Job 5:17–27

Some of the things Eliphaz says in this chapter are completely true. For example, "Man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward," in this world of sin. It is also true that God "takes the wise in their own craftiness," and that "Happy is the man whom God corrects." But we can see that he put all these facts forward in a way that turned them against poor Job.

Every word may be true in itself. He says it all with great dignity and force. Yet he applies it wrongly and one-sidedly, so in effect the whole thing is wrong. Eliphaz assumes that God is displaying His government right now, and that He measures prosperity or hardship exactly to what people deserve. This is false ground. It spoils the application, especially to someone like Job, who had been handed over to Satan's attacks.

"Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects" (ver. 17). He never thought that this was true of Job. He knew that Job was very unhappy, and so he did not count him as one of these at all... Eliphaz never imagined that it would come true in Job's own case. It was a vague sort of sermon; and although he called Job to apply it, he had no idea that God would apply it.

Again, he voices an excellent principle, "Happy is the man whom God corrects" (v.17). But Job did not feel happy. Of course, God was only beginning His correcting work with Job, and Job did not discern it... If Eliphaz had spoken this to Job in a kind and encouraging way, it might have helped him. Instead he blamed Job for not gaining that blessing by confessing he was guilty of secret sin.

We have the word musahr, meaning instruction, warning, advice; it covers chastisement too; Prov. 1:3; Job 5:17.

God does not only govern the world for outward blessing. He also governs each person directly and personally — a most gracious and precious truth... The Word draws two conclusions from this truth, that it is God's love. It will not be without a cause in me. It will never be without love in God. So I am not to despise it, because there is a cause in me that makes the Holy God of love act this way. I am not to lose heart, because it is His love that does it. It is the correcting of a son in whom his Father delights.

The principle is this: "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent." (v. 19) Hardly anyone would question that this principle applies to those in relationship with Christ (compare Job 5:17-18; Proverbs 3:11-12; Amos 3:2; Hebrews 12:5-8). It lies at the very foundation of the way God governs His people in this world... So this warning comes out of the tenderness and the love of His own heart.

No matter how great the afflictions are, or how often they come, deliverance will arrive in due time... We are led to look past every apparent cause, every human instrument, and even Satan himself. We are led to see that Hand which "will never cause His child a needless tear." So our blessed Lord took that great affliction at the hands of God: "The cup which my Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?"

The relief also comes from the same blessed source: "His hands make whole." How good it is to know that all the trial and the relief — comes from Him.

Happy indeed is he who receives chastening at the loving hands of God; we are neither to despise nor to faint under such dealings. No matter how great the afflictions, or how often they come, deliverance will arrive in due time... Let the sufferer only say, "It is your hand," "I know that in faithfulness you have afflicted me." The Scriptures are full of this precious truth for the child of God. This truth leads us to look past all apparent causes, all human instruments, or even Satan himself, to see that Hand which "will never cause His child a needless tear."

Every word may be true in itself; all is said with the utmost dignity and force; yet it is misapplied and one-sided, and so, in effect, wrong as a whole. Eliphaz assumes that God at the present time is displaying His government, giving each person exactly the prosperity or trouble he deserves. This is false ground, and it spoils the application, above all to a man like Job, handed over to Satan's attacks and tested by God to the end — not the bitter end, but the sweet.

Again, he voices an excellent principle, "Happy is the man whom God corrects" (v.17). But Job did not feel happy. Of course, God was only beginning His correcting work with Job, and Job did not discern it... If Eliphaz had spoken this to Job in a kind and encouraging way, it might have helped him. Instead he was blaming Job for not gaining such blessing — for not confessing that he was guilty of secret sin.

Abstract truth is altogether useless for the saints of God. Things that are true, but misunderstood and misapplied, may do more harm than many a thing that is false. Misapplied truth gives an error the apparent authority of God. That error carries all the more weight because it comes as the truth. If someone says a foolish thing, or one clearly false, people despise it; but no believer can slight the truth of God. So if people misuse the truth of God — if they use it to crush someone who is an object of intense interest to God at the time, how foreign and offensive to His mind!

Hardly anyone will question that this principle applies to those in relationship with Christ (compare Job 5:17-18; Proverbs 3:11-12; Amos 3:2; Hebrews 12:5-8, and others). It lies at the very foundation of the way God governs His people in this world... It is therefore out of the tenderness, out of the love of His own heart, that this warning proceeds. He never afflicts willingly.

