Job 5:1-27
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,
And a snare snatches their substance.
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."
The friend of Job, Eliphaz, has assumed that Job is being chastened by God for his sin. He begins to lecture him, saying that he has nowhere to turn for in heaven to excuse him, and lists various sins that people commit which end badly for men. He talks of wrath, envy, foolishness, hunger, and affliction as common causes and consequences. The point is made how all are born to trouble as sparks fly upward out of a fire, that trouble doesn’t just come out of nowhere. He obviously does not see the heavenly battle causing Job’s present circumstances, but assumes it is all Job’s fault like any other man born on earth. Eliphaz Goes further to advise his friend to commit his cause to God Himself as he would do, for the LORD provides for all and does such marvelous and great things to sustain life. He exalts the humble and brings the proud low as deserved (Psalm 113:7, 1 Samuel 2:8, James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5-6). It is interesting to see in 1 Peter 5:8 after talking about humility that we are warned of our adversary the devil’s hunting us down, much like Job was here. Many will give us bad counsel as Job’s friend to blame us for all bad circumstances, when it could be an attack to frustrate our witness and rattle our trust in God’s providential grace. Yet here in Job, Eliphaz also speaks truths of God’s character, words not to be discounted. He tells us how He catches the enemies in their crafty working, how He saves the needy and poor, and how He works justice. Verse 17 even reminds us of joyfully submitting to God’s discipline as quoted in Hebrews 12:5-7, a reminder for us all. Yet Job’s friend here was using this verse to accuse Job of sin in his character and actions needing correction, when the main cause was the adversary’s attacks. These were God’s truths out of context being misapplied to Job. Eliphaz then continues to extol the rewards from the LORD for those God corrects, including healing, deliverance from adversity, safety in battle and in famine, destruction, and even the accusations of others. That wagging of tongues to slander or defame is actually what Eliphaz is doing with Job, ironically. Though the friend meant well, he did not have full insight into the situation, and made a bad assessment and assumptions. He searched out truths of God and His working, so many things here are true and quoted elsewhere, not to be discounted, yet their application was misdirected from an incomplete diagnosis of Job’s cause of suffering. How easy to assume that sickness or suffering are caused by a person’s sin alone! We need to pray more in the knowledge of the spiritual battles as Ephesians 6:11-12 and Revelation 12:17 remind us. Yes, we should seek God when we are chastened with godly discipline, but we should pray for wisdom before judging the cause of the suffering of our fellow believers in Christ, then humbly come alongside to help with godly counsel, considering our own state and the larger picture in the eternal plan of God in His sovereign providence and grace. May we use godly wisdom in wise counsel.
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