Job 21 Summary

Job Speaks | Job 21

But this explanation as to why Job is suffering is not at all in line with truth. And so, Job feels the need to respond once more to these men as he struggles to understand God’s ways in his life.

Job 21 Summary of Verses 1-4

God is my audience | Job 21:1-4

First, in chapter 21, Job begs these men to actually just listen to him – even if they need to mock him after that – and to recognize that his arguments and complaints are not directed at them but at God alone.

Job is speaking out loud – and these men think that he’s speaking to them. But ultimately, they’re not his audience. God is – verses 1-4…

KJV Job 21:1 But Job answered and said,

Job 21:2 [Hear diligently/Listen carefully to] my [speech/words],
and let this be your consolations [i.e., that you offer me…].

Job 21:3 [Suffer/Bear with] me [that/and] I may speak;
and after that I have spoken, mock on.

Job 21:4 As for me, is my complaint [to/against a] man?
[and if it were so/and why/if so], why should [not my spirit/I not] be [troubled/impatient]?

Job’s complaint isn’t against a mere man – but if it were, Job would feel justified in being impatient. How much more so when Job’s complaint is against God for working in Job’s life in painful, troubling ways that make no sense to him – and concerning which God is giving Job no explanation?

Job 21 Summary of Verses 5-6

Be prepared for disturbing truth | Job 21:5-6

And Job is going to drop some truth into these men’s ears that will totally upend the way that they’re thinking about how the wicked fare in this life.

But he needs to prepare them for this disturbing truth that they’re about to hear – verses 5 and 6…

Job 21:5 [Mark/Look at] me, and be [astonished/appalled],
and [lay/put] your hand [upon/over] your mouth. {i.e., stop talking…}

Job 21:6 [Even/For] when I [remember/think about this] I am [afraid/disturbed/terrified],
and [trembling/horror/a shudder] [taketh hold on/is felt by] my [flesh/body].

Job 21 Summary of Verses 7-13

The wicked fare well | Job 21:7-13

Here’s the inconvenient truth that these men seem to want to overlook – the wicked often do very well in this life – verses 7-13…

Job 21:7 Wherefore do the wicked [live/keep living/go on living],
[become old/continue on/grow old], [yea/also/even], [are mighty/increase] in power?

Job 21:8 Their [seed/children] [is/are] [i.e., firmly…] established in their sight with them,
and their offspring before their eyes.

Job 21:9 Their houses are safe [from/and without] fear,
neither is the rod [i.e., of punishment…] of God upon them.

Job 21:10 Their bull [gendereth/mates/breeds], [and faileth not/without fail];
their cow calveth, and [casteth not her calf/does not miscarry].

Job 21:11 They send forth their little ones like a flock,
and their children dance.

Job 21:12 They take the timbrel and harp,
and rejoice at the sound of the [organ/flute].

Job 21:13 They [spend their days/live out their years] in [wealth/prosperity],
and [in a moment/suddenly/peacefully] go down to the grave.

So, this reality that Job just rehearsed completely strikes dead the belief that God always immediately punishes evil in this life. It just doesn’t happen that way – at least, not always.

Job 21 Summary of Verses 14-16

The wicked’s amazing response | Job 21:14-16

And the amazing response of wicked men to the great prosperity that God himself gives them in this life is that they turn on God and feel like they don’t need him at all in any way – verses 14-16…

Job 21:14 [Therefore/So] they say unto God,

Depart from us;
for we [desire not the knowledge of/don’t want to know] thy ways. {i.e., unlike Job…}

Job 21:15 [What/Who] is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
and what [profit should we have/would we gain], if we pray unto him?

Job 21:16 [Lo/But], their [good/prosperity] is not [in their hand/of their own doing]:

the counsel of the wicked is far from me. {i.e., that’s not how I think!…}

Job 21 Summary of Verses 17-18

How often are the wicked actually punished? | Job 21:17-18

Job goes on to question how often – really – do wicked men receive their just rewards for their evil in this life – verses 17 and 18…

Job 21:17 How oft is the [candle/lamp] of the wicked [put out!/extinguished?]
and how oft cometh their [destruction/calamity/misfortune] upon them[!/?]
[i.e., How often does…] God [distributeth/apportions] [sorrows/destruction/pain] [i.e., to them…] in his anger[./?]

