Advice from Eliphaz

One thing I think we can all agree on when we talk about God's Word, the Scriptures, would be that it is a book about relationships. So much that we find recorded in the Bible centers around relationships between people and people and relationships between people and God. Paul wrote to the brethren in Philippi. He said, "Join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern." You and I as we look at the word of God, try to note, to recognize those men and women that we read about whose lives and examples were those who followed God. We not only note those who lived righteous lives and strive to live the examples that are given us, but we can also learn from those whose lives were maybe not so good, or maybe didn't start out that way. We endeavor to follow the teachings and examples of those like Paul who followed Christ.

Since all scripture is preserved for our learning, we cannot overlook or dismiss any portion as not having value to us. God didn't have everything recorded in the scriptures just to fill the pages of a book. What book or person in the Bible do you think of when you think of going somewhere to get good counsel or guidance or wisdom? Is there someone you particularly think of? Maybe you like to go to the book of Psalms or Proverbs; there's so much that we can gain from studying those books. Maybe you like to read the Torah, the Pentateuch, the books of the law… maybe that's where you like to spend a lot of time studying. Maybe you like to read about the lives of great men of God such as Abraham, David, maybe the Major Prophets, or maybe even the Minor Prophets. Maybe you prefer to study the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, which is good because He is the only way for us to receive eternal life. Maybe you like reading about the lives of the apostles such as Peter, James and John. Maybe the writings of Paul are where you like to spend a great deal of your time in study and trying to learn what God wants us to see. Where do you go to receive the wise counsel from the Word of God?

The question is, “Can we find wise counsel sometimes from unexpected places or people?” I think we can if our minds are open to it. Remember that nothing recorded in the Bible is without value to you and me. As we're told in 2 Timothy 3:16 "…all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness." It doesn't say that it is profitable to make us feel good about ourselves. But as we will see, what we receive from it is far greater than anything that can be contained in our human emotions or feelings. So, what do you choose to read and study for your learning? How many of you have or would have chosen the book of Job?

Job is an epic story; a story that is played out in quite dramatic fashion and it revolves basically around the relationships between five men, their interactions between one another and their interactions with God. It's a story in which we find countless spiritual lessons that are preserved there for our learning the way of righteousness. We find in these events, this man Job going through a transformation… this righteous man, according to God's description of him. This righteous man is transformed in his relationship with God. It was a relationship that was personal, but it was a relationship that was based mainly on Job's obedience and his righteous actions. What we see in Job, through the trial and great testing of Job, we see God bring him into a much greater and deeper comprehension of who and what God is as compared to man. We often speak of Job as being tested, but in reality God was perfecting Job in ways that only a loving and merciful God can do.

We often go to the 'end of the book'. Here in Job 42 when we're talking about Job and the lessons learned, we read how the story ends. I'm going to start out by going to the end and reading that first. Job 42:1 "Then Job answered the Lord and said:"

Verse 2 "I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You."

Verse 3 "You asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know."

Verse 4 "Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, 'I will question you, and you shall answer Me.'"

Verse 5 "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You.

Verse 6 "Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."

Verse 7 "And so it was, after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has." Verse 8 "Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has." Verse 9 "So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord commanded them; for the Lord had accepted Job.' Verse 10 "And the Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before."

The story in the end comes out very well as far as Job is concerned and there are lessons to be learned because we focus on God's interaction with Job. Yet, we find that of these forty-two chapters, that in chapters 4 through 37, we are given the back and forth discussions between Job and his four friends… three of whom Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar spent considerable time wrongly accusing Job of many things that in their minds had caused God to turn from Job and to bring all this pain and misery upon his life. The fourth friend, Elihu, who was the youngest of the four, doesn't say anything until after the other three had said all that they had to say to Job and then he rightly contradicts Job's other friends for most of what they had said about God and about Job. He also tries to correct Job's wrong view of God. You see, Job viewed God as being unjust and not recognizing the righteous life Job had been living. Job had forgotten the goodness of God; the majesty of God. He had forgotten the justice of God in all matters.

