Job 4: Eliphaz's Counsel
A study of Job chapter 4, focusing on Eliphaz's initial response to Job's suffering.
1. Introduction and Hesitation
1.1 Eliphaz's Opening Remarks (Job 4:1-2)
Verses: Job 4:1-2
- Eliphaz hesitates to speak, acknowledging the weight of Job's situation.
- He recognizes Job's past role as a comforter of others.
2. Recalling Job's Past
2.1 Job's Righteousness and Its Expected Reward (Job 4:3-6)
Verses: Job 4:3-6
- Eliphaz reminds Job of his past strength in upholding the weak and faltering.
- He suggests that Job's current distress is inconsistent with his previous righteousness, implying a hidden fault.
- Eliphaz questions Job's faith, asking if his integrity should not be his confidence.
3. Divine Retribution
3.1 The Principle of Divine Justice (Job 4:7-9)
Verses: Job 4:7-9
- Eliphaz asserts that the innocent do not perish and the upright are not cut off.
- He claims that those who plow iniquity and sow wickedness reap the same.
- He attributes destruction to the breath of God's nostrils, emphasizing God's power and justice.
4. A Vision of God's Holiness
4.1 Eliphaz's Vision and Its Message (Job 4:12-16)
Verses: Job 4:12-16
- Eliphaz describes a secret word that came to him, a whisper he received.
- He recounts a terrifying vision that caused fear and trembling.
- The vision questions the purity of humans before God, suggesting that even angels are not perfect in His sight.
4.2 The Question of Human Righteousness (Job 4:17-21)
Verses: Job 4:17-21
- Eliphaz poses a rhetorical question: Can mortal man be more just than God?
- He emphasizes the frailty and mortality of humans, comparing them to crushed moths.
- He concludes that humans perish without wisdom, implying that Job's suffering is due to a lack of understanding.