Job 21:18 [They are/Are they/How often are they] [as/like] [stubble/straw] before the wind[,/?]
and [as/like] chaff that the storm carrieth away[./?]

Job 21 Summary of Verses 19-21

Punishing children of wicked | Job 21:19-21

Next, Job takes issue with the idea that God punishes the children of wicked men – and that that somehow has any impact on the dead wicked man – verses 19-21…

Job 21:19 [i.e., You may say, “…] God [layeth/stores] up his [iniquity/punishment] for his children: {… ” But Job says… “… }

[he rewardeth him/Let God repay him/Instead let him repay the man himself], [and/so that] he [shall/may] know it. {i.e., why not punish the wicked man directly and not his children?…}

Job 21:20 [His eyes shall/Let his own eyes] see his [destruction/decay],
and [he shall/let him] drink of the wrath of the Almighty.

Job 21:21 For what [pleasure hath he in/does he care for/is his interest in] his [house/household/home] after [him/his death],
when the number of his months [is cut off in the midst/is cut off/has been broken off]?

Job 21 Summary of Verses 22-26

Wicked and righteous die | Job 21:22-26

Job goes on to question whether these friends of his feel like they are in the position to teach God something.

Because to Job, it’s clear that God actually works in the following way…  whether you are wicked or righteous – notwithstanding, everyone eventually dies – verses 22-26…

Job 21:22 [Shall any/Can anyone]teach God knowledge?
[seeing/since] he judgeth those that are high. {i.e., You can’t? Well then, understand that this is how God works with the righteous and the wicked…}

Job 21:23 One [i.e., man…] dieth in his full [strength/vigor],
[being wholly/completely] [at ease/secure] and [quiet/satisfied/prosperous].

Job 21:24 His [breasts/sides/body] are [full/filled out] [of milk/with fat] [i.e., well nourished…],
and his bones are moistened with marrow. {in contrast…}

Job 21:25 [And/While] another dieth in the bitterness of his soul,
and never [eateth with pleasure/having tasted anything good].

Job 21:26 They shall lie down [alike/together] in the dust,
and the worms shall cover them.

Job 21 Summary of Verses 27-30

Ask anyone | Job 21:27-30

Job understands that these friends of his are insinuating that he’s wicked.

But he’s got news for them – if they ask anyone in this world, they’ll tell these men that the wicked are often spared from the destruction that they keep claiming immediately and without exception comes on them – verses 27-30…

Job 21:27 [Behold/Yes], I know [your thoughts/what you are thinking],
and the [devices/plans/schemes] which ye wrongfully imagine against me [i.e., by which you would wrong me…].

Job 21:28 For ye say,

Where is the house of the [prince/nobleman]?
and where are the dwelling places of the wicked? {i.e., Gone, like Job’s…}

Job 21:29 Have ye not asked [them that go by the way/wayfaring men/those who travel the roads]?
and do ye not [know/recognize] their [tokens/witness/accounts],

Job 21:30 That the wicked is [reserved to/spared from] the day of [destruction/calamity/destruction]?
they [shall be brought forth to/he is delivered from] the day of wrath.

In other words, life is fine for the wicked until the judgement. They’re reserved and brought forth to that final judgement day – oftentimes after a life of ease and pleasure.

Job 21 Summary of Verses 31-33

Wicked are blessed and at ease | Job 21:31-33

Job continues by declaring that the wicked so often aren’t given what they truly deserve in this life – and that in fact they often meet with the exact opposite – blessings and ease – verses 31-33…

Job 21:31 Who [shall declare/will confront/will denounce] {his/the wicked man’s} [way/actions/conduct] to his face?
and who shall repay him what he hath done?

