It is my pleasure to open the Bible and study the book of Job, chapter 22. Here, we will dive deep into this chapter, and more specifically focus our attention on verses five through 10 and 21 through 30. These are important verses for us to learn from. Here we have Eliphaz waiting for his turn to counsel Job again, and he did so by accusing him of being in sin like before. Job could plead his innocence with God, but it didn’t matter with Eliphaz, for in his mind Job was guilty and was getting what he deserved, being the wicked person he is. This is false of course, but for Eliphaz, it was right on in his own mind. So now we will read in verse 5, where Eliphaz said the following to Job. 1“Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite? For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing. Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry. But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honourable man dwelt in it. Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken. Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee.” (Job 22:5-10) So we see the accusations of Job being wicked and therefore being stripped by God of the luxuries he had in life. Which we know is wrong, as we read in chapter 1, for it was Satan’s will that Job suffered and not God’s. Job’s trouble was not because of God but from the evil one. This is true of Job and also us. When we are tried, it is the enemy trying to take us captive. We can allow the trials in life to destroy us, or we can continue to do what God says in the Bible and call upon God in prayer. This allows Him to take us by the hand and rescue us.
Eliphaz continued and said to Job, 1“acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart. If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles. Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver. For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways. When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person. He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.” (Job 22:21-30) So we have Eliphaz calling Job to repentance and to turn to God. Now, we know this was not necessary for Job since he was in good standing with the Lord. However, we can see a glimpse of Eliphaz’s belief system, which is the prosperity gospel. Where if you do God’s will, then you will be rich and your money problems will be over. He said this by mentioning the gold and silver that he would receive from God by making Him his defense and the Lord of his life. He was right about the humble person being saved and lifted up by God, but how he pointed his finger to Job is wrong. We have a lot to learn from here. Hopefully, God will help you see the best in people and not the worst. This takes lowering your pride and humbling yourself before God.
Let us pray:
Oh Lord, I pray that we will all become more caring and considerate of people’s needs. We need more people who are kind and loving, in order to outweigh all the evil in this world. I fear that too many people are suffering because of different trials, and there is no peace to be found. This would not be the case if people in the faith were looking past themselves, and to helping people instead. More people would be cared for if people did more than read the Bible and pray, but also do as You have said. I can imagine a world that is much different than we have today if people really trusted in You and did what You say. Sure, many people would no longer be as wealthy or have the amount of time they have for themselves now, but what they are doing for others would outweigh everything they had and did in this life. What I’ve learned is that in Your service is where true joy is felt. There is joy for the person who is prayed for and helped in what they need, but also the person who administers to them. Surely, my soul has been lifted up while in Your service much more than I have ever been lifted up when I was just gaining wisdom for myself in Your Word. I love to learn from You but I would be selfish if I wanted it all for myself. I don’t even know how I could continue believing I am a Christian if I did not want to also bless others with the knowledge and gifts that You have given me. So, Lord, please wake people up to truly love You, for if they did, then loving their neighbor would come naturally. You are my rock and my firm foundation. How can I be judgy or accusatory, but only show comfort when You are with me? My life is different because You are leading me. I love You. Amen.
Let us read the Bible:
Note: Any Numbered References, found above, are listed below.