Job 37:23-24

"As for the Almighty, we cannot find Him;
He is excellent in power,
In judgment and abundant justice;
He does not oppress.
Therefore men fear Him;
He shows no partiality to any who are wise of heart."

After Elihu finishes his discourse, then in chapters 38 through 42, God directly converses with Job, which results in the outcome that we just read in chapter 42 in verses one through ten. If these three friends of Job… Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar had not spoken what was right about God and they had used many words of censure toward Job, WHY ARE THEIR WORDS RECORDED FOR US IN THE SCRIPTURES? They're in the Bible. They are part of the inspired scripture, so there must be some spiritual benefit there for us. Although their overall understanding of Job's predicament and their characterization of God was wrong in many ways, some of what we see in their counsel to Job was right, even though it came from their wrong understanding of both God and Job. Some of what was said can be of benefit to us. I would like to go to some of the words of one of these friends, Eliphaz. Eliphaz and his friends had been very unjust in talking toward Job. In chapter 22, we see the third and last time that Eliphaz speaks to Job. Up until now, they had not found in Job's suffering any way to give him comfort nor encouragement, as true friends normally would extend to a brother. There may have been many reasons these men felt justified in treating their friend in such an ungodly manner. It could have been due to their own self-righteousness, which is often at the root of us criticizing and finding fault with another person. Maybe jealousy and envy of the apparent blessings that Job had enjoyed made them feel entitled to kick Job while he was down. Maybe Job's righteous, godly example made them feel guilty when they compared their own lives to that of Job. Treating him with disdain may have helped them mask over their own guilt. God does say that the righteous will receive persecution for righteousness sake. Maybe it's a combination of all of these, it doesn't really tell us. Whatever the reason, their treatment of Job was very unjust and unkind. In chapter 22, Eliphaz renews his rebuke and call for Job to repent.

In verses 1-3 Eliphaz asks what benefit or pleasure is it to God whether Job is righteous or not. We know that God does not need righteous servants, but we know He desires such people to worship Him. It says in the scriptures that He delights in the righteous and He has joy when people repent. Eliphaz seems to be implying that God doesn't really care one way or the other and he thinks Job is kind of an arrogant fool for thinking that God does care. You see, Eliphaz had already concluded that Job was a wicked man, therefore God's opinion was of no concern. Eliphaz had judged Job as guilty and it didn't matter in his mind what God thought. Notice the mocking tone in his words in verses 4 and 5.

Job 22:4-5 "Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you,
And enters into judgment with you?"

Verse 5 "Is not your wickedness great,
And your iniquity without end?"

He saw no evidence in Job of a right fear of God. Job's sins, in his eyes, were great because Job's punishment was great. Yet, we see in Psalm 103:10 "God has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities."

Eliphaz goes on in verses 6-11 to accuse Job of some specific sins. When you read through these, you realize none of these were true of Job or God could not have called Job a righteous man. These were all fabricated in the mind of Eliphaz with no factual basis for any of them. They were simply made up lies, something we humans are very adept at doing. In verses 12-14, Eliphaz accuses Job of thinking that God is so far off somewhere that God is not able to see what he is doing. Although, in previous exchanges Job certainly did not think he could hide anything from God and he made that perfectly clear several times. Then in verses 15-20, Eliphaz goes on to accuse Job of following in the ways of that wicked generation before the flood which God ultimately destroyed from the face of the earth.