Job 21:32 Yet shall he [be brought/is carried] to the grave,
and [shall remain/watch is kept] [in the/over his] tomb.

Job 21:33 The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him,
and [every man/all men/everybody] shall [draw/follow] after him [i.e., in procession…],
as there are [innumerable/a countless throng] before him.

The wicked so often go without rebuke in this life. And they just go on to peacefully die like all the wicked men before them did  – just like all those after them will, as well.

Job 21 Summary of Verse 34

How can this comfort me? | Job 21:34

So, Job ends this second cycle of arguments between him and these men by saying – look, in light of all of the contradictions that exist to your conception of how God works in this world, how do you expect that your false sayings are going to comfort me in my times of difficulty? – verse 34 to end this chapter…

Job 21:34 How then [comfort/console] ye me [in vain/with futile words],
seeing in your answers there [remaineth/is nothing but] falsehood?

So, Job has had enough of the false theology of his friends. Sometimes the wicked are blessed tremendously in this life.

And this makes no sense to Job. Job is completely unable to understand God’s ways in his life or in the world. But he’s not yet come to the point where he fully trusts God’s wisdom in everything.

So, we’ll have one more cycle of these debates – and then the appearance of the man named Elihu – before Job gets to hear directly from God.

Job 20 Summary

Zophar Speaks his Last |  Job 20

Well, even though Job explicitly stated that his problem is ultimately with God and not the three friends, the next friend is now provoked to speak. Zophar takes his second – and last – turn at trying to convince Job that he is indeed wicked and that that’s why God is punishing him – in chapter 20.

Job 20 Summary of Verses 1-3

I’ve been insulted! | Job 20:1-3

Zophar begins his last speech to Job by admitting to feeling insulted by Job – verses 1-3…

KJV Job 20:1Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,

Job 20:2 [Therefore do/This is why] my [thoughts/troubled thoughts/disquieting thoughts] cause me to ,
[and for this/even because of ][I make haste/my inward agitation/my feelings within me].

Job 20:3 I have heard the [check/reproof] [of my reproach/that insults me/that dishonors me],
and the spirit of my understanding causeth me to answer.

Job 20 Summary of Verses 4-5

Get ready for wisdom! | Job 20:4-5

Then – as you’d expect by now – Zophar asserts the supposed fact that the wicked is always immediately punished in this life – and that this has been a settled fact since the beginning of this world – verses 4 and 5 …

Job 20:4 Knowest thou not this of old,
since man was placed upon earth,

Job 20:5 That the [triumphing/elation] of the wicked is [short/brief],
and the joy of the [hypocrite/godless] but for a moment?

Job 20 Summary of Verses 6-29

What always happens to the wicked | Job 20:6-29

And essentially for the rest of chapter 20 we see Zophar describing what he believes always happens to the wicked in this life – and that is, of course, unrelenting and constant punishment.

And pay attention to all of the references to food and eating (… and also, vomit and dung – sorry) that Zophar makes in this chapter.

Here are Zophar’s main contentions concerning the wicked…

Job 20 Summary of Verses 6-9

The wicked will perish | Job 20:6-9

The wicked will perish and be seen no more despite the fact that at one point he looked like he was doing well – verses 6-9…

Job 20:6 Though his [excellency/loftiness/stature] [mount up/reaches] to the heavens,
and his head [reach unto/touches] the clouds;

Job 20:7 Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung:
they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?

Job 20:8 He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found:
yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night.

Job 20:9 The eye also which saw him shall see him no more;
neither shall his place any more behold him.

Job 20 Summary of Verse 10

Repays the poor oppressed | Job 20:10

And everything the wicked man stole from those who are vulnerable will be restored to those same people – either by himself or by his children – verse 10…

Job 20:10 His children [shall seek to please/must recompense] the poor,
and {his/the child’s} hands shall [restore/give back] [their goods/his wealth].

