Smoodock's Blog

The call of the Gospel is: “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech them by us: we pray them in Christ’s stead, be reconciled to God” (2Corinthians 5:20). No exhortation can be more beautiful or more important than this, but, if offered in reckless judgment, no exhortation could be more pompous. The KJV and several other translations have: “Acquaint now yourself with him (God)…” (Job 22:21; parenthesis mine). Eliphaz uses this same Hebrew word in Job 22:2, “Can a man be profitable to God…” I believe he is advising Job that it would be to his profit, if he submitted to God (Job 22:21-23). In other words, be reconciled to God and serve him. Eliphaz had similar advice for Job in Job 5:17, 21, as did Zophar in Job 11:13-14, and, if Job received their advice, good would come of it, or so they told him.

Nevertheless, the friends don’t know what you and I know. The fact is, we understand from the first two chapters of this book that God wasn’t judging Job, and neither did Job’s calamity come as a result of God’s wrath. Instead, a cosmic drama has been unfolding before all of us from chapter one to now and beyond. Only later are we able to understand what the Lord is doing; however, we are able to understand, even from what we know up to now from the text, that the advice of the friends is nothing more than pompous elitism. This is what inevitably occurs when ‘tradition’ is valued above the word of God. A modern example of this sort of thing can be seen in much of what we call Christianity today. The very existence of our Christian denominations is a contradiction of the word of God (1Corinthians 1:13). Which one was formed out of love for those they opposed (Galatians 6:10)? Which denomination is not the work of the flesh, vis-à-vis the work or the tradition of men (Galatians 5:19-21), as opposed to the work of the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:22-25)?[1]

Returning, now, to Eliphaz’s final argument, he tells Job that reconciling with God would bring him great wealth (Job 22:24-25), which is nothing more than today’s prosperity gospel. Moreover, if Job reconciles himself to God, all his plans would be blessed. He would pray and the Lord would hear him. He would labor, and his labor wouldn’t be in vain (Job 22:26-28). Yet, we know from reading the first two chapters of this book that Job hadn’t rebelled against God. Therefore, if Eliphaz’s argument were true, Job should never have lost his wealth to begin with! However, there is even a larger problem with the friends’ argument, for not only have they charged Job with great wickedness (cp. Job 22:5), proved so by his present calamity, but Eliphaz has judged all men who aren’t wealthy as wicked, too. If God gives silver and gold to all who are reconciled with him (Job 22:24-25), then the humble person, whom Eliphaz describes as cast down, presumably due to his many troubles and sorrows, must also be wicked, because he has no silver or gold (Job 22:29).

On the other hand, if all men who have no silver and gold are judged as wicked, yet presumably blessed by the generosity of a wealthy Job, who contextually would now be reconciled to and blessed by God, how could the humble person be also innocent (Job 22:29-30). Moreover, why would a reconciled Job deliver the wicked out of trouble, if, indeed, all those who aren’t wealthy are wicked and suffer under the wrathful hand of God? Thus, the argument of the friends, as well as all whose doctrine is based upon tradition, is full of contradictions.

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[1] The works of the flesh is all around us. However, I don’t mean everyone must now leave his present denomination in order to be true to God’s word. What is done is done, but we don’t have to contribute to the life of the traditions of men. We are able and should receive one another as brethren, without judgment, working with one another in the cause of Christ.