Stop and think for a moment. Would any of us like sitting through an onslaught of false accusations, distortions, and character assassination? How would you deal with such treatment? Many of God's people have received such treatment in the past and many may see such persecution in the future, in fact, I think we're pretty much assured of it. I will take a moment to recommend a couple of sermons that I think would be very helpful in this situation. They're sermons that Mr. Rex Sexton, who is the pastor up in Olympia, Washington gave several weeks ago. There are two sermons called "The Persecution Has Begun". I listened to these some time back and I thought they were just absolutely spot on as far as telling us and letting us think about and understand where our persecution is coming from and the many forms that it is taking already in our nation and in the world and how easy it is for this persecution to rise up against us. It is something we cannot stick our heads in the sand and hide from. I think the scripture makes it very clear that persecution is part of what God calls us to.

Ironically, whether intended or not by Eliphaz, we see God's intent to take this in a totally different direction beginning in verse 21. Here in verse 21, Eliphaz after being so critical, and so accusatory toward Job… now seems to actually be giving Job some good counsel and encouragement. He is holding out to Job, not the indictment of God that he had been pummeling Job with, with false accusations and insults for chapter after chapter after chapter… but he is now lifting Job from the abyss of pain and rejection to an acceptance and exaltation by God that comes from true repentance. Was Job in need of repentance? Yes, he was as we all are and as we read in chapter 42, he did repent. But his repentance was not for any of the false accusations that had been made toward him by his friends. Why this sudden change in approach by Eliphaz? It isn't really clear, nor is it clear that this was his intended purpose. What he now says to Job is something that I think God intended for our learning. Let's take a look at the counsel of Eliphaz and learn.

Job 22:21 "Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace;
Thereby good will come to you."

In the Hebrew, this word for acquaint has a much deeper meaning than how we might think about a relationship with a person who is a mere acquaintance. It carries the meaning of knowing God as He truly is; of being in total agreement with Him in all things. Amos 3:3 asks the question "Can two walk together unless they are agreed?" The obvious answer is 'no', they cannot. To acquaint ourselves with God means consenting completely to His will, completely joining with and yielding to His desire for you. To acquaint ourselves with God, we must join ourselves to Him so that His interests become ours, so that we no longer live in opposition to Him; where there is no part in us that is not exposed by the light of God's word.

Let's notice David's words to Solomon when he was about to become king: 1 Chron. 28:9 "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever."

As we're told in John 17:3, eternal life is to know the Father and Jesus Christ… to KNOW the Father and Jesus Christ. Does it mean to just know ABOUT them? It means to personally KNOW them! 2 Cor. 4:6 "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Just as Job did, it is through the process of repentance that we come to see and to know God. As Jesus said to Phillip in John 14:9 "..He who has seen Me has seen the Father;" And as we read in 2 Corinthians, we know the glory of God in the face or in the person of Jesus Christ. Notice back in Job 22 the wonderful outcome of a person who acquaints himself with God through the process of repentance. Job 22:21 "Now acquaint yourself with God, and be at peace;" I think we have those words or similar words in one of our songs. "Be at peace", what does it mean to be at peace? An absence of war? An absence of trials and tests in our lives? While these may be definitions of peace, this isn't the peace being referred to here. The peace we have available to us and implied in this scripture is having a sense of being whole, complete, sound, safe. It is having an inner calm and assurance that removes all doubt, that removes all the fretting over the things of this life, that removes all forms of confusion.

John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." The peace Jesus Christ gives us is as a result of us having a harmonious relationship with God. He is our friend. He is not our adversary.

Phil. 4:4-7 "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!" Here is how having this peace allows us to live our lives. Verse 5 "Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand." Verse 6 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;" Verse 7 "and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." What we're talking about is a spiritual state of heart and mind. It defies human understanding and reasoning because it is of God and not of man. This peace doesn't come from our human efforts… we do have to seek it, we do have to ask for it, we do have to knock on the door for it to be opened to us, but it is given to us as a gift from God. It's a peace that comes from acquainting ourselves with God through daily repentance.

Job 22:21 "Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace;" The result? "Thereby good will come to you." What good, what blessings do you think would come to someone who was cultivating an acquaintance with God as we have been describing? What benefits would a person have who lives with an internal peace that is beyond human understanding?

