusing him of gambling over orphans and bargaining over his friend. Then he tells his friends to look at him! Job was probably pretty nasty looking by now, but he wanted them to look him in the eye and tell him these things. He can still discern that Eliphaz’ words are unpalatable.

7:1-6 Job has a very hard life now, life is meaningless and empty, he tosses and turns all night long, and his physical body is vile and in constant pain. He says he has been allotted months of futility. His body is caked with worms and dust. His skin is cracked. His days are spent without hope.

7:7-10 Job has lost all hope and meaning in life. He might as well just die now. Life is just a breath. As the cloud disappears and vanishes away, so are those who go to the grave never return. Is Job correct here?
7:11-21 Job now turns his attention to God and speaks to Him. He asks God if he is like a sea dragon/serpent or even the sea, that he set a guard over him? This is a picture of evil and confusion and destruction, so there needed to be boundaries. Job is making an extreme example here to show that he is obviously not the most wicked man on earth, so why is God doing this to him? When he tries to sleep, he says that God is giving him bad dreams and nightmares so that even then he has no rest from this horrible existence. He hates his life, he just wants to die. When Job calls God a “watcher of mankind,” he is essentially saying that God protects and guards mankind, so what did Job do for God to treat him this way? Job is now wondering if maybe he did sin and wants God to just forgive him, but since that is not happening, he will just lie down and die.

This first debate is the longest one in the book of Job, but it sets the stage for the rest of the story.