job's comforters part 1

Eliphaz the Elite

I. Right to Judge

A. Wisdom/Age

Job 41 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, Gen 36:15 These were dukes of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn son of Esau; duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho, duke Kenaz,

Job 42:7 And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.

Jer 49:7 Concerning Edom, thus saith the LORD of hosts; Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished?

Right to Judge

A. Wisdom/Age

B. ExperienceHis expertise rests on a mysterious experience.

Job 4:12-16 12 Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof. 13 In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men, 14 Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake. 15 Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up: 16 It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,

Did a spirit ever pass before Job's face? Did Job's hair of his flesh ever stand up?

Then let Job be meek while the superior as Eliphaz declares the causes of Job’s misfortunes.

Eliphaz says many true things but he remains hard and cruel, a dignitary who must be heard because of one remarkable experience.

I. Right to Judge

A. Wisdom/Age-

B. Experience

II. Errors in Judgment

A. Poverty equals punishment

Job 4

7 Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?

David-Ps 71:20 Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

Messiah-Isaiah

Isa 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Isa 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet

we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

DanielDan 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

JesusMark 9:12 And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.

Paul-

Acts 28:4 And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.

2Cor 4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

2Cor 6:9 As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;

The godly often suffer while the wicked prosper.

Cain/Abel

Gen 4:8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. Gen 4:10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.

In Job’s dayJob 12:5-6 5 He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease. 6 The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly. Job 21:7 Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?

In David’s dayPs 73:3 For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. Ps 73:12 Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.

Saints at times are “killed all the day long,” and their “blood shed like water”.Ps 44:22 Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Ps 79:3 Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them.

Heb 11:36 36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;



B. No compassion for the hurting

Job 47 Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off? 8 Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.

Dan 11:33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.

Proper scripture but wrong application:

Prov 6:17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

Isa 59:5 They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.

Jer 9:5 And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and

weary themselves to commit iniquity.

Isa 33:1 Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.

Rev 13:10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

Matt 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and

with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

Jas 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.




C. Assumes he knows the cause and conclusion of Job’s problems

Job 49 By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.

Eliphaz preaches to convict Job and identify him with the “wicked”. Truth misapplied assumes the effect of error.

Job 410 The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken.

“Lions” are used in Scripture as the symbol of cruel men.

Ps 57:4 My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. Jer 1:17 Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak

unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.

Zeph 3:3 Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow.

Nero-2Tim 4:17 Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.

Job 411 The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion's whelps are scattered abroad.

The lion’s whelps give illusion to the death of Job’s children as a cure on Job’s life from God.Job 415 Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up: 16 It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying, 17 Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker? This is the cconstant aim of Job’s “friends,” to bring him down from his perfection, because then a simple answer can be found. (Psa. 62:4)

Ps 62:4 They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their

mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.





III. The final Word

Job 427 And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.

1Kgs 429 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. The difficulty with Eliphaz lay in the fact that he did not know all the truth. Sin and wickedness will surely be visited with chastisement; but it is wrong to say that all suffering is the result of God's chastening hand.In John 9, the question was asked by the disciples concerning the man born blind, "Who hath sinned, this man or his parents?" They had the same idea as that expressed by Eliphaz. Job was suffering, because Job had sinned.Some of God's choicest saints suffer the most.

If Eliphaz had been able to look behind the scenes he would have found that God, through the trials of Job, was vindicating His own righteousness and also substantiating the faithfulness of Job.If the disciples had been able to look behind the scenes, they would have known that the man had been born blind; in order that "the works of God should be made manifest in him."One thing is sure--when we do not know the reason for our suffering and our sorrows, we can "trust and not be afraid."

"Not now, but in the coming years,It may be in the better land,We'll read the meaning of our tears,

And up in Heaven we'll understand."We'll know why clouds instead of sun,Were over many a cherished plan,Why hopes were crushed, when scarce begun,'Tis there in Heaven we'll understand."God holds the key, He leads the way,He guides us with unerring hand,Sometime, with tearless eyes we'll see,Yes, up in Heaven, we'll understand."

Don’t be...Eliphaz the Elite

1Kgs 4:29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.

I. Right to Judge

A. Wisdom/Age-

B. Experience





III. The final Word

job's comforters part 1

Spiritual