Job 4: 1 – 21
Paranormal Activity
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: 2“If one attempts a word with you, will you become weary? But who can withhold himself from speaking? 3Surely you have instructed many, and you have strengthened weak hands. 4Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and you have strengthened the feeble knees; 5But now it comes upon you, and you are weary; It touches you, and you are troubled. 6Is not your reverence your confidence? And the integrity of your ways your hope? 7“Remember now, whoever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright ever cut off? 8Even as I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same. 9By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of His anger they are consumed. 10The roaring of the lion, the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions are broken. 11The old lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered. 12“Now a word was secretly brought to me, and my ear received a whisper of it. 13In disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, 14Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake. 15Then a spirit passed before my face; The hair on my body stood up. 16It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes; There was silence; Then I heard a voice saying: 17‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can a man be more pure than his Maker? 18If He puts no trust in His servants, if He charges His angels with error, 19How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed before a moth? 20They are broken in pieces from morning till evening; They perish forever, with no one regarding. 21Does not their own excellence go away? They die, even without wisdom.’
Do you like to go to scary movies? You know like the ones that have evil spirits lurking about in a house. Some people can’t get enough of scary movies. They’ve seen scores of scary films – over and over. They catch horror flicks on opening night. They have DVD collections at home.
Personally, I wouldn’t be caught dead watching a scary movie. They freak me out, leaving me unsettled for days — the images a record player in my mind. In fact, I have a hard enough time sitting through the scarier scenes that will play on my mind
Are you a person like me that you sense coldness or eerie feeling? Have these feelings hit you at some time while you are at home? If so, you are not alone. We see this experience exactly occurring in this chapter to one of Job’s so called friends. We will get to it in a little while.
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: 2“If one attempts a word with you, will you become weary? But who can withhold himself from speaking?
For seven days this person and his two friends had observed a profound silence, being awed and confounded at the sight of Job's unprecedented condition. Having now sufficiently contemplated his afflicted state, and heard his bitter complaint, forgetting that he came as a comforter, and not as one to reprove, he loses the feeling of the friend in the haughtiness of the censor, endeavoring to strip him of his only consolation, - the testimony of his conscience. Eliphaz seemed a sympathetic friend until he opened his mouth.
Eliphaz has been quiet throughout Job's lamentation. Such bitterness and heartache was to be expected. But, on hearing Job's defense, (3:26), Eliphaz could hold his peace no longer. Clearly he has been quietly trying to reason out why Job is being punished? He naturally assumes that this torment can only be punishment for some incredible sin hidden from the gathered friends. He begins gingerly, begging Job's patience with him, complementing Job's righteousness, but quickly proceeds to imply that Job can dish it out, but he can't take it (4:5).
Eliphaz simply believed that a good person should have a good life. And Eliphaz thought that an evil person should have a terrible life. So, when Eliphaz saw Job’s troubles, Eliphaz had no explanation. Eliphaz was sure that Job was a good man. But Job was suffering the troubles that an evil person deserves. Eliphaz did not know that the devil caused Job’s troubles. And Eliphaz did not realise that God permitted the devil to test Job.
3Surely you have instructed many, and you have strengthened weak hands. 4Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and you have strengthened the feeble knees; 5But now it comes upon you, and you are weary; It touches you, and you are troubled. 6Is not your reverence your confidence? And the integrity of your ways your hope?
Job was one to encourage a person who was troubled or oppressed. He suggests that since Job encourages others who are troubled, why he doesn’t encourage himself. He exhibits a twofold charge against Job. As to his particular conduct under this affliction. He charges him with weakness and faint-heartedness
He takes notice of Job’s former serviceableness to the comfort of others. He acknowledges that Job had instructed many, not only his own children and servants, but many others, his neighbors and friends, as many as fell within the sphere of his activity. He did not only encourage those who were teachers by office, and countenance them, and pay for the teaching of those who were poor, but he did himself instruct many.
If he met with those who were ready to fall into sin, or sink under their troubles, his words upheld them:, to support them under their burdens, and to comfort afflicted consciences. He had, and used, the tongue of the learned, knew how to speak a word in season to those that were weary, and employed him much in that good work. With suitable counsels and comforts he strengthened the weak hands for work and service and the spiritual warfare, and the feeble knees for bearing up the man in his journey and under his load.
The weak knees aren't arthritic knees, but those which are bowed under by a burden of guilt. Eliphaz takes note of this and suggests, “But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest” (4:5). There is indignation to his tone. In a way he is saying, ‘Hey buddy I guess you are all talk and no action. You encourage other people who are hurting but can’t apply this same advice to your own situation.’
