Job 5:1-27
Q.1. Why do trials come upon people? What reason did Eliphaz give for suffering? Was his assessment helpful? (Job 5:1-7)
Eliphaz claimed that all suffering is a direct result of foolishness, and that it extends to the families of those who sin. He implied that Job was being punished for something, when he contended – “For affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble sprout from the ground (Job 5:6). His explanation to Job that – man is born for trouble, as sparks fly upward (Job 5:7) made suffering rather arbitrary, whereas there is a much greater purpose woven into our trials.
Q.2. Was it appropriate for Eliphaz to take the moral high ground? Was his view that God reverses the place of the wicked and the afflicted right? How did he demean Job? – (Job 5:8-16)
Eliphaz took the moral high-ground, on the assumption that Job deserved his suffering, when he piously said – 8 “But as for me, I would seek God, and I would place my cause before God; 9 Who does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number (Job 5:8-9). However, we know that Job’s suffering was unrelated to any sin he had committed. To make such an assertion when people suffer, unless there is some clear evidence that the suffering is a result of a person’s foolishness or sin, is most unjust. Eliphaz also suggested that God will reverse all the circumstances in which people find themselves. He implied that those who are blessed will be brought down, and all the afflicted will be lifted up – So that He sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety (Job 5:11). However, such a simplistic view of suffering is unhelpful because much suffering will never be satisfactorily explained this side of glory.
Q.3. In what way did Eliphaz overstate God’s blessings on those whom He approves? What made the discipline of the Almighty bearable? – (Job 5:17-27 c.f. Heb.12:3-11)
Eliphaz claimed – 17 “Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves, so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. 18 “For He inflicts pain, and gives relief; He wounds, and His hands also heal (Job 5:17-18). However, the reasons he gave were overstated in verses 19-24. God does not guarantee such boundless blessing. The New Testament explained that suffering is the lot of every child of God. It is sent to produce holiness (Heb.12:5-10). What makes it bearable, is to remember the end result – All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness (Heb.12:11).