Job 22
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Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2 Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?
3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?
4 Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment?
5 Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite?
6 For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7 Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.
8 But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honourable man dwelt in it.
9 Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10 Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee;
11 Or darkness, that thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee.
12 Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are!
13 And thou sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud?
14 Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.
15 Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?
16 Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:
17 Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?
18 Yet he filled their houses with good things: but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19 The righteous see it, and are glad: and the innocent laugh them to scorn.
20 Whereas our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth.
21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.
22 Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.
23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.
24 Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.
25 Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.
26 For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.
27 Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows.
28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.
29 When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.
30 He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.
Public Domain KJV text from Wordproject.org
Job 22:1-30
Eliphaz Speaks: Job’s Wickedness Is Great
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
2“Can a man be profitable to God?
Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.
3Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right,
or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless?
4Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you
and enters into judgment with you?
5Is not your evil abundant?
There is no end to your iniquities.
6For you have exacted pledges of your brothers for nothing
and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7You have given no water to the weary to drink,
and you have withheld bread from the hungry.
8The man with power possessed the land,
and the favored man lived in it.
9You have sent widows away empty,
and the arms of the fatherless were crushed.
10Therefore snares are all around you,
and sudden terror overwhelms you,
11or darkness, so that you cannot see,
and a flood of water covers you.
12“Is not God high in the heavens?
See the highest stars, how lofty they are!
13But you say, ‘What does God know?
Can he judge through the deep darkness?
14Thick clouds veil him, so that he does not see,
and he walks on the vault of heaven.’
15Will you keep to the old way
that wicked men have trod?
16They were snatched away before their time;
their foundation was washed away.
17They said to God, ‘Depart from us,’
and ‘What can the Almighty do to us?’
18Yet he filled their houses with good things—
but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19The righteous see it and are glad;
the innocent one mocks at them,
20saying, ‘Surely our adversaries are cut off,
and what they left the fire has consumed.’
21“Agree with God, and be at peace;
thereby good will come to you.
22Receive instruction from his mouth,
and lay up his words in your heart.
23If you return to the Almighty you will be built up;
if you remove injustice far from your tents,
24if you lay gold in the dust,
and gold of Ophir among the stones of the torrent-bed,
25then the Almighty will be your gold
and your precious silver.
26For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty
and lift up your face to God.
27You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you,
and you will pay your vows.
28You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,
and light will shine on your ways.
29For when they are humbled you say, ‘It is because of pride’;
but he saves the lowly.
30He delivers even the one who is not innocent,
who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”
ESV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Job 22:1-30
Eliphaz
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2“Can a man be of benefit to God?
Can even a wise person benefit him?
3What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous?
What would he gain if your ways were blameless?
4“Is it for your piety that he rebukes you
and brings charges against you?
5Is not your wickedness great?
Are not your sins endless?
6You demanded security from your relatives for no reason;
you stripped people of their clothing, leaving them naked.
7You gave no water to the weary
and you withheld food from the hungry,
8though you were a powerful man, owning land—
an honored man, living on it.
9And you sent widows away empty-handed
and broke the strength of the fatherless.
10That is why snares are all around you,
why sudden peril terrifies you,
11why it is so dark you cannot see,
and why a flood of water covers you.
12“Is not God in the heights of heaven?
And see how lofty are the highest stars!
13Yet you say, ‘What does God know?
Does he judge through such darkness?
14Thick clouds veil him, so he does not see us
as he goes about in the vaulted heavens.’
15Will you keep to the old path
that the wicked have trod?
16They were carried off before their time,
their foundations washed away by a flood.
17They said to God, ‘Leave us alone!
What can the Almighty do to us?’
18Yet it was he who filled their houses with good things,
so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked.
19The righteous see their ruin and rejoice;
the innocent mock them, saying,
20‘Surely our foes are destroyed,
and fire devours their wealth.’
21“Submit to God and be at peace with him;
in this way prosperity will come to you.
22Accept instruction from his mouth
and lay up his words in your heart.
23If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored:
If you remove wickedness far from your tent
24and assign your nuggets to the dust,
your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines,
25then the Almighty will be your gold,
the choicest silver for you.
26Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty
and will lift up your face to God.
27You will pray to him, and he will hear you,
and you will fulfill your vows.
28What you decide on will be done,
and light will shine on your ways.
29When people are brought low and you say, ‘Lift them up!’
then he will save the downcast.
30He will deliver even one who is not innocent,
who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”
NIV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Commentary
"Just confess your sins and God will bring you peace and prosperity." Similar advice is marketed today as prosperity theology and it distorts the character of God. “You must believe it to receive it” sounds enticing, but what about when you are trusting God while suffering illness or loss? Do you believe that God is still good and faithful during hard times? Or do you have a bit of Eliphaz theology in your own heart? We must have the faith of Job. “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him." Job 13:15.
We are reaching a time in history that we must believe that God is just and true, even when facing persecution and death. Christ Himself stated that God “makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." Matt. 5:45 Job’s friend is assuming that the only reason for suffering is punishment from God. But the Bible speaks about other reasons for suffering. It can be used to prove our faith. 1 Peter 1:6-7. Three boys in Babylon stood firm for God and He was with them in the fiery furnace. They trusted in God, but they were not kept from facing the wrath of a king.
Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7.
Cheri Holmes
Emergency Room Registered Nurse, Lynden, Washington State USA (as of this writing)