By insinuating that if Job’s ways had been upright, he would not have been abandoned to such distress and affliction; and if his heart possessed that righteousness of which he boasted, he would not have been so suddenly cast down by adversity.
Look with me again at verse 6 which Eliphaz says, ‘6Is not your reverence your confidence? And the integrity of your ways your hope?’
In effect he is asking him, ‘Does it not all of how you have acted appears now to be a mere pretence? - For, had you been sincere in it, God would not thus have afflicted you.’ This was the very thing Satan aimed at, to prove Job a hypocrite, and disprove the character God had given of him. When he could not himself do this to God, but He still saw and said, Job is perfect and upright, then he endeavored, by his human servants, to do it to Job himself, and to persuade him to confess himself a hypocrite. Could he have gained that point he would have triumphed.
When our Precious Lord Jesus was dying on the cross, you would think that even the evil men who schemed to put Him there would have some compassion, but look at what they were saying and doing as we read in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 27, “36 Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. 37 And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS 38 Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. 39 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, 42 “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. 43 He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” 44 Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing. 45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” 48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. 49 The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.”
The approach that Eliphaz should be taking is to encourage Job and bring comfort to him. Instead of presumptive indignation, he could ask Job if he knows of a reason for this suffering. He could pray for Job's relief or an explanation from God. He could offer to bring cool water or some other relief. He could make an atonement sacrifice on Job's behalf. There are many things that Eliphaz could do that would be loving and Godly. But this is not what he does. Eliphaz condemns Job, not to help Job, as he wishes Job to believe, but to separate himself from Job and whatever curse Job is under.
7“Remember now, whoever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright ever cut off? 8Even as I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same. 9By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of His anger they are consumed.
Eliphaz projects self-confidence based upon a firm doctrine of divine justice. He is depending on his own reason based on creed in an unreasonable situation that defies his dogma. He has veered into unreality because his doctrine will allow no other path. Job is clearly guilty of sin because he suffers and only the guilty suffer. “Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?” (4:7). How often have we fabricated reasons out of thin air? Eliphaz will abuse Job for several chapters before he is humbled by God. Those that pass rash and uncharitable censures upon their brethren, and condemn them as hypocrites, do Satan’s work, and serve his interest, more than they are aware of.
Eliphaz is viewing Job's situation from the standpoint of what he knows and believes. His views have an unyielding rigidity to them, which leave no room for understanding or empathizing with Job and make Eliphaz all too certain of himself. He takes a superior tone, “Remember, I pray thee–” (4:7). Eliphaz places his self as authority: “even as I have seen” (4:8
None of the characters in this drama outside of God and Satan understand what is going on. They all speak out of their passion and ignorance. God, we will see, is not terribly concerned that Job is questioning him, but the vehemence with which the three friends begin to accuse Job does anger God (42:7). “Job's friends were in the right place when they sat with him dumbfounded for seven days; they were much nearer to God then than afterwards. The three friends have lost touch with God and instead jump to the side of where they imagine God to be. Most foolish of all, they presume to condemn Job on behalf of God when in fact they have no idea what God is doing or why.
Take a look with me again at the statement – ‘They that plough iniquity’ – It is a proverbial form of speech drawn from nature. Whatever seed a man sows in the ground, he reaps the same kind; for every seed produces it’s like. Thus Solomon says in Proverbs 22:8: "He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity." And the apostle Paul in Galatians chapter 6,: "Be not deceived, God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he who soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." The same figure is employed by the Prophet Hosea in chapter 8:7 of his book: They have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind; and in chapter 10:12: ‘Sow to yourselves in righteousness; reap in mercy. Ye have ploughed wickedness; ye have reaped iniquity. The last sentence contains not only the same image, but almost the same words as those used by Eliphaz.
In attributing the destruction of sinners to the blast of God, and the breath of his nostrils, he refers to the wind which blew the house down upon Job’s children, as if they were therefore sinners above all men because they suffered such things.
10The roaring of the lion, the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions are broken. 11The old lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.
The design of Eliphaz in using the reference to lions is to show that even those who are possessed of the greatest authority and power - the kings, rulers, and princes of the earth - when they become wicked and oppressive to their subjects are cast down, broken to pieces, and destroyed, by the incensed justice of the Lord; and their whelps - their children and intended successors, scattered without possessions over the face of the earth.
He speaks particularly of tyrants and cruel oppressors, under the similitude of lions using these points;
(1.) He describes their cruelty and oppression. The Hebrew tongue has five several names for lions, and they are all here used to set forth the terrible tearing power, fierceness, and cruelty, of proud oppressors. They roar, and rend, and prey upon all about them, and bring up their young ones to do so too, Ezekiel.19:3 . The devil is a roaring lion; and they partake of his nature, and do his lusts. They are strong as lions, and subtle (Ps. 10:9 Ps. 17:12 ); and, as far as they prevail, they lay all desolate about them.
