(Job 15:1-35) Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,
2 “Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge,
And fill himself with the east wind?
3 Should he argue with useless talk,
Or with words which do not benefit?
4 Indeed, you do away with reverence,
And hinder meditation before God.
5 For your wrongdoing teaches your mouth,
And you choose the language of the cunning.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, and not I;
And your own lips testify against you.
7 “Were you the first person to be born,
Or were you brought forth before the hills?
8 Do you hear the secret discussion of God,
And limit wisdom to yourself?
9 What do you know that we do not know?
What do you understand that we do not?
10 Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us,
Older than your father.
11 Are the consolations of God too little for you,
Or the word spoken gently to you?
12 Why does your heart take you away?
And why do your eyes wink,
13 That you can turn your spirit against God
And produce such words from your mouth?
14 What is man, that he would be pure,
Or he who is born of a woman, that he would be righteous?
15 Behold, He has no trust in His holy ones,
And the heavens are not pure in His sight;
16 How much less one who is detestable and corrupt:
A person who drinks malice like water!
17 “I will tell you, listen to me;
And what I have seen I will also declare;
18 What wise people have told,
And have not concealed from their fathers,
19 To whom alone the land was given,
And no stranger passed among them.
20 The wicked person writhes in pain all his days,
And the years reserved for the ruthless are numbered.
21 Sounds of terror are in his ears;
While he is at peace the destroyer comes upon him.
22 He does not believe that he will return from darkness,
And he is destined for the sword.
23 He wanders about for food, saying, ‘Where is it?’
He knows that a day of darkness is at hand.
24 Distress and anguish terrify him,
They overpower him like a king ready for the attack,
25 Because he has reached out with his hand against God,
And is arrogant toward the Almighty.
26 He rushes headlong at Him
With his massive shield.
27 For he has covered his face with his fat,
And put fat on his waist.
28 He has lived in desolate cities,
In houses no one would inhabit,
Which are destined to become ruins.
29 He will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure;
And his property will not stretch out on the earth.
30 He will not escape from darkness;
The flame will dry up his shoot,
And he will go away by the breath of His mouth.
31 Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself;
For his reward will be emptiness.
32 It will be accomplished before his time,
And his palm branch will not be green.
33 He will drop off his unripe grape like the vine,
And will cast off his flower like the olive tree.
34 For the company of the godless is barren,
And fire consumes the tents of the corrupt.
35 They conceive harm and give birth to wrongdoing,
And their mind prepares deception.”
And fill himself with the east wind?
3 Should he argue with useless talk,
Or with words which do not benefit?
4 Indeed, you do away with reverence,
And hinder meditation before God.
5 For your wrongdoing teaches your mouth,
And you choose the language of the cunning.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, and not I;
And your own lips testify against you.
7 “Were you the first person to be born,
Or were you brought forth before the hills?
8 Do you hear the secret discussion of God,
And limit wisdom to yourself?
9 What do you know that we do not know?
What do you understand that we do not?
10 Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us,
Older than your father.
11 Are the consolations of God too little for you,
Or the word spoken gently to you?
12 Why does your heart take you away?
And why do your eyes wink,
13 That you can turn your spirit against God
And produce such words from your mouth?
14 What is man, that he would be pure,
Or he who is born of a woman, that he would be righteous?
15 Behold, He has no trust in His holy ones,
And the heavens are not pure in His sight;
16 How much less one who is detestable and corrupt:
A person who drinks malice like water!
17 “I will tell you, listen to me;
And what I have seen I will also declare;
18 What wise people have told,
And have not concealed from their fathers,
19 To whom alone the land was given,
And no stranger passed among them.
20 The wicked person writhes in pain all his days,
And the years reserved for the ruthless are numbered.
21 Sounds of terror are in his ears;
While he is at peace the destroyer comes upon him.
22 He does not believe that he will return from darkness,
And he is destined for the sword.
23 He wanders about for food, saying, ‘Where is it?’
He knows that a day of darkness is at hand.
24 Distress and anguish terrify him,
They overpower him like a king ready for the attack,
25 Because he has reached out with his hand against God,
And is arrogant toward the Almighty.
26 He rushes headlong at Him
With his massive shield.
27 For he has covered his face with his fat,
And put fat on his waist.
28 He has lived in desolate cities,
In houses no one would inhabit,
Which are destined to become ruins.
29 He will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure;
And his property will not stretch out on the earth.
30 He will not escape from darkness;
The flame will dry up his shoot,
And he will go away by the breath of His mouth.
31 Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself;
For his reward will be emptiness.
32 It will be accomplished before his time,
And his palm branch will not be green.
