Job 4:17–19

He refers to what he saw or heard then. "Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and my ear received a little of it. In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men. Fear came upon me, and trembling" — clearly he did not have enough of grace; grace does not make people afraid in this way. It is judgment that does so, and this is what these good men are full of; they were full of the spirit of judgment.

"Shall mortal man be more just than God?" — or "just before God," in His presence. Compared with His holiness, even the heavenly beings are unclean. The seraphim veil their faces as they proclaim Him. How much less can mortal man, whose mortality is a witness of his sin, boast. His breath is in his nostrils. His life is like a tale soon told, over in a day — like the short-lived moth.

He begins to tell of a terrifying experience of his own. He saw some ghostly figure, and heard a warning about man's frailty and impurity in the presence of his Maker. What Eliphaz heard is perfectly true. No mortal man can be more pure or just than God. In both he falls infinitely short of God's glory.

How true and fitting such words are for all mankind, but Eliphaz was applying them only to Job, not to himself, because Eliphaz did not consider himself "crushed before a moth" and "broken in pieces." This had happened to Job, so Eliphaz took his vision as applying directly to Job. But a vision or dream is meant to apply directly to the one who has it, and Eliphaz missed that one important fact. In the same way, we may hear good ministry which we think fits others better than ourselves.

That is the very thing we must not do. "Judge not, that you be not judged." When we find evil in someone who bears the Lord's name, we are bound to judge him; but no one found any evil in Job at all. And when we find no evil, we are bound not to judge; we are not to give way to our own thoughts; we are to wait on God to make it all plain… [The vision] is all very true, but it did not apply to the case at all.

In Job 9:2 Job asks, "How can a man be in the right before God?" The answer comes from the Lord Jesus. He spoke a parable "to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous." The proud Pharisee paraded his self-righteousness before God, and he stands condemned. The repentant tax collector "beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" He "went down to his house justified, rather than the other" (Luke 18:9–14). The Lord answered Job's question by showing that the way to be just with God is by condemning ourselves before Him, confessing in true sorrow that we are sinners, and casting ourselves on His mercy. The full answer waited for the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. In the letter to the Romans we learn that God justifies us by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, on the principle of faith.

From verse 12 onwards, we see more clearly where Eliphaz stands. He starts to tell a frightening experience of his own. He saw some kind of spirit, and he heard a warning about man's weakness and impurity before his Maker. What he heard is completely true. No mortal man can be more pure or just than God. In both he falls infinitely short of God's glory.

Psalm 102 puts it beyond question that the elect angels obey the will of God in all they do. They have no will contrary to the will of God. I take it that the angels He charged with folly (Job 4:18) were fallen angels.

No creature can keep himself in blessing by his own obedience. God's power must keep every creature He sets in blessing with Himself. All who have stood on the ground of their own responsibility have fallen. There are fallen angels as well as fallen men, and there are elect angels as well as elect men. It is impossible to imagine a creature that supports itself.

"Shall mortal man be more just than God?" — or "just before God," in His presence. Compared with His holiness, even the heavenly beings are unclean. The seraphim cover their faces as they proclaim Him. How much less can mortal man boast of himself, since his mortality is a witness of his sin. His breath is in his nostrils. His life is over in a day, like a story that is told — like the short-lived moth.

This is all quite true, and in another setting it would be fitting. But, as already said, it misses the mark, because it does not meet Job's need. In God's sight all are indeed an unclean thing. Yet does that cancel the righteousness that really exists in the children of God? If all are unclean in God's sight, then Eliphaz must take his place beside Job. He is not at all ready to do that, and so his whole explanation of suffering fails.

How true and applicable are such words to all of mankind, but Eliphaz was applying it only to Job, not to himself, because Eliphaz did not consider himself "crushed before a moth" and "broken in pieces." … But a vision or dream is intended to apply directly to the one who has it, and Eliphaz missed that one important fact. Similarly, we may hear good ministry which we think to be more applicable to others than to ourselves.

Failure clung to everyone until the Son came. Angels served man, but even angels He could charge with "folly." (Job 4:18.) … But now the Son has come, and entry, stability, and rest for eternity are ours — I mean, they belong to all believers — in association with Christ in heavenly blessing. … He is greater than the angels, for He is the Son.

Next Eliphaz gives, in a mysterious and dreadful style, a message of the night. It had pressed one thing on his own soul. Earthly, sinful, weak man is foolish to claim he is more just than God by putting God's dealings on trial.

Temporary houses and those for the poor were often built of mud. A thief could dig straight through such a wall, and left alone these houses soon became a heap of rubbish.

With all his marvellous ability, desires and far-reaching activity, he lives in a house of clay. He is a vessel made of dust, and it cannot rise above the earth it is part of. In his moral and spiritual nature he is fitted to rise up and answer the deepest thoughts of God. Yet his body ties him to the creation beneath him. Man is indeed a marvellous piece of divine workmanship.

Compared with God's holiness, even the heavenly beings are unclean. The seraphim veil their faces as they proclaim Him. How much less can mortal man, whose mortality is a witness of his sin, boast of himself. His breath is in his nostrils. His life is over in a day, like a story that is told — like the short-lived moth.

This vision describes the greatness and majesty of God and of course is again true. That it was a real vision cannot be doubted. Man's smallness, his utter nothingness, is made known in this vision. But did this meet the need of suffering Job? It could not explain the reason for Job's suffering. And something like this is suggested by these words: Job, you are just like other men before God, and your present affliction shows it. You thought you were right with God, and that He blessed and protected you. But He is holy and just, so your suffering shows you are reaping the consequences of your sin, as others do.

This is all quite true, and in another setting it would fit well. But, as already said, it misses the mark. It does not meet Job's need. True, in God's sight all are an unclean thing. But does that cancel the truth that righteousness does exist in the children of God? If all are unclean in God's sight, then Eliphaz must take his place beside Job, a thing he is by no means ready to do.

Eliphaz was applying it only to Job, not to himself. He did not consider himself "crushed before a moth" and "broken in pieces." But a vision or dream is meant to apply directly to the person who has it. Eliphaz missed that one important fact. Similarly, we may hear good ministry which we think to be more applicable to others than to ourselves. Eliphaz could see that Job's excellence was going away. But his own excellence would go away too, as it does with all men.

It is a testimony to man's lowliness, if we look at man as he is in himself — "crushed," as Job says, "before the moth." But the moment I reach God's thoughts about man, I see God setting him over the works of His hand, and crowning him with glory and honour. That has put man into a wonderful place.