Eph. 3:14-21 "For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," Verse 15 "from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named," Verse 16 "that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man," Verse 17 "that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love," Verse 18 "may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height--" Verse 19 "to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." I hope this is describing each of us. Verse 20 "NOW TO HIM WHO IS ABLE TO DO EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANTLY ABOVE ALL THAT WE ASK OR THINK, according to the power that works in us," Verse 21 "to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

The Beatitudes in Matthew 5 describe a person who is living such a life as a true follower of Jesus Christ. What good will come to such people? It says they will receive the Kingdom of God. They will be comforted in times of need. They will inherit the earth. They will be filled with righteousness. They will obtain mercy. They shall see God. They will be called sons of God. Acquaint yourself with God and be at peace and thereby good will come to you.

Eliphaz continues in almost a pleading manner. Job 22:22 "Receive, please, instruction from His mouth,

And lay up His words in your heart."

He is beseeching us to lay hold of, to seize, to grab hold of with all of our might instruction from God. Prov. 2:6 tells us that it is the Lord who gives wisdom and from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding. THE WORDS FROM GOD'S MOUTH ARE RECORDED IN THE BOOK YOU HAVE IN YOUR LAP. They are words inspired by God. They are literally God-breathed.

Psa. 119:9-16

Verse 9 "How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word."

Verse 10 "With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!"

Verse 11 "Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You."

Verse 12 "Blessed are You, O Lord!
Teach me your statutes."

Verse 13 "With my lips I have declared
All the judgments of Your mouth."

Verse 14 "I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
As much as in all riches."

Verse 15 "I will meditate on Your precepts,
And contemplate Your ways."

Verse 16 "I will delight myself in Your statutes;
I will not forget your word."

Psalm 119:103 "How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!" You and I must digest the words of God; it is by them that our spiritual life is sustained. Without them, we die!

Psalm 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path."

Eliphaz says to receive the word of God, but we must not just receive it; he says we must lay it up in our hearts. It is not enough for us to just receive the word of God. As we're told in Deuteronomy 8 and Matthew 4, we must live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. It is easy for us to read the Word, it is easy for us to memorize the Word, it is easy for us to speak the Word, and it’s even easy for us to preach the Word. But as was mentioned in the opening prayer, all of this is of no value unless we LIVE the Word. If we're not living it, we're not benefiting from it… it's just head knowledge. It is God's Word by which the course of our lives must be laid out before us. We must hold it close as something of great value. We must safeguard it against those who seek to change or to make it a detestable thing… the world is filled with such people.

Remember Peter's response to Christ in John 6:68 "…Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." Isa. 8:20 "To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." We must walk in the light as guided by the Word of God.

Job 22:23

"If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up;
You will remove iniquity far from your tents."

What separates us from God? SIN! But do we really know what sin is? Do we recognize where sin has taken a foothold in our lives? If not, how are we going to remove it and avoid its rule over us?? What removes sin and brings us back to God? REPENTANCE! Eliphaz is telling us that we must not only turn from sin through repentance, but we must turn to God. Only God can shield us against the fiery darts of Satan that he throws at us daily to try to destroy us. As we're told in Hebrews 7:25 about our High Priest: "He is able to save to the uttermost". He is able to save to the ultimate in a spiritual sense, to save those who come to God through Him… since He always lives to make intercession for them. GOD IS ALWAYS WILLING TO TAKE US BACK; ALL THAT IS REQUIRED OF US IS REPENTANCE. God will never turn his ear away from the truly repentant.

Job 22:24

"Then you will lay your gold in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks."

The riches men esteem so highly in this world, you and I must see as having no more value than the dust of the ground, or mere rocks or stones. Like Paul, we count them as rubbish that we may gain Christ. We're admonished in Rev. 3:18 "…buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich;" Peter tells us that it is our faith that must be tested by fire so that it may be found to the praise, honor and glory at the revelation or the coming of Jesus Christ. Our riches aren't stored up in this world.