Now Jehovah can lift His hand from the sufferer, and turn all the grievous captivity into full and prosperous recovery. Job can say, I "have received double from the Lord's hand." The relatives and acquaintances who had fled from him and despised him return with gifts and sympathy.

In the end Eliphaz urges Job to submit to the correcting hand of God, who would surely deliver him from all evil and bless him with all good. And he says this not only in his own name, but in his friends' name too, counting confidently on their full agreement.

Every word may be true in itself. He says it all with great dignity and force. Yet he misapplies it, and it is one-sided, so in effect the whole thing is wrong. Eliphaz assumes that God is right now displaying His rule, measuring prosperity or hardship exactly by what people deserve. This is false ground, and it spoils the way he applies his words, especially to someone like Job.

Eliphaz could tell him, "Therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty, for He wounds, but He binds up; He shatters, but His hands heal. He will deliver you from six troubles; in seven no evil shall touch you." If Eliphaz had said this to Job in a kind and encouraging way, it might have helped him. But he was blaming Job for not gaining that blessing by admitting he was guilty of secret sin.

So the relief also comes from the same blessed source: "His hands heal." How good it is to know that all the trial and the relief comes from Him.

Happy indeed is the one who receives correction from the loving hands of God. We are neither to despise it nor to lose heart under such dealings. However great or often repeated the afflictions are, deliverance will come in due time.

Eliphaz mentions the worst outward trials, famine and war, even to the point of destruction. He also mentions the inner, bitter pains Job was suffering at that very moment, caused by the biting tongue. No harmful animal can injure him, for when someone is right with God, He makes all things his friends… We can carry the view further, in the clearer light of the New Testament, and ask: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?"

And the remarkable thing is that this was how it ended. Little did Eliphaz think that his words would come true in Job's case. It was more of a general sermon. He called on Job to apply it, but he had no idea that God would apply it, and that God would bring Job out more blessed than ever.

As we open Job 5, we find Eliphaz continuing on this note and again he refers to what he had seen. Verse 3 begins, "I have seen …" And if we turn to Job 15, which holds his second speech, we again find him saying, "That which I have seen I will declare." So it is clear that the weight of his argument rests mainly on his own powers of observation. In those powers he trusted for his opinion of the meaning of the calamities that had fallen on Job.

Going into detail, Eliphaz mentions the worst outward trials: famine and war, even to the point of destruction. He also mentions those inner, bitter pains caused by the biting tongue, which Job was suffering at that very moment. No harmful beast can injure him, for when a person is right with God, He makes all things his friends… We can carry the view further in the clearer light of the New Testament, and ask: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."

Yet this is too remarkable to pass by. The Spirit of God uses as Scripture the very words that the LORD later treated as a false picture, not only of Job but of Himself… You only have to examine the words of Eliphaz to see that in themselves they hold nothing but truth. But weigh them as applied to Job, and they are wrong beyond excuse… The New Testament quotes the words of Eliphaz, both in the first letter to the Corinthians and in the letter to the Hebrews. There the application is perfectly right. In the Old Testament story the application was wrong, and God rebuked the men who spoke it.

Happy indeed is the person who takes correction from the loving hands of God. We are not to despise such dealings, and we are not to lose heart under them. However great the afflictions, and however often they come, deliverance will arrive in due time… Let the sufferer only say, "It is Your hand," and, "I know that in faithfulness You have afflicted me." The Scriptures are full of this precious truth for the child of God. They lead us to look past every apparent cause, past every human instrument, past even Satan himself, and to see that Hand which "will never cause His child a needless tear."

In verses 20 to 27 Eliphaz describes the many blessings that would be Job's if he took the advice of Eliphaz. God did in the end give these blessings to Job, but only after He spoke to him in chapters 38-41. God broke Job down, so that he judged the pride of his own sinful nature. Eliphaz had not seen what Job truly needed — the same need Eliphaz himself had… Can we depend on another person's word so far as to know it is fact? No: we need more than another person's observation, we need the Word of God to be certain as to any serious matter.

Every word may be true in itself. It is all said with great dignity and force. Yet it is misapplied and one-sided, and so, in effect, wrong as a whole. Eliphaz assumes that God is right now displaying His government, measuring prosperity or trouble to people exactly as they deserve. This is false ground, and it undermines the application, especially to a man like Job, who was handed over to be attacked by Satan.