33 He will drop off his unripe grape like the vine,
And will cast off his flower like the olive tree.
34 For the company of the godless is barren,
And fire consumes the tents of the corrupt.
35 They conceive harm and give birth to wrongdoing,
And their mind prepares deception.”
(Job 16:1-22) Then Job responded,
2 “I have heard many things like these;
Miserable comforters are you all!
3 Is there no end to windy words?
Or what provokes you that you answer?
4 I too could speak like you,
If only I were in your place.
I could compose words against you
And shake my head at you.
5 Or I could strengthen you with my mouth,
And the condolence of my lips could lessen your pain.
6 “If I speak, my pain is not lessened,
And if I refrain, what pain leaves me?
7 But now He has exhausted me;
You have laid waste all my group of loved ones.
8 And you have shriveled me up,
It has become a witness;
And my infirmity rises up against me,
It testifies to my face.
9 His anger has torn me and hunted me down,
He has gnashed at me with His teeth;
My enemy glares at me.
10 They have gaped at me with their mouths,
They have slapped me on the cheek with contempt;
They have massed themselves against me.
11 God hands me over to criminals,
And tosses me into the hands of the wicked.
12 I was at ease, but He shattered me,
And He has grasped me by my neck and shaken me to pieces;
He has also set me up as His target.
13 His arrows surround me.
He splits my kidneys open without mercy;
He pours out my bile on the ground.
14 He breaks through me with breach after breach;
He runs at me like a warrior.
15 I have sewed sackcloth over my skin,
And thrust my horn in the dust.
16 My face is flushed from weeping,
And deep darkness is on my eyelids,
17 Although there is no violence in my hands,
And my prayer is pure.
18 “Earth, do not cover my blood,
And may there be no resting place for my cry.
19 Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven,
And my advocate is on high.
20 My friends are my scoffers;
My eye weeps to God,
21 That one might plead for a man with God
As a son of man with his neighbor!
22 For when a few years are past,
I shall go the way of no return.
2 “I have heard many things like these;
Miserable comforters are you all!
3 Is there no end to windy words?
Or what provokes you that you answer?
4 I too could speak like you,
If only I were in your place.
I could compose words against you
And shake my head at you.
5 Or I could strengthen you with my mouth,
And the condolence of my lips could lessen your pain.
6 “If I speak, my pain is not lessened,
And if I refrain, what pain leaves me?
7 But now He has exhausted me;
You have laid waste all my group of loved ones.
8 And you have shriveled me up,
It has become a witness;
And my infirmity rises up against me,
It testifies to my face.
9 His anger has torn me and hunted me down,
He has gnashed at me with His teeth;
My enemy glares at me.
10 They have gaped at me with their mouths,
They have slapped me on the cheek with contempt;
They have massed themselves against me.
11 God hands me over to criminals,
And tosses me into the hands of the wicked.
12 I was at ease, but He shattered me,
And He has grasped me by my neck and shaken me to pieces;
He has also set me up as His target.
13 His arrows surround me.
He splits my kidneys open without mercy;
He pours out my bile on the ground.
14 He breaks through me with breach after breach;
He runs at me like a warrior.
15 I have sewed sackcloth over my skin,
And thrust my horn in the dust.
16 My face is flushed from weeping,
And deep darkness is on my eyelids,
17 Although there is no violence in my hands,
And my prayer is pure.
18 “Earth, do not cover my blood,
And may there be no resting place for my cry.
19 Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven,
And my advocate is on high.
20 My friends are my scoffers;
My eye weeps to God,
21 That one might plead for a man with God
As a son of man with his neighbor!
22 For when a few years are past,
I shall go the way of no return.
(Job 17:1-16)
1 “My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished,
The grave is ready for me.
2 Mockers are certainly with me,
And my eye gazes on their provocation.
3 “Make a pledge for me with Yourself;
Who is there that will be my guarantor?
4 For You have kept their hearts away from understanding;
Therefore You will not exalt them.
5 He who informs against friends for a share of the spoils,
The eyes of his children also will perish.
6 “But He has made me a proverb among the people,
And I am one at whom people spit.
7 My eye has also become inexpressive because of grief,
And all my body parts are like a shadow.
8 The upright will be appalled at this,
And the innocent will stir himself up against the godless.
9 Nevertheless the righteous will hold to his way,
And the one who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger.
10 But come again all of you now,
For I do not find a wise man among you.
11 My days are past, my plans are torn apart,
The wishes of my heart.
12 They make night into day, saying,
‘The light is near,’ in the presence of darkness.
13 If I hope for Sheol as my home,
I make my bed in the darkness;
14 If I call to the grave, ‘You are my father’;
To the maggot, ‘my mother and my sister’;
15 Where then is my hope?
And who looks at my hope?
16 Will it go down with me to Sheol?
Shall we together go down into the dust?”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
The grave is ready for me.
2 Mockers are certainly with me,
And my eye gazes on their provocation.
3 “Make a pledge for me with Yourself;
Who is there that will be my guarantor?
4 For You have kept their hearts away from understanding;
Therefore You will not exalt them.
5 He who informs against friends for a share of the spoils,
The eyes of his children also will perish.
6 “But He has made me a proverb among the people,
And I am one at whom people spit.
7 My eye has also become inexpressive because of grief,
And all my body parts are like a shadow.
8 The upright will be appalled at this,
And the innocent will stir himself up against the godless.
9 Nevertheless the righteous will hold to his way,
And the one who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger.
10 But come again all of you now,
For I do not find a wise man among you.
11 My days are past, my plans are torn apart,
The wishes of my heart.
12 They make night into day, saying,
‘The light is near,’ in the presence of darkness.
13 If I hope for Sheol as my home,
I make my bed in the darkness;
14 If I call to the grave, ‘You are my father’;
To the maggot, ‘my mother and my sister’;
15 Where then is my hope?
And who looks at my hope?
16 Will it go down with me to Sheol?
Shall we together go down into the dust?”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
I love to hold conversations, which exchange ideas or stories, but I've never been into debating, and I do not like arguments at all. Naturally, my husband and I will get into some fairly "heavy discussions" from time to time, sometimes for stupid reasons, and sometimes it is to sort out some details and/or to reach some sort of understanding. And if it's about our relationship itself... we like to sort it all out before the end of the day!!! These are the kinds of conversations that require us to humbly remain persistent, without throwing in the towel, so to speak. But then there are certain topics of discussions that just aren't fruitful, and therefore just not worth it! For example...
All these "friends" of Job's are using classic strategies of rhetoric! Their discussions, guised as caring, use wisdom gleaned from the opinions of mankind, and partial truths - to speak against Job, and even against God.
While someone might believe that they are being so compassionate, they are actually patronizing, bullying and trying to manipulate you to think and believe as they do. One might also believe that they are being so understanding and hearing you out, yet they twist around everything that you say. They think that they are being so open-minded, but they will ask you loaded questions so that they can use the answers against you. And even though one might do scads of research, even read the Bible (a bit), have tons of knowledge and a high I..Q., in believing that they are so intellectual, they never see how much they contradict themselves.
I've heard people like this talk endlessly, and in circles. I'm not going to try to get to the bottom of their motives, but I have to ask myself, "Why do I bother to engage?!" After awhile, it is probably like "throwing pearls before swine". I suppose on one hand, I don't want to appear rude. And I do sincerely hope and pray that they might eventually come to see their need for the Lord through these discussions. But finally, I have to ask God to help me figure out a polite way to exit a completely senseless conversation.
All too often, all parties involved are eventually just saying the same things, over and over again. without ever coming to an agreement or understanding or accomplishing anything. As well, we often argue about stuff that could never be proven one way or another, because we don't have full insight. Job and his friends were not privy to God's reasons, or the heavenly scenes that led up to Job's suffering. In these scenarios, one can only speculate.
Most of what Eliphaz said was coming from a very self-righteous place. This is a sin, and it is one sin that is extra dangerous, in my opinion, because the person believes that they are always right. And no matter what you say to them, they are still always right, and therefore they will not see a need to confess and/or change.
In verses 16:4-5, Job talks about how one can choose to either judge someone who is in pain, or help lessen the pain with sympathy and encouragement. This is a good point to remember the next time we are speaking with anyone who is struggling through something. And in choosing to encourage anyone, we must come with a humble heart. This will help us avoid being a judgmental know-it-all. And this will help us to rely on God to give us wisdom in what to say or do.
Eliphaz did correctly point out that if we dwell on various pains or worldly things, these will hinder our meditation before God. While this is true, we do need to process, although we should never stay stuck in that mode. The processing and our venting should always move us towards looking into what God says, or we will never arrive at a healthy solution or a peaceful and joyful place... which is to come alongside and continue our walk with the Lord Jesus!
Just as Job speaks with a lot of hopeless despair - like, he's throwing himself a grand ol' pity party - he arrives at the healthy and wise conclusion in verse 16:19, that God is our witness and our advocate. And then in verse 16:20, Job claims that he will only weep before God. God sees and knows everything. And God cares for us. So it only makes sense that we always and ultimately go to God for our help, wisdom, hope, strength and comfort!
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