Is God profited by anything we do? Does he gain anything through our obedience or our worship? Does he lose anything through our rebellion? If the cup is absolutely full, is it possible to add to it? If God is infinitely good, and infinitely righteous, how would our good deeds or our righteousness profit him? To profit anyone is to add to their wealth in some manner, or increase their power or influence or give them an advantage they lacked. What can we possibly do to profit God? While God certainly does show delight in a man’s righteousness and disapproves of his wickedness, such things neither add to nor take away from what the Lord already enjoys. It is simply impossible for a man to put the Lord under any obligation to him. It is true, though, that under the Law of Moses, the Lord placed himself under obligation to reward men after their deeds. Nevertheless, under the New Covenant this isn’t so. Neither was it so prior to the Mosaic Covenant! Yet, many believers often try to put the Lord under obligation to themselves, because they think they’ve fulfilled something God promised to reward under the Old Covenant. Logic itself proves, if God is omniscient, no one is able to teach him something new. If he is omnipotent, no one could add to his power. If the Lord is omnipresent, no one could ever add to the Lord’s influence or to what he claims is his; nor would it be possible for anyone to be lost to the Lord. He is always there, forever present.
Interestingly, Eliphaz understood this truth but misapplied it with Job. Notice that he asked Job if it were possible for anyone to profit God, in the same manner that a wise man is able to profit himself (Job 22:1-2). Today, we are often able to see through the façade of the rich and powerful who promote their own interests, while at the same time playing down anything they do that would adversely affect their reputations. It’s called public relations (PR). They employ men for exactly that purpose, to promote their interest and make sure the negative effect they have on the community doesn’t adversely affect their reputations. So, Eliphaz’s question incorporates this thought. Is it possible for a man to do the same for God, and thereby be profitable to him? In other words, is God looking for a good PR man?
Next, Eliphaz asks Job an interesting question, and I believe the question is often misunderstood by many believers today, especially by those who are more legalistically inclined. Eliphaz asks, “Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that you are righteous…?” Indeed, the Lord does take pleasure in the fact that a good man is righteous. However, the sense is according to the second clause of the verse: “…is it gain to him that you make your ways perfect?” (Job 22:3). Think of it this way. If your neighbor plants a beautiful flowering tree in his yard, you are able to appreciate its beauty, but the fact that he did so doesn’t add to your happiness in life. If he never planted the tree, it wouldn’t make life less enjoyable for you. Would it? On the other hand, if your neighbor’s tree died, and he left it there without cutting it down, although you probably wouldn’t appreciate the sight, it wouldn’t take away from your pleasure in life. Life’s joy is simply not dependent upon what your neighbor does in his yard. He is simply unable to increase your pleasure or diminish it by what he does on his own lawn. Likewise, it is so with God.
Eliphaz’s error lay in his belief that Job thought that the Lord was under some obligation to him, because he was so righteous. Moreover, it was also inconceivable to Eliphaz that the Lord would treat Job in the manner in which he did, if Job were righteous, and even Job admits that his present calamity was the Lord’s doing. So, continuing in Eliphaz’s argument, if the Lord isn’t profited by a man’s righteousness, is it because God was afraid Job would have become too great a threat to him that he destroyed Job’s life (Job 22:4)? Indeed, this argument is as old as Eden itself (Genesis 3:5). The argument is put forward, saying, although the Lord created man to image him (Genesis 1:27), he really doesn’t want man to become too much like God (Genesis 3:5). In other words, the Lord views such a prospect as competition and a threat to his greatness. Thus, Eliphaz presumes Job thought he was so righteous that he could argue against God in a court of law and come out of it with the verdict in his favor (cp. Job 13:3, 20-21).
Nevertheless, perhaps Eliphaz’s greatest error is in thinking the Lord isn’t concerned at all with Job’s righteousness. He errs in believing God has no interest at all in justifying Job or becoming his Redeemer. He confuses advantage with interest. While, indeed, a man’s righteousness is of no advantage to God, the Lord is interested in man’s behavior in the same manner that a man is interested in his own creation. Any master craftsman is interested in perfecting what he does, making it the best it can be. God is no different, and this is what Eliphaz and the friends don’t understand!
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