Some of the sayings of Eliphaz in this chapter are perfectly true. For instance, "Man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward," in this world of sin. It is also true that God "takes the wise in their own craftiness," and that "Happy is the man whom God corrects." But we can see that he put all these facts forward in a way that turned them against poor Job.

They decided to "strike him with the tongue" and to spread false rumours about him. Backbiting and slander would stop his preaching and keep anyone from listening to his words. When David had a similar experience he prayed to God, saying, "Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked... who have sharpened their tongue like a sword, and have aimed their arrow, a bitter word" (Ps. 64:2-3). The "scourge of the tongue" is mentioned in Job 5:21.

Going into detail, Eliphaz mentions the worst outward trials — famine and war, even to destruction. He also mentions the inner, bitter pains caused by the biting tongue, which Job was suffering at that very time... We can carry the view further in the clearer light of the New Testament, and ask: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."

We are led to look past every apparent cause, past every human instrument, past even Satan himself. We are to see that Hand which "will never cause His child a needless tear." So our blessed Lord took that great affliction from the hands of God: "Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?"

If Eliphaz had said this to Job in a kind and encouraging way, it may have helped him. Instead, he was blaming Job for not gaining that blessing by confessing that he was guilty of secret sin.

The remarkable thing is that this really was the end. Eliphaz had little idea that it would come true in Job's case. It was more of a vague sermon. He called Job to apply it, but he had no idea that God would apply it, or that God would bring Job out more blessed than ever.

Again, it is his own observation that he depends on, but he urges Job to hear it and know for himself. Can we so depend on another person's word as to know it is fact? No: we need more than another person's observation, we need the Word of God to be certain as to any serious matter.

As we open Job 5, we find Eliphaz continuing on this note and again he refers to what he had seen. Verse 3 begins, "I have seen …". Turn to Job 15, which records his second speech, and again we find him saying, "what I have seen I will declare" (verse 17). So his argument rests mainly on his own powers of observation. He trusted those powers to tell him what Job's disasters meant.

He is genuinely shocked at Job's outburst. He then sets out his law that God repays every person in this present life. He does this more to lift Job out of his wild despair into godly speech than to condemn him as ungodly. If Job did fear God, as Eliphaz still believed, why was that not his confidence? Why were his upright ways not his hope? Clearly Eliphaz knew as little as Job about where this trial came from, what it was, and what it was for.

Coming to the detail, Eliphaz names the worst trials from outside: famine and war, even to destruction. He names the inner, bitter pains too, caused by a biting tongue — the very pains Job was suffering at that moment. No harmful beast can injure such a man, for when one is right with God, He makes all things his friends. The home of the righteous stays secure, and his descendants bear witness to the faithfulness of God. Death only closes this beautiful picture in calm — the old believer gathered to his ancestors like a sheaf of grain fully ripe. We can extend the view in the clearer light of the New Testament, and ask: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."

You only have to examine the words of Eliphaz to see that in themselves they contain nothing but truth. But weigh them as applied to Job, and they are wrong beyond excuse. How wise is the way of the Lord! How deep and admirable is what God has given us in the Scriptures! The New Testament quotes the words of Eliphaz both in the first letter to the Corinthians and in the letter to the Hebrews. There the application is entirely right. In the Old Testament story the application was wrong, and God reproved the speakers for it.

In verses 20 to 27 Eliphaz describes the many blessings that would be Job's if he took the advice of Eliphaz. In the end God did give these blessings to Job. That came after He spoke to Job in chapters 38-41 and broke him down to judge the pride of his own sinful nature. But Eliphaz had not seen what Job truly needed — the very need Eliphaz had himself.

If Eliphaz had said this to Job in a kind, encouraging way, it might have helped him. Instead he was blaming Job for not gaining such blessing, since Job would not confess that he was guilty of secret sin.

In the end, Eliphaz advises Job to submit to the chastening hand of God. God would surely rescue him from all evil and bless him with all good. And Eliphaz says this not just for himself, but in the name of his friends, whose full agreement he counts on with confidence.

Going into detail, Eliphaz mentions the worst outward trials: famine and war, even destruction. He also names the inner, bitter pains Job was suffering at that very moment, caused by the biting tongue. No harmful beast can hurt him. When someone is right with God, He makes all things that person's friends. The home of the righteous stands secure. His children will bear witness to the faithfulness of God.