(2.) How he describes their destruction, the destruction both of their power and of their persons. They shall be restrained from doing further hurt and reckoned with for the hurt they have done. An effectual course shall be taken,
[1.] That they shall not terrify. The voice of their roaring shall be stopped.
[2.] That they shall not tear. God will disarm them; will take away their power to do hurt: The teeth of the young lions are broken. See Psalm. 3:7 . Thus shall the remainder of wrath be restrained.
[3.] That they shall not enrich themselves with the spoil of their neighbors. Even the old lion is famished, and perishes for lack of prey. Those that have surfeited on spoil and rapine are perhaps reduced to such straits as to die of hunger at last.
[4.] That they shall not, as they promise themselves, leave a succession: The stout lion’s whelps are scattered abroad, to seek for food themselves, which the old ones used to bring in for them, The lion did tear in pieces for his whelps, but now they must shift for themselves. Perhaps Eliphaz intended, in this, to reflect upon Job, as if he, being the greatest of all the men of the east, had got his estate by spoil and used his power in oppressing his neighbors, but now his power and estate were gone, and his family was scattered: if so, it was a pity that a man whom God praised should be thus abused.
A point that we need to take home with us is this, Eliphaz argued that God punishes evil men. Eliphaz said that evil men are like angry lions. These lions seem terrible. But really, they are hopeless, because they have no teeth. So evil men seem terrible, but really, they are hopeless. God did not agree with Eliphaz’s opinion about lions. In Job 38:39-40, God reminded the men that he created lions. And God provides food, even for lions. The lions do not need to search for food. The lions can wait in their home. God will provide their food.
God even cares about evil people. God provides rain, so that their crops will grow (Matthew 5:45). And God sent our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to die for evil people, so that God can forgive their evil deeds (Romans 5:8).
12“Now a word was secretly brought to me, and my ear received a whisper of it. 13In disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, 14Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake. 15Then a spirit passed before my face; The hair on my body stood up. 16It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes; There was silence; Then I heard a voice saying: 17‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can a man be more pure than his Maker? 18If He puts no trust in His servants, if He charges His angels with error, 19How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed before a moth? 20They are broken in pieces from morning till evening; They perish forever, with no one regarding. 21Does not their own excellence go away? They die, even without wisdom.
Eliphaz claims that he has had a vision of the night or dream, which he applies to Job. According to his telling of it, the vision produced a dramatic effect in him. “Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake. Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up” While Eliphaz likens the vision to an angelic visitation, his reaction bears resemblance to a demonic appearance.
In this vision, a shadowy figure asks if a man can question God (4:17)? Mortal man, says the vision, is insignificant to God, cast aside without regard. While Eliphaz seems convinced that this is an angelic visitation (5:1), this shadowy figure is accusing God of not caring the least for humankind (4:17-21). We have no more significance to God than a moth, the night visitor declares, and we die feeble and senile, a sure sign of God's indifference.
Satan has already accused Job before God, now he uses this vision to accuse God, while pretending to be an emissary of God. The Psalms are full of passages which extol how much care and concern God has for us (Psalm 23 is a well known example; also: Psalm 32:14-15), even to the numbering of every hair on our heads (Matthew 10:29-31; Luke 12:6-7). God will try to show this to Job in chapter 39. This shadowy figure depicts ‘mortal man’ (4:17) as figures made in clay and rooted in the dust (4:19). ‘In every way this description tries to draw the picture of humankind away from the breath placed in him and down to the base substance of existence. Eliphaz, enthralled with his vision, repeats the message as if it were the word of God. Eliphaz has become Satan's tool to further discourage and dishearten Job.
In truth I have a hard time when people say to me this, ‘The Lord spoke to me’. All to often, Christians fail to carefully analyze what is presented to them as being from the Holy Spirit or from spiritual authority. Bizarre demonic manifestations have passed as “gifts of the spirit”. Christian television regularly airs heresy which sounds true, but is antithetical to the Bible. Pastors preach from a wide range of sources outside of the gospel, without analyzing the message. Paul was forced to become ever conscious of deceitful Christians: as he says in his second letter to the Corinthians chapter 11,’ 5 For I consider that I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles. 6 Even though I am untrained in speech, yet I am not in knowledge. But we have been thoroughly manifested among you in all things. 7 Did I commit sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you. 9 And when I was present with you, and in need, I was a burden to no one, for what I lacked the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied. And in everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so I will keep myself. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, no one shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia. 11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows! 12 But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. 13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