Job 22:25

"Yes, the Almighty will be your gold
And your precious silver;"
It is in God that we have true riches. God is our gold. God is our silver.

Verse 26-27

"For then you will have your delight in the Almighty,
And lift up your face to God."

Verse 27 "You will make your prayer to Him,
He will hear you,
And you will pay your vows."

Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Isa. 58:14 "Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken." This one verse tells us what will happen when our ways are pleasing to God.

Eliphaz is telling us that God will hear our prayers; we want God to hear our prayers. Psa. 145:19 "He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them."

Job 22:28

"You will also declare a thing,
And it will be established for you;"

When we are seeking God, when we are seeking the ways of God, then it is God who will direct our paths. Like king David said, God's law is a light to our path. God says that He will complete in us the work that He has begun, if that's what we desire. We have to be willing and want God to do His work in us.

Psa. 90:17 …"let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us;" All that we are, all that we do will be orchestrated by God if we submit our will to His. ^

Job 22:29

"When they cast you down, and you say, 'Exaltation will come!'"
Then He will save the humble person."

As we face a world of growing persecution as God's people, where will we turn for our deliverance? How will we endure the tribulations, the trials that are coming upon this earth?

Luke 21:25-28 "And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring;" It sounds pretty ominous, doesn't it? Verse 26 "men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken." Verse 27 "Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." Verse 28 "Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."

Those who humble themselves will be exalted. As we read in Isaiah 58:14, we will be made to ride on the high hills of the earth. The terrible things coming upon this earth will not come near us. Psa. 91:7 "A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you."

The question: Do we have the faith, the true gold of faith to believe in such a powerful God?

Eliphaz finishes:

Job 22:30

"He will even deliver one who is not innocent;
Yes, he will be delivered by the purity of your hands."

God is not a respecter of persons. His blessings are poured out on all mankind. Matt. 5:45 "..He makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. The just and the unjust will come up in a resurrection. But how is it that God will deliver one who is not innocent in the breaking of His law? It says, 'they will be delivered by the purity of your hands."

Remember the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18? Christ said, 'If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the city for the sake of those fifty." In the end time, our time… as we see the terrible things coming upon this earth, God says for the elect's sake, He will shorten those days. He tells us the effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. DO OUR PRAYERS CONTRIBUTE TO THE HASTENING OF THE RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST?

One last point concerning Eliphaz: Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:28 tell us that as followers of Jesus Christ, we must be of the mind and heart to bless those who curse us, to pray for those who spitefully use us. This can only come from a humble repentant heart. This is what God brought Job to as we read beginning in the 42nd chapter of Job.

Let me read to you a comment on verse 30 from the "Nelson's Study Bible": "Eliphaz' prediction that God would deliver one who is not innocent through the purity of Job's hands would be filled ironically through Job's prayer for the three friends."

Let's close by going over and reading Job 42:8-10

Verse 8 "Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of me what is right, as My servant Job has." Verse 9 "So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord commanded them; for the Lord had accepted Job." Verse 10 "And the Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before."

It's important for you and I to note that Job was restored by God AFTER he had prayed for those who had treated him with disdain and malice; after he had prayed for those who had spitefully used him. God knew for Job not to hold malice in his heart toward these three men after all they had said about him, it was absolutely essential that Job pray for their well-being and that they would come themselves to be accepted by God.

ALL GOD'S WORD IS PROFITABLE FOR DOCTRINE, FOR REPROOF, FOR CORRECTION, FOR INSTRUCTION IN RIGHTEOUSNESS. So even the counsel of Eliphaz to Job that was motivated by wrong intentions, was intended by God to be used for our learning. Let's take the counsel of Eliphaz to heart, so like Job we can, through our sincere repentance, come to see and know God in ways that truly are beyond human understanding.. so that we can acquaint ourselves with God; be at peace; and thereby good will come to you.