Read Job 15
Eliphaz
15 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2 “Would a wise person answer with empty notions
or fill their belly with the hot east wind?
3 Would they argue with useless words,
with speeches that have no value?
4 But you even undermine piety
and hinder devotion to God.
5 Your sin prompts your mouth;
you adopt the tongue of the crafty.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, not mine;
your own lips testify against you.
7 “Are you the first man ever born?
Were you brought forth before the hills?
8 Do you listen in on God’s council?
Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?
9 What do you know that we do not know?
What insights do you have that we do not have?
10 The gray-haired and the aged are on our side,
men even older than your father.
11 Are God’s consolations not enough for you,
words spoken gently to you?
12 Why has your heart carried you away,
and why do your eyes flash,
13 so that you vent your rage against God
and pour out such words from your mouth?
14 “What are mortals, that they could be pure,
or those born of woman, that they could be righteous?
15 If God places no trust in his holy ones,
if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes,
16 how much less mortals, who are vile and corrupt,
who drink up evil like water!
17 “Listen to me and I will explain to you;
let me tell you what I have seen,
18 what the wise have declared,
hiding nothing received from their ancestors
19 (to whom alone the land was given
when no foreigners moved among them):
20 All his days the wicked man suffers torment,
the ruthless man through all the years stored up for him.
21 Terrifying sounds fill his ears;
when all seems well, marauders attack him.
22 He despairs of escaping the realm of darkness;
he is marked for the sword.
23 He wanders about for food like a vulture;
he knows the day of darkness is at hand.
24 Distress and anguish fill him with terror;
troubles overwhelm him, like a king poised to attack,
25 because he shakes his fist at God
and vaunts himself against the Almighty,
26 defiantly charging against him
with a thick, strong shield.
27 “Though his face is covered with fat
and his waist bulges with flesh,
28 he will inhabit ruined towns
and houses where no one lives,
houses crumbling to rubble.
29 He will no longer be rich and his wealth will not endure,
nor will his possessions spread over the land.
30 He will not escape the darkness;
a flame will wither his shoots,
and the breath of God’s mouth will carry him away.
31 Let him not deceive himself by trusting what is worthless,
for he will get nothing in return.
32 Before his time he will wither,
and his branches will not flourish.
33 He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes,
like an olive tree shedding its blossoms.
34 For the company of the godless will be barren,
and fire will consume the tents of those who love bribes.
35 They conceive trouble and give birth to evil;
their womb fashions deceit.”
Go Deeper
Eliphaz, who may be the oldest of the friends who counsel and rebuke Job, represents the voice and wisdom of the Edomites. Eliphaz shares several truths. We see how men condemn themselves with their mouths and actions. Withering and death come to us all. However, Eliphaz misses the essential truths that can be learned by considering Job’s tribulation:
- Job believes in the power of God and that we all (believers and unbelievers) belong to Him (Job 12:16).
- Man’s wisdom is not God’s wisdom. What we see in the world and the lives of men is not what we see through the eyes of faith.
- The words of men and wisdom of the world are not a comfort to us. The only significance and comfort we can find in our lives is through the Word of God and our daily walk with him.
Instead of seeing these essential truths, Eliphaz paints Job as a presumptuous man who talks too much. Job is accused of being wicked, deserving of punishment, deceived by his own mind and lacking understanding. Eliphaz’s response represents how the world responds to trouble. How the world responds to trouble is very different from the response of believers. Yet, how often do we hear a worldly account of a situation and believe it?
There is no shortage of non-believers with large platforms who share opinions on current events that include some truths but miss the essential truths going on at the same time. As believers, we should remember non-believers are unable to see what God is doing. We should remember to consider our circumstances through a different lens.
Job certainly sees his situation through a different lens than the world. Job’s security, even through his loss and pain, is found in God. Job stands within his core values by being faithful to God (Job 13:13-19) by acknowledging God’s sovereignty over him. We, as believers, can find the same security in His sovereignty. James, the half brother of Jesus, shared a similar point of view in James 1:2 saying, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” We would do well to remember we were created to worship and experience joy in all circumstances.
Questions
- What is your first response to challenges and trials in your life? See God and His will first instead of relying on your own understanding.
- Have you allowed your spirit to turn against God when you face tragedy? Choose the wisdom of holding your tongue and keeping silent rather than accusing God of intending harm for you.
- How do you turn tests into testimony? Use the ability God has given you for patience and discernment to see where He is working in your life, then use that wisdom to lead others closer to Him.
Listen Here
Listen to the song “A Man Named Job” from Ryan Proudfoot, a singer-songwriter.
Leave a Comment Below
Join the Team
Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email [email protected].
7 responses to “Job 15”
When I read about Job and his suffering I do not think about,” is he suffering well or is he glorifying God in all of this”. I think poor guy, I am so sorry you are hurting so much. Job’s friends are letting him know that what he is doing is not making things better. They still think he did something and God is punishing him for it. If he would change his ways God would decrease his suffering.
How do you suffer? Most of us complain about everything that is going on. BUT GOD tells us that we are also to rejoice in our sufferings. All the problems will help us endure and give us good character so that we can hope. BUT GOD and his love poured into our hearts is the cause of rejoicing.
Romans5:3-5
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Rejoice in suffering. What a concept. But God goes on to explain why and what it produces. I think this also is what happened with Job. Even though his “friends” tried to tell him what he could do different, Job just kept believing God.
That is the encouragement I get from this that Job is persevering and showing us how to keep going. The arrogance of Eliphaz is unbelievable! BUT GOD is showing up and He will win
God thank You for Your word and how You explain life to me. I know I live in a fallen world and that trials will come my way. Thank You for showing me how to perserver through them. Thank You that I can rejoice in all aspects of my life because You are there. God You love is poured out through Your Holy Spirit and You give me what I need. I know that I know I am loved with a never-ending, all encompassing love. Thank You for me being able to also give that love away to others. God help me in these minutes of this day be Your hands and feet. Thank You for Your love goggles to see others through Your love. I give You honor, glory and thanksgiving for these minutes today in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
.
17 “Listen to me and I will explain to you;“
There are plenty of people today who want to play the role of Eliphaz the Temanite in our lives, who shout “listen to me and I will explain to you!”
Nope! Talk to the hand! I choose to listen to God!
👍
“Talk to the hand” — love it!
I’m noticing what NOT to do when a loved one is suffering. Job’s friends, who seem more like enemies, police every word he says through their own foggy lenses. I Corinthians 13:12 instructs that we only see in part, not the whole picture. Instead of our critiques we should offer our prayers and praises to the One who can shed light on the darkness of broken places.
Eliphaz accuses Job of arrogance, suggesting that Job’s words are a sign of pride. “Why does your heart carry you away, and why do your eyes flash?” vs12
This serves as a reminder for me to approach life with humility, recognizing that my understanding is limited compared to God’s infinite wisdom.
Let us embrace humility as a pathway to deeper faith and reliance on God.
REFLECTIONS ON JOB 15
Questioning the Questions
I’m so thankful for the consistently faithful, instructive leadership that ensures substantive content and thought-provoking questions in each day’s “Go Deeper” section. I can’t even begin to imagine the kind of preparation and care it must take to engage so many people across so many different books of the Bible.
And I hope it’s considered a win anytime the study guide truly does push us to “go deeper” – even if we find ourselves going somewhere a little uncomfortable.
I say that as my reflections today have me questioning the study questions themselves. Not as critique – but as context to frame the larger questions Job has had to wrestle with for the last fourteen chapters.
The way we frame suffering matters enormously — especially for those who are already inside it.
1. SUFFERING DEFINED
I think it’s critical that we distinguish carefully between “challenges and trials“ — and actual suffering. Challenges are difficult and painful, but they belong to the normal rhythm of human life.
Challenges move through us.
Suffering REARRANGES us.
Job is not facing a “challenge.” Job is enduring something that dismantles him. And I’m concerned that if we treat suffering as a degree of difficulty rather than a category of rupture, we misdiagnose both Job’s condition and the kind of response his situation demands.
2. We don’t solve suffering by understanding it.
When I read words in the study questions like understanding, wisdom, patience or discernment, I’m left thinking that perhaps the primary task of the sufferer is to “interpret their pain correctly.”
But this is precisely the error Job’s friends keep making — they treat suffering as a theological problem to be solved, rather than an agony to be endured.
And this is what Job keeps resisting so fiercely all throughout the book. Job does not lack theology. He lacks relief. He lacks hope.
When suffering reaches this depth, perspective is not the first need.
Comfort is.
3. SUFFERING IN SILENCE?
While it’s true that Scripture does not condone accusing God — it does not necessarily require emotional censorship in suffering, either.
And when a believer suffers, it is unrealistic to imagine that their relationship with God will remain untouched. Anger, accusation, resentment and bewilderment are not signs of faithlessness — they are signs of pain.
On the front end of suffering, people are often a mass of unfiltered emotion. Wailing is not articulate and controlled — but loud and messy!
Job isn’t failing to control his tongue — he’s refusing to pretend. And his words, though dangerous, are directed TOWARD God, not away from Him.
Faithfulness in suffering is not measured by how well we restrain our grief, but by whether we stay in relationship with God INSIDE that grief.
4. SUFFERING “ETIQUETTE”
Job 15 does not teach us how to behave when we suffer. Instead, he offers his own “Go Deeper” question:
“What does faith look like when it no longer helps me behave well at all?”