Job 20 Summary of Verse 11

Vigor ended | Job 20:11

And even though the wicked may be full of youthful vigor, he’ll die – and that vigor will come to an end – verse 11…

Job 20:11 His bones are full [of the sin of his youth/of his youthful vigor],
which [i.e., vigor…] shall lie down with him in the dust.

Job 20 Summary of Verses 12-18

Food metaphor | Job 20:12-18

Then Zophar takes several verses speaking of food and eating and vomiting as he describes how the wicked always have a reversal of fortune in this life – verses 12-18…

Job 20:12 Though [wickedness/evil] be sweet in his mouth,
 though he hide it under his tongue;

Job 20:13Though he [spare/desires/retains for himself] it, and [forsake it not/won’t let it go];
but keep it still within his mouth:

Job 20:14 Yet his [meat/food] in his [bowels/stomach] is turned [i.e., sour…],
 it is {or becomes…} the [gall/venom] of [asps/cobras/serpents] within him.

Job 20:15 He hath swallowed down riches,
and he shall vomit them up again:
God shall cast them out of his belly. {And in place of riches and good food…}

Job 20:16 He shall suck the poison of [asps/cobras/serpents]:
the viper’s [tongue/fangs] shall slay him.

Job 20:17 He shall not [see/look at (or on)] the [rivers/streams],
the [floods/rivers], [the brooks of/flowing with/which are torrents of] honey and butter.

Job 20:18 That which he [labored for/attained] shall he [restore/give back],
and shall not [swallow it down/assimilate it]:

according to his substance shall the restitution be,
and he shall not rejoice therein.

So, with all this talk of food, I do wonder if Zophar is getting pretty hungry at this point. It seems that it would have been over 7 days since these men would have eaten last. Maybe that’s why we don’t hear from Zophar a third time like the other two friends. He went to find some food. It’s a possibility.

Job 20 Summary of Verses 19-22

Retribution for oppressing the poor | Job 20:19-22

But for now, Zophar is going to once more speak of the retribution that comes to people who oppress the poor – which apparently he thinks that Job has secretly done – verses 19-22…

Job 20:19 Because {he/the wicked} hath oppressed and hath [forsaken/abandoned] the poor;
 because he hath [violently taken away/seized] an house which he builded not;

Job 20:20 Surely he shall not feel [quietness/satisfaction] in his [belly/appetite],
he shall not [save/retain anything] of that which he desired.

Job 20:21 There shall [none of his meat/nothing for him to devour] be left;
therefore shall [no man look for/it not last (or endure)] his [goods/prosperity].

Job 20:22 In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be [in straits/cramped/distressed]:
[every hand of the wicked/the hand of everyone who suffers/the full force of misery] shall come [upon/against] him.

So, Zophar says, surely Job is suffering punishment from God because he oppressed the poor. That’s why the Sabeans and Chaldeans came and took away his possessions.

Job 20 Summary of Verses 23-25

Surprising and graphic disaster | Job 20:23-25

Zophar goes on to say that the wicked always encounter surprising and graphic disaster in this life – verses 23-25…

Job 20:23 When {he/the wicked} is about to fill his belly,
 God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him,
and shall rain it upon him while he is eating.

Job 20:24 He [shall/may] flee from the iron weapon,
 and the bow of [steel/bronze] shall [strike/pierce] him through.

Job 20:25 It is drawn, and cometh out of [the body/his back];
yea, the glittering [sword/point] cometh out of his [gall/liver]:
terrors [are/come]upon him.

Job 20 Summary of Verse 26

Darkness and fire | Job 20:26

Darkness and fire will destroy the wicked and his children – in this life – verse 26…

Job 20:26 [All/Complete/Total] darkness [shall be hid/is held in reserve/waits to receive] [in his secret places/for his treasures]:
a fire [not blown/unfanned/that hasn’t been kindled] shall consume him;
it shall go ill with him that is left in his tabernacle.

