Job 5 – 6
These two chapters are Eliphaz finishing out his contention that God does not punish the innocent and then Job’s response. This book is difficult to follow and hard to stomach since God essentially allows Satan to ruin Job’s life just to prove a point. I have little problem with him allowing Satan to kill of his livestock, fields, livelihood and inflicting him with pain, but I still have a difficult time with killing off his children. I don’t know if I personally could not get upset a God for that.
No matter what the circumstances, Job remains steadfast faithful to God. When you really think about life today and look at how this world works, all this could happen without Satan’s or God’s influence. Eliphaz contends that God will correct the wicked as in verse 13:
He catches the wise in their own craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end.
I often think that God is not as dynamic in the world as we like to think. I believe when you stray from the law there are natural consequences that cannot be ignored. If you eat the wrong things or too much, you get fat. If you spend more than you make and do not save, life is always difficult making ends meet. If you do not honor God and worship Him, you don’t get His helping hand when really needed. No this world is a world of cause and effect where actions have direct reactions.
Eliphaz takes the “religious” view that God is making things perfect for the good and not for the evil. Look at the banking dilemma today, so far the bankers have hosed the nation and are still living large. Sure the people who signed the toxic loans should not have done so, but the banks had no right packaging these toxic debts and misrepresenting them to investors. I am sure if they were “responsible” for their loans most of them would never have been made in the first place. I digress into a rant against our current woes where good people are being hurt while the evil people are making huge gains.
Job realizes that life happens, both good and bad, and we must roll with it. We should not forsake God for the bad and thank Him for the good. Job complains about his problems, but does not blame God. Chapter 6, verse 10 highlights this:
This would be my comfort; I would even exult in pain unsparing, for I have not denied the words of the Holy One.
Can you do what Job is here? We need to use Job as an example and praise God all the time, not just when the good times are rolling. As my debt keeps me throttled, I try to live honoring God first. Sure it’s not gotten any easier, but it’s not God’s fault. I just doubled down and lost, now I am paying for it today. Honoring God is helping me correct the spiral and pay off the debt so I can live free in the future. If you can learn from me and don’t drift past doing the same thing I did.
I want to highlight one key point Job makes in verse 14:
He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
How easy this may seem, but how difficult it really is to actually do. We need to reach out to others in kindness, not only to help but to really show God’s love. We forsake others, it’s like disowning God. We need to ensure we keep out of our natural self-centered view on the world and follow Jesus’ example of self-sacrifice. It may not improve life immediately for you, but the lasting glory is unimaginable!