OVERVIEW:
Eliphaz’s scathing accusations against Job; Job’s desire to plead his case before God; Bildad’s attack on Job; Job’s desperate seeking for God.
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
As we continue today in the book of Job, we find that Job’s counselors, called “friends”, are increasingly losing control of their emotions in this “discussion” they are having with Job. Up to this point, they have twisted words and circumstances to fit their own ideas and agendas, but in chapter 22, Eliphaz enters into the realm of just blatantly saying things that are not true. Notice that in the list that Colossians 3:8–9 tell us to “put off”, that there is a progression: “But now ye also put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds.” That progression can most certainly be followed with Job’s friends. They first became “angry” with Job’s refusal to confess his “secret sin”, and now they have worked themselves up through “wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of their mouth.” and now, through Eliphaz, lying! Take note of this progression the next time you allow “anger” to move back into your being. Deal with it immediately, lest you find yourself in the vortex described in Colossians 3:8–9!
As we begin chapter 22, we enter into the third and final round of this bout with Job and his three friends who came with the intention of confronting and counseling him through his time of trial. There is a great overriding lesson to be learned through the “ministry” of Job’s counselors. They remind us that even those of us who seek to minister the word of God to others with the absolute best possible intentions, can be guilty of breaking people to pieces with our words, even while we think we’re doing what God would have us do, and thinking we’re saying what God would have us say. Job’s friends had all of their theological “i’s” dotted just right, and all of their doctrinal “t’s” crossed to perfection, they just didn’t have a clue about how to apply them. We must allow their negative example to cause us to totally depend upon God’s grace to help us to learn to listen as we counsel those in need, and to be sure that we actually understand the biblical meaning of the words that can, at times, so easily roll off of our lips.
After Eliphaz delivers his scathing address in chapter 22, Job is so incredibly low that he has nowhere else to look, but up. All he can do is desperately seek for God. As tough as that is, it’s actually not a bad place to be in the light of Deuteronomy 4:29, the theme verse of our 365 Days of Pursuit! In chapters 23 and 24, Job does just that; he desperately seeks God.
In chapter 25, Bildad re-enters the ring. He opens his final remarks by declaring an indisputable truth, followed by a leading question, which leads to a series of questions that form his conclusion. In response, Job will ask some questions of his own in chapter 26. He fires back six questions that Job’s friends absolutely cannot answer. It is interesting to consider these same questions as questions that could and may be asked each of us at the Judgment Seat of Christ! After firing out these questions in 26:1–4, the remainder of the chapter is an unbelievable cosmological discourse that has proven to be several years ahead of “modern” science.
As we move into chapters 27 and 28, we are able to get a glimpse of Job’s incredible spirit. As you read through his “speech”, ask yourself whether you could maintain the integrity of your heart the way Job has. It is sobering to think that every one of us makes the choice of whether or not we will offer our absolute surrender to Christ every single day of our life. Let’s all make that surrender this day.
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
- Through JOB’S faithfulness to God through his suffering — Job 23:1–12 (Christ’s faithfulness to the Father is seen as He prayed for the Father’s will to be done – Luke 22:42)