Job 20 Summary of Verses 27-29

Wicked’s sin evident by God’s punishment | Job 20:27-29

And Zophar’s conclusion is that the wicked’s sin will be made evident by the fact that God punishes him and takes all of his possessions – just like God apparently did to Job – verses 27-29 to end the chapter…

Job 20:27 The heaven shall reveal his iniquity;
and the earth shall rise up against him.

Job 20:28 The increase of his house shall depart,
 and his goods shall flow away in the day of [his/God’s] wrath.

Job 20:29 This is the portion of a wicked man from God,
and the heritage [appointed/decreed] unto him by God.

So, Zophar wants Job to know without a doubt that he’s suffering as punishment from God for being wicked. Job has apparently oppressed the poor and been a glutton. That’s why God is punishing him.

Job 19 Summary

Please open your Bible to the Book of Job. We’ll be in the 19th chapter of this book this morning in our 7th installment of this fly-through summary. We’ll hope to get through to the end of chapter 21 by the end of our time.

Now, we’re in the second of three cycles of arguments between Job and his friends.

In our last message we had Eliphaz try to convince Job that he’s really wicked and that’s why God’s punishing him. Then we had Job respond to those accusations. We had Bildad also try to convince Job that he’s a wicked man and that’s why he’s suffering – as punishment from God for his wickedness.

And that leads us to the material we’ll cover today where the plan is to actually finish considering the rest of this second cycle of arguments between Job and the friends in chapters 19-21.

We’re going to see more of these men trying to understand God’s ways. But since God’s ways are past their discovering, they really need to trust God’s wisdom in how he’s dealing with Job and how he deals with this world. But this too will prove to be a task that’s too great for them. Eventually they will need what you and I need – God to come and give his authoritative word on the matter. But that isn’t going to happen for a few more chapters.

So, we’ll be seeing today how man tries to understand God’s ways apart from his authoritative word. Chapter 19 is Job’s speech in response to Bildad from last time. Chapter 20 is Zophar’s second and final response to Job. And chapter 21 is Job again to close our this second cycle of arguments.

Job Responds to Bildad & Friends | Job 19

So, let’s see what Job has to say – in response to Bildad’s last litany of accusations against him – in chapter 19.

Job 19 Summary of Verses 1-6

Job responds to the Friends | Job 19:1-6

Job responds to his so-called friends in verses 1-6.

Job 19 Summary of Verses 1-3

How long will the friends continue their attack? | Job 19:1-3

He begins by asking them how long they intend to attack him – because to him, he’s heard enough – verses 1-3…

KJV Job 19:1Then Job answered and said,

Job 19:2 How long will ye [vex my soul/torment me],
and [break me in pieces/crush me] with words?

Job 19:3 These ten times have ye [reproached/insulted] me: {i.e., they’ve spoken only five times – but he doubles it in his mind based on how painful and irksome their insults have been… }
ye are not ashamed that ye [make yourselves strange to/wrong/attack] me.

Job 19 Summary of Verses 4-6

Job’s problem is with God ultimately and not the friends | Job 19:4-6

And Job goes on to declare that his problem is with God ultimately and not the friends – verses 4-6…

Job 19:4 [And be it indeed that/Even if/But even if it were true that]I have erred,
mine error [remaineth with myself/lodges within me/remains solely my concern].

Job 19:5 If indeed ye [will magnify/would vaunt/would exalt] yourselves [against/above] me,
and [plead/prove] [against/to] me my reproach:

Job 19:6 Know now that God hath [overthrown/wronged] me,
and hath [compassed/closed around/encircled] me with his net.

So, it’s God – and not the friends – whom Job wants to confront. Because even though Job is still righteous, God for some unexplained reason continues to treat him the way that Job and his friends think should happen only to wicked people.

Job 19 Summary of Verses 7-12

Job laments God’s treatment of him | Job 19:7-12

And it’s this treatment of him by God that Job is going to now lament in verses 7-12…

Job 19:7 [Behold/If], I cry out [of wrong/Violence!], but I [am not heard/get no answer]:
I cry aloud [i.e., