Job 15:1-35
Eliphaz Trying to Help
Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2 “Would a wise man answer with empty notions
or fill his belly with the hot east wind?
3 Would he argue with useless words,
with speeches that have no value?
4 But you even undermine piety
and hinder devotion to God.
5 Your sin prompts your mouth;
you adopt the tongue of the crafty.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, not mine;
your own lips testify against you.
7 “Are you the first man ever born?
Were you brought forth before the hills?
8 Do you listen in on God’s council?
Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
9 What do you know that we do not know?
What insights do you have that we do not have?
10 The gray-haired and the aged are on our side,
men even older than your father.
11 Are God’s consolations not enough for you,
words spoken gently to you?
12 Why has your heart carried you away,
and why do your eyes flash,
13 so that you vent your rage against God
and pour out such words from your mouth?
14 “What is man, that he could be pure,
or one born of woman, that he could be righteous?
15 If God places no trust in his holy ones,
if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes,
16 how much less man, who is vile and corrupt,
who drinks up evil like water!
17 “Listen to me and I will explain to you;
let me tell you what I have seen,
18 what wise men have declared,
hiding nothing received from their fathers
19 (to whom alone the land was given
when no alien passed among them):
20 All his days the wicked man suffers torment,
the ruthless through all the years stored up for him.
21 Terrifying sounds fill his ears;
when all seems well, marauders attack him.
22 He despairs of escaping the darkness;
he is marked for the sword.
23 He wanders about —food for vultures;
he knows the day of darkness is at hand.
24 Distress and anguish fill him with terror;
they overwhelm him, like a king poised to attack,
25 because he shakes his fist at God
and vaunts himself against the Almighty,
26 defiantly charging against him
with a thick, strong shield.
27 “Though his face is covered with fat
and his waist bulges with flesh,
28 he will inhabit ruined towns
and houses where no one lives,
houses crumbling to rubble.
29 He will no longer be rich and his wealth will not endure,
nor will his possessions spread over the land.
30 He will not escape the darkness;
a flame will wither his shoots,
and the breath of God’s mouth will carry him away.
31 Let him not deceive himself by trusting what is worthless,
for he will get nothing in return.
32 Before his time he will be paid in full,
and his branches will not flourish.
33 He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes,
like an olive tree shedding its blossoms.
34 For the company of the godless will be barren,
and fire will consume the tents of those who love bribes.
35 They conceive trouble and give birth to evil;
their womb fashions deceit.”
Job was sick and suffering and wanting things to get back to his normal...His friends were there giving advice to him, and trying to help...But Job wanted the pain and suffering fixed, and fixed quickly...
Some friends and people are very handy at fixing things...In the movie Gran Torino, Walt Kowalski, played by Clint Eastwood said, "take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape...Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone."...You may know someone, who is handy that you can call, when a faucet leaks, something breaks, something in your car stops working, or something just needs fixed in your house...These people and friends are nice to know when you have a problem...
As we age, we realize that there are some problems, not even the best of friends and handymen can fix...When we have these kinds of tragedies, despair, and suffering enter our lives we still continue to look for help...We still seem to continue to question and seek help to fix our problems...When a decision or problem we need help with, and it is one of great difficulty -we sometimes turn and look for others to get an answer, a better answer, or even a better answer (than what we have came up with last)...However, as much as Eliphaz the Temanite (and Job's other friends) try to fix and help Job's situation -they cannot solve his problems...Some problems are not and cannot be solved by man...When we realize this, we turn to God...And we often want God to "just fix the things wrong in our lives" or "make the very tough decision for us"...We sometimes get mad at Him and question Him, much like Job does...LORD, please just fix my problem and make it go away, is what we want...Sometimes we are angry or bitter with Him, and ask why?...Why did you let this happen?... These are questions that only He can answer...And at some of the toughest of our times, it seems we are there praying for the right thing to happen...The right answer to happen for us...But even the best and rightest of answers can tug at the heart...
Our friends and the ones we love give us our greatest joys in life...They also give us our greatest challenges, tragedies, and sufferings...This is because of love, and that we love them...It is because of the way God has made our hearts...Love tugs and pulls at the heart...When the heart is faced with great suffering and tragedy, it often feels alone...And it is difficult to step back from personal pain and suffering, as it is difficult to step back when one we love is suffering and in pain -and see the best in things...We almost feel detached from the world...A sort of feeling of unreality...We are searching and seeking God and His hope, and His answer...Job must have felt this, with all his questions and dialogue (he had) with his friends and with God...
But we are not alone...Believers have two great focal points to focus on -the manger and the cross...A Baby born in a manger would bring us a spiritual promise of peace...A kind of peace, not of this world but another world (kind of peace)...A Man on a cross would be a Savior for us -from all of our sins...Even in our deepest sufferings God is near...St. Paul reminds us that God is always near (Acts 17:27)...In a world where we always want things fixed, some things cannot be fixed in this world...When want our earthly lives back in sync, back to normal, back to our routine and cannot get there -God is there, because He is near...We may not like or accept the earthly answer or answers we get, but that still does not mean He is not near...The experience and experiences we have will live long in us...In the Bible, it does not say God is going to "fix all our problems"...But we can and will be saved into the peace of this other world, His Kingdom, if we follow His Son...His Son born in a manger and who died on the cross, has lived and died among us...He has lived and died like one of us...There is nothing we have experienced that He has not experienced as a Man...He sent His Son to us for that reason...The reason is love...He is near us and He is with us...Jesus, born and called Immanuel, means God with us (Matthew 1:23)...