Read Job 4
Eliphaz
4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2 “If someone ventures a word with you, will you be impatient?
But who can keep from speaking?
3 Think how you have instructed many,
how you have strengthened feeble hands.
4 Your words have supported those who stumbled;
you have strengthened faltering knees.
5 But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged;
it strikes you, and you are dismayed.
6 Should not your piety be your confidence
and your blameless ways your hope?
7 “Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished?
Where were the upright ever destroyed?
8 As I have observed, those who plow evil
and those who sow trouble reap it.
9 At the breath of God they perish;
at the blast of his anger they are no more.
10 The lions may roar and growl,
yet the teeth of the great lions are broken.
11 The lion perishes for lack of prey,
and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.
12 “A word was secretly brought to me,
my ears caught a whisper of it.
13 Amid disquieting dreams in the night,
when deep sleep falls on people,
14 fear and trembling seized me
and made all my bones shake.
15 A spirit glided past my face,
and the hair on my body stood on end.
16 It stopped,
but I could not tell what it was.
A form stood before my eyes,
and I heard a hushed voice:
17 ‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God?
Can even a strong man be more pure than his Maker?
18 If God places no trust in his servants,
if he charges his angels with error,
19 how much more those who live in houses of clay,
whose foundations are in the dust,
who are crushed more readily than a moth!
20 Between dawn and dusk they are broken to pieces;
unnoticed, they perish forever.
21 Are not the cords of their tent pulled up,
so that they die without wisdom?’
Go Deeper
In Job 4, we see Eliphaz calling upon Job to remember the advice that he has given to others. Eliphaz is from Teman, a city that is known as a center of wisdom. Eliphaz begins his speech by asking, “If one attempts a word with you, will you become weary?” This may sound rather blunt; however, Eliphaz and Job are close confidants. Eliphaz sat wordless with Job for an entire week to show his empathy and care for him. He felt compelled to speak and confront Job with what he saw as his problem. Eliphaz pointed out Job’s contradicting lament, recorded in Chapter 3. Job has comforted others in their times of need and is now in despair in his own time of need.
Eliphaz quickly steps in when he notices Job’s despair and questions him further, showing Job that his despair has caused him to lose confidence and hope. Eliphaz is insinuating that Job’s problems have come upon him because of some sin that Job has committed, and that he should confess and repent. In verse 7, Eliphaz gets to the heart of his speech by stating that no one has perished if they are innocent. To further his point, Eliphaz tries to reason with Job, saying that he would not complain unless he also believed that he was guilty of some sort of sin. Eliphaz is only speaking from his own observations and experiences as to why these things are happening to Job.
Job and his friends have built their lives on the belief that God helps the good and brings suffering upon the bad. It makes sense as to why Eliphaz is implying that Job’s suffering is the result of God’s judgment. As readers, we know that Eliphaz’s assumption is false. Eliphaz attempts to recover at the end by stating that we have all fallen short of the glory of God and that man is sinful, meaning that Job is not alone. Although no doubt well-intentioned, Eliphaz fails to comfort Job or reveal the true reasons for his suffering.
Questions
- What do you notice about Eliphaz’s response to Job in this passage?
- Do you have a Christian community to reach out to in times of need?
- How would you respond to Job in this situation?
Did You Know?
Satan had to ask God to test and punish Job. Satan was given permission by God to cause natural disasters, wars, and other unfortunate events in Job’s life, testing his faith. But Job’s faith only grew stronger in the Lord. Be encouraged that, in whatever season or situation you are currently facing, our God is bigger than our situations. Job is a walking testimony of unfailing faith and trust in the Lord.
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9 responses to “Job 4”
5 “But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged; it strikes you, and you are dismayed.”
Trying to comfort others, we can oftentimes say the right thing, but at the wrong time and in the wrong way. No doubt, Eliphaz was well-meaning in these words to Job and he was probably right. But I’ve been learning through the years that the best thing I can do in times of trial for the people I love is to 1) show up, 2) speak little, and 3) pray tons!
Great reminder and well said. Show up, speak little and PRAY!
Amen! See my own (similar) response below.
Great lesson. Thanks for sharing.
