Chapter 4 considers his inconsiderate friends. Job had vented his anger about his plight but had never cursed his God. Even Satan realized this and sought another course of attack. He decided to use Job's friends.
One of his friends was named Eli-hu. He appeared to be the moderator. He decides that surly Job has committed some terrible sin for God to have punished him as He did. So he questioned Job about his religion. Maybe he had made a "false profession", which would have made him a hypocrite. But Job insists that his religion was true and honest.
Then Eli-phaz, another of Job's friends reminds him that man's wickedness always brings God's judgment. He backed it all up by claiming to have had a vision in which man's sinfulness was the target of God's justice. He hoped to break Job's spirit and get him to confess to some sin that was responsible for his present situation and to get him to acknowledge it as "just due" for pass sins, but Job maintains his innocence.
Lets look a little deeper into chapter 4. Notice Elihu, who appears to have been the Moderator, apparently was the youngest of the 4 friends, but it is Eliphaz who perhaps was the oldest, that opens up the discussion. He "sort of" apologies for what they are about to say to Job, "I hope this won't grieve you, he says, but we are about to call you a hypocrite." Notice they attempt to be humble and unassuming, no one presumes to know all the answers. He tells Job that he cannot promise him anything, but he must attempt to help. So he proceeds and touches basically on two things. One, his weakness under affliction, and two, his hypocrisy in the past.
"If you were half the man you claim to be, you certainly would handle this a little better". "You know that wicked men are often afflicted as you are." Notice how Eliphaz claims to have received this revelation; "It came to me in a vision at night when I was in a deep sleep. Can mortal man be more just and pure than his Maker?
Previous Chapter |
Return to Outline |
Ask Questions |
Next Chapter |