God Himself declares that what they said was not right. Yet the Holy Spirit gives it all by inspiration, and uses the words of one of these men as Scripture. These two things can be reconciled, and very simply. You only have to examine the words of Eliphaz to see that in themselves they contain nothing but truth. But weigh them as applied to Job, and they are inexcusably wrong. The New Testament quotes the words of Eliphaz, in the first letter to the Corinthians and in the letter to the Hebrews — and there the application is perfectly good.

It is clear that his argument rests for its force mainly on his own powers of observation. In those powers he trusted for his opinion about the meaning of the disasters that had fallen on Job.

Can we depend on another person's word so far as to know it is fact? No. We need more than another person's observation. We need the Word of God to be certain about any serious matter.

In verses 20 to 27 Eliphaz describes the many blessings that would be Job's if he took his advice. In fact God did give these blessings to Job in the end. It happened after He spoke to Job in chapters 38-41 and broke him down, so that Job judged the pride of his own sinful nature. But Eliphaz had not discerned what Job really needed — the same need that Eliphaz himself had.

Again, the ferocity of the wild beasts is restrained, and man's supremacy established. All nature is made subject to the Son of Man — the Second Man: "all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea" (Ps. 8:7-8). So "the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat … and a little child shall lead them" (Isa. 11:6).

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."

The advice given toward the end of his speech was good. Job should not despise the chastening of the Almighty. He should accept the correction. Then the tide of evil would turn and blessing would come in. The closing verses speak of God's deliverance coming in; of renewed prosperity. Verse 24 has been rendered, "You shall know that your tent is in peace; and you will survey your fold, and miss nothing." Verse 25 speaks of many descendants. Verse 26 speaks of Job himself reaching the end of his life at a good old age.

This does not mean that Job's words, or those of his three friends, were a revelation from God. It means that God gave an accurate record of what they said, even though in some cases what they said was wrong. In other cases their words were right, but their application of the truth was not correct.

And the remarkable thing is that that was the end; and little did Eliphaz think that it would be verified in Job's case. His speech was more like a general sermon. He called Job to apply it, but he had no idea that God would apply it, and that God would bring Job out more blessed than ever.

In verses 20 to 27 Eliphaz describes the many blessings that would be Job's if he took the advice of Eliphaz. In the end God did give Job these blessings, after He spoke to him in chapters 38-41 and Job was broken down to judge the pride of his own sinful nature. But Eliphaz had not seen what Job really needed — the same need that Eliphaz himself had.

These things did mark Job's later days, as we know. But Eliphaz was hinting at something else. He meant that Job had no such prosperity at that moment because God was punishing him for sin — sin that had lain hidden under the surface of his life in the past. Eliphaz closed by confidently claiming that his words were true. "So it is," he declared, for he had searched it out and seen it for himself.

If Eliphaz had spoken this to Job in a kind and encouraging way, it might have helped him. Instead he was blaming Job for not gaining such blessing, because Job would not confess that he was guilty of secret sin.

The first address of Eliphaz closes with a wonderful climax, but it rests on the same wrong premises: that Job had sinned, and that he must seek God. Yet Job had not renounced God; he had not left Him. Apart from that, these closing words of Eliphaz declare the gracious power of the Almighty in a most blessed way. Read these verses and take the help and comfort they breathe.

The closing verses speak of God's deliverance coming in; of renewed prosperity. One translation of verse 24 reads, "You shall know that your tent is in peace; and you will survey your fold, and miss nothing." Verse 25 speaks of many descendants. Verse 26 speaks of Job himself coming to his end in ripe old age.

You only have to examine the words of Eliphaz to see that in themselves they contain nothing but truth. But if we weigh them as applied to Job, they are inexcusably wrong. How wise is the way of the Lord! How deep and admirable is what Scripture gives us! The New Testament quotes the words of Eliphaz, both in the first letter to the Corinthians and in the letter to the Hebrews. There the application is perfectly good. In the history given in the Old Testament the application was wrong, and the speakers were reproved for it.

In verses 20 to 27 Eliphaz describes the many blessings that would be Job's if he took the advice of Eliphaz. In fact, God did give these blessings to Job later, after He spoke to him in chapters 38 to 41 and Job was broken down to judge the pride of his own sinful nature. But Eliphaz had not seen what Job really needed — the same need that Eliphaz himself had.

