Job 4:1-5:27

At last, Job's friends speak!  If only they'd been good enough to keep their mouths shut.

Eliphaz the Temanite is the first to address Job. Likely, he was the oldest and most important as he is the first to be mentioned and the first to speak (everything has its order, you know).  His message to Job?  His comfort, if you can it that.  "Job, you must have sinned, because God does not punish the righteous.  But you, my friend, are obviously being punished.  So, repent, turn away from your sin, God will bind you up and keep you from further trouble."  Great friend, right?

Did anyone else notice that interlude in the middle half of chapter four?  Eliphaz speaks of a night vision, of a spirit gliding past his face and speaking to him.  Does anyone else sniff a spiritual intervention, and not one of the positive or righteous kind?  There are a few things that suggest this to me: a) the vision terrified him; it brought dread and trembling upon him as well as making his hair stand on end! And b) his opening words do not paint a positive light of the Lord: he intimates that no one can stand righteous before God (which is in part, true.  Of ourselves, we cannot!  But, by the grace of God and our Savior, we're covered!).  He also brings up this interesting point: the spirit charges that God does not trust his servants, angels, and that He charges them with error!  Only one group has that been true of: Satan, the antagonist of the Job story, and those that chose to follow him.  I've read some commentaries, and no one makes a similar observation, so maybe I'm off-base here.  Many say that Eliphaz is using this spiritual message to support his argument against Job, and I agree.  But some seem to suggest that Eliphaz may not be entirely trusted in actually having the vision he claims.  Perhaps he was just trying to add weight to his argument.  But it seems to me that Satan would not simply end his efforts with striking Job down.  We are told he is the Father of Lies.  Could it be possible that he continued his stratagems in a Screwtape Letters style?  I cannot pretend I know, but is seems plausible.

Whatever the case, Eliphaz's opening words aren't exactly the comfort you might desire from a friend.  Instead he comes before Job with accusations that he must have sinned somewhere, and he'd best repent if he wants to experience God's blessing again.

Tomorrow's Reading: Job's response, Job 6:1-7:21