Week 2 – Lessons From Job
Day 2 – The Accusations of Eliphaz: Job 22:5-10
The conversation between Job and his friends, which we began covering in our last blog, continues on and on and on. Finally, in Job chapter twenty-two, Eliphaz makes a direct accusation against Job regarding some of the reasons he believes Job is in trouble. You may be surprised to find out who is at the center of it:
“Is not thy wickedness great? And thine iniquities infinite? For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for naught, and stripped the naked of their clothing. Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast witholden bread from the hungry. But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honorable 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
Notice against whom Job’s supposed offenses had been committed: his brother, the naked, the weary, the hungry, the widows, and the fatherless. These groups were considered special, especially defenseless, and needy. So much so that, in the mind of Eliphaz, an offense against them warranted the sort of punishment Job seemed to be receiving at the hand of God: the loss of his children, the loss of his herds, crops and servants, the loss of his own health.
Do you think Eliphaz was over-reacting? Was the matter really as serious as he made it out to be? Well, consider what is taking place in Job’s life and compare it to Exodus 22:22-24:
“Ye shall not afflict any widow, nor fatherless child. If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; and my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows and your children fatherless.”
Although the law had yet to be given at this time, Eliphaz seems to have a pretty good understanding of God’s desire toward these people groups. It is dangerous to judge, as Eliphaz did, and to assume that the trials in someone’s life are the result of a particular sin, especially if you have no proof of that sin. But, he seems to understand that this is the sort of judgment God promised to those who abuse the widow and fatherless in such a way. At this point in the story, it is unclear whether Job truly behaved in this manner, though we will see later that he did not. We do see that, in comparing God’s words to the words of Eliphaz, God takes this every bit as seriously as did the man making the accusation.
The question is, Do we?
How seriously do we take the oppression of the needy, the affliction of the widow and the fatherless? I’m not talking about social justice. I am talking about a godly, reverential defending of the fatherless and the widow as our Lord directed. I am talking about men and women stepping up as the bold soldiers of Jesus Christ that we are intended to be and taking a stand for the children others would oppress, use, and cast aside onto the landfills of humanity. Are we that kind of Christian?
Eliphaz called Job’s supposed behavior wickedness. Are we a part of that wickedness in our world today, or are we standing against it and pursuing what is right?
Up Next: Day 3: The Accusations Answered
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[…] Up Next: Day 2: Finger-Pointing – The Accusations of Eliphaz […]
[…] Eliphaz’s accusation did not go unanswered. In chapter twenty-three, Job describes his true position before God: his rest in the knowledge that God knows the way he takes, his confidence that he has kept the way of the Lord. Then he goes on to describe further the acts of the wicked. It is they who do the things of which Eliphaz has accused him. […]