The end would be that "your offspring shall be many, and your descendants as the grass of the earth. You shall come to your grave in ripe old age, like a sheaf gathered up in its time." The remarkable thing is that this was the end. Eliphaz had little idea that it would come true in Job's case. It was more a vague sermon. He called Job to apply it, but he had no idea that God would apply it.

We have reached the end. It is an end of peace, a perfect day. He sees four generations, and at the ripe old age of 140 years he is gathered to his fathers.

The dwelling of the righteous stays secure, and his descendants will bear witness to the faithfulness of God. Death only closes the beautiful picture with calmness — the aged saint gathered to his fathers like a sheaf of grain fully ripe. We can carry the view further in the clearer light of the New Testament, and ask: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."

The advice given toward the end of his speech was good. Job should not despise the discipline of the Almighty. He should accept the correction, and then the tide of evil would turn and blessing come in. The closing verses speak of God's deliverance coming in, and of renewed prosperity. One rendering of verse 24 reads, "You shall know that your tent is at peace, and you shall inspect your fold and miss nothing." Verse 25 speaks of many descendants, and verse 26 of Job himself coming to his end in ripe old age.

Going into detail, Eliphaz mentions the worst outward trials of famine and war, even to the point of destruction, and the inner, bitter pains Job was suffering from at that very moment, caused by the biting tongue. No harmful animal can injure him, for when a person is right with God, He makes all things his friends. The home of the righteous stays secure, and his children will bear witness to the faithfulness of God. Death only closes the beautiful picture with calmness — the aged saint gathered to his fathers like a shock of corn fully ripe.

The remarkable thing is that this was exactly how it ended. Eliphaz never thought his words would come true in Job's case. He was preaching in a vague sort of way. He called Job to apply it, but he had no idea that God would apply it, and that God would bring Job out more blessed than ever.

Notice that the Holy Spirit is pleased to endorse the words of Eliphaz. He does this not only in the earlier revelations, but in the fullest light of the New Testament. We see it in the apostle's use of them when writing to the Corinthians and to the Hebrews. And the outcome in the book itself set a remarkable seal on the truth of his closing words — a seal Eliphaz himself most likely did not expect. At the time, no doubt, those words fell coldly on the ear and heart of the sufferer.

Happy scene! Precious fruit of divine ministry! What remains? What more is needed? What is left, but for the hand of God to lay the top stone on the beautiful structure? Nor is this lacking, for we read, "the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before." But how? By what means? Was it by his own independent industry and clever management? No; all is changed. Job is on new moral ground. He has new thoughts of God, new thoughts of himself, new thoughts of his friends, new thoughts of his circumstances; all things have become new.

Yes, we may look on beyond the death of the aged saint to the glorious resurrection, and catch the light of the bright hope of the Morning Star: "the Lord Himself will descend from heaven … and we who are alive … will be caught up … to meet the Lord in the air."

The seventh and closing section of the speech is admirable in expression and excellent in its doctrine, if its inner meaning is seen. In the mouth of Eliphaz, as the high point of his masterful speech, it must be taken with all the qualifications already mentioned.

So, taken by itself, this counsel is good; but remembering the underlying principle that Job is suffering for his sins, it can only irritate. It is as though he were saying: "Sin is common to all, just as trouble is. So humble yourself as a sinner before God, and He will exalt you." It is all the more subtle because it comes so near the truth.

It is clear then that his argument mainly rests for its strength upon his own powers of observation. In those powers he trusted for his opinion of the meaning of the calamities that had fallen upon Job.

Again, it is his own observation that he depends on, but he urges Job to hear it and know it for himself. Can we depend on another person's word to the point of knowing it is fact? No: we need more than another person's observation, we need the Word of God to be certain about any serious matter.

In the end Eliphaz advises Job to submit to the chastening hand of God, who would surely deliver him from all evil and bless him with all good. And he gives this advice not only in his own name, but in the name of his friends, whose complete agreement he counts on with confidence.

There may be more harm done by things which are true, misunderstood and misapplied, than by many a thing that is false; because misapplied truth gives the apparent authority of God to an error, which has all the more weight because it comes as the truth. If a foolish thing is said, or one plainly false, people despise it; but no believer can slight the truth of God.

Similarly here we have an inspired record of what Job and his three friends said, but while most of it was true, it was out of place and misapplied.

The remarkable thing is that this was how it ended. Eliphaz little thought it would come true in Job's case. It was more a sermon in a vague way. He called Job to apply it. But he had no idea that God would apply it, or that God would bring Job out more blessed than before.