relationships (Job 4:7-5:27) Knowing Truth Will Recognize Lies

 (Job 4:7-21) 

7  “Remember now, who ever perished being innocent?
     Or where were the upright destroyed?
8   According to what I have seen, those who plow wrongdoing
     And those who sow trouble harvest it.
9   By the breath of God they perish,
     And by the blast of His anger they come to an end.
10 The roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion,
     And the teeth of the young lions are broken out.
11 The lion perishes for lack of prey,
     And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

12 “Now a word was brought to me secretly,
     And my ear received a whisper of it.
13 Amid disquieting thoughts from visions of the night,
     When deep sleep falls on people,
14 Dread came upon me, and trembling,
     And made all my bones shake.
15 Then a spirit passed by my face;
     The hair of my flesh stood up.
16 Something was standing still, but I could not recognize its appearance;
     A form was before my eyes;
     There was silence, then I heard a voice:
17 ‘Can mankind be righteous before God?
     Can a man be pure before his Maker?
18 He puts no trust even in His servants;
     And He accuses His angels of error.
19 How much more those who live in houses of clay,
     Whose foundation is in the dust,
     Who are crushed before the moth!
20 Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces;
     Unregarded, they perish forever.
21 Is their tent-cord not pulled out within them?
     They die, yet without wisdom.’

(Job 5:1-27) 

1  “Call now, is there anyone who will answer you?
     And to which of the holy ones will you turn?
2   For irritation kills the fool,
     And jealousy brings death to the simple.
3   I have seen the fool taking root,
     And I cursed his home immediately.
4   His sons are far from safety,
     They are also oppressed at the gate,
     And there is no one to save them.
5  The hungry devour his harvest
     And take it to a place of thorns,
     And the schemer is eager for their wealth.
6   For disaster does not come from the dust,
     Nor does trouble sprout from the ground,
7   For man is born for trouble,
     As sparks fly upward.

8  “But as for me, I would seek God,
     And I would make my plea before God,
9   Who does great and unsearchable things,
     Wonders without number.
10 He gives rain on the earth,
     And sends water on the fields,
11 So that He sets on high those who are lowly,
     And those who mourn are lifted to safety.
12 He frustrates the schemes of the shrewd,
     So that their hands cannot attain success.
13 He captures the wise by their own cleverness,
     And the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted.
14 By day they meet with darkness,
     And grope at noon as in the night.
15 But He saves from the sword of their mouth,
     And the poor from the hand of the strong.
16 So the helpless has hope,
     And injustice has shut its mouth.

17 “Behold, happy is the person whom God disciplines,
      So do not reject the discipline of the Almighty.
18  For He inflicts pain, and gives relief;
      He wounds, but His hands also heal.
19  In six troubles He will save you;
      Even in seven, evil will not touch you.
20  In famine He will redeem you from death,
      And in war, from the power of the sword.
21 You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,
      And you will not be afraid of violence when it comes.
22 You will laugh at violence and hunger,
     And you will not be afraid of wild animals.
23 For you will be in league with the stones of the field,
     And the animals of the field will be at peace with you.
24 You will know that your tent is secure,
     For you will visit your home and have nothing missing.
25 You will also know that your descendants will be many,
     And your offspring as the grass of the earth.
26 You will come to the grave at a ripe age,
     Like the stacking of grain in its season.
27 Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is.
     Hear it, and know for yourself.”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Eliphaz was correct in saying that God brings justice, but where he was wrong was that this justice may not be immediate.  And the ultimate justice will come during the Tribulation, during the Millennium, and then at the White Throne Judgement.  And for any believers in the Lord, all our sins have been forgiven, therefore we will never be punished, although here on earth, as we sin, God will discipline us (His children) in order to get us back on track.  But we don't only suffer because of our own sin, we will suffer because of other people's sins, and as in Job's case here, it is a test from God.

Therefore, Eliphaz was incorrect in saying that only those who sin will suffer.  If he had read any scripture in detail, he would see that the innocent do go through trials.  Another error that Eliphaz made was listening to the demon's message (in verse 4:17).  Eliphaz fell right into Satan's trap!  Then, instead of encouraging Job, he helped to do Satan's job in trying to discourage and distract Job.  Eliphaz even questioned if Job would call out to God or to an "angel" or to other god/s.

The angels have already made their eternal decisions.  Satan took about a third of them with him, and they are considered fallen angels, evil spirits, demons... and by the way, they are all liars.  God's holy ones, His angels, remain obedient to Him as they carry out their various ministries.  We are to only pray to God, and not angels.  But if we ever hear a message from a spiritual being - test the spirit!  If it aligns with God's word, then it is a message sent from God.

As Satan and his demons want to keep people from following God, a popular strategy of theirs is to make accusations about believers being unworthy.  It is true that no one in their own efforts can have a personal relationship with God, but that is only part of the message.  The complete message is of hope - that - because of Jesus' work on the cross, anyone who believers in Him is saved and redeemed.  And because of His grace, we cannot lose our salvation! 

The believer is made righteous and pure in Christ, and is promised eternal life!  But for Eliphaz to imply that anyone who followed God would have a perfect life here on earth is very misleading.  Job was not only a believer already, but in chapter 1, God was saying how righteous Job was.  As well, no where in the Bible does God promise His followers a perfect life here on earth (before the Millennium).  In fact, we are promised that there will be trials and tribulations.

Satan loves to take God's words and twist them, so it is to our great benefit that we study and know God's words while seeking a close relationship with Him!  To know truth helps us to recognize lies.  In recognizing lies we will know when to stop in our tracks and get back to following the Lord's will... 

(James 4:7) Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.