We see the physical aspect of what is going on with Job. We do not know his innermost thoughts about God and/or his walk. As with Eliphaz, we assume maybe Job has sinned or has not been repentant. That is where trouble starts… assumptions… Being still with Job was good but continuing to be quite would have been better. We need to be slow to speak.
Imagine reading a book but only being able to see what is on the left side. Think how much you would miss, and only be able to assume what happens on those right sides of the page. There would definitely be room for error. (borrowed from Luke Taylor
Common sense is a good guide but we have to be careful with the spiritual side of common sense. We have knowledge of God and spirituality but it is limited on this side of heaven. So being slow to speak is the best guide. Asking God for help with that situation, and do not assume we know.
God thank You for my mouth.. God help me to be slow to speak. Thank You for my first thoughts to being a glory and honor to You. Thank You that my words I do speak are also a glory and honor to You and directs whomever to You and Your word. I just come against my worldliness making assumptions. I do not know what any one person is going through, but I do know the answers for all the questions will be found in Your word. Thank You that I can study to show myself, my circle, approved unto You God. That I can work Your word to rightly divide it and comprehend. Thank you God for me leaning not on my own understanding but to acknowledge You and You will direct my path today in these minutes of this day. God thank You for safety for those out traveling. Thank You for the warmer weather drying the roads. God I am so amazed at You my heart is effervesingly overflowing with amazement today in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nothing exposes our true beliefs like the road of suffering. In this crucible we are tested like no other. How we traverse through exposes our willingness to trust God or turn away from him. Personally, my hardest trials have brought the greatest growth in my faith. Isaiah 61:3 continues to bring this assurance:
“To provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD, for the display of his splendor”.
“Things You Don’t Say to the Grieving.”
Oh, if only there were some clear etiquette we all knew and followed so we would never again have to hear another well-intended Christian cliche! No matter how heartfelt and sincere they may be. However purely they may come from compassionate souls determined to say something — ANYTHING —that might be helpful.
If only such words would die on the lips of the mourner before reaching the ears of the bereaved.
As if words will help. As if grief can be assuaged by pre-packaged comfort.
If I were to generate such a list, here are a few stock phrases I’d nominate as “things you should NEVER say to someone who’s just lost a loved one”:
“They’re in a better place.”
“You’ll see them again one day.”
“It was God’s will.”
“God never gives us more than we can bear.”
And my personal favorite for #WorstGriefResponseEver: “Was [your loved one] a believer?”
In all honesty, though, this isn’t about manners.
It’s about boundary violation.
Grief is a sacred space — and some of the language we use in response to it trespasses on this most holy of grounds.
How does it ever help to demand a theological accounting from someone who is bleeding?
Which is precisely what we see here:
One of Job’s closest, most faithful friends is trying to turn his suffering into a case study.
Eliphaz is sincere. Compassionate. Orthodox.
And WRONG.
Because he moves from presence to performance. He stops “being” in favor of “doing.” He attempts to replace Job’s anguish with his own answers.
In other words, Eliphaz has shifted the focus from Job… to himself.
This story lands deeply for me — and perhaps for many others who have lost and grieved.
I still remember the time someone I loved and trusted said something hurtful to me when I was most vulnerable. And they never even knew it.
Imagine my relief then, to find in Job someone who GETS it. A story that gives language to such hurt.
Because Job 4 exposes the well-intentioned but unavoidable wounding of so much Christian cliche. Even good intentions do not sanctify bad theology applied at the wrong time.
“Suffering is manageable… if we only can frame it correctly.”
The phrases I listed all share the same flaws: they rush past the pain and dishonor the mystery.
More importantly, they serve the speaker rather than the mourner. They shift from “comforting the bereaved” to ending our own discomfort.
What if instead… we exercised restraint born of reverence? If we stopped trying to make sense of loss… and instead made sure to protect it?
What if… we challenged “the pattern of the world” that prizes well-crafted words over humble, respectful silence?
If we admitted that sometimes the most comforting thing we can say… is nothing at all.
Yes!
While Eliphaz’s counsel is not perfect, it points to a deeper truth. God is always present.
Even when we feel alone in our struggles, we can be assured that God is with us, guiding and sustaining us through every challenge.
We cannot limit God to our perspective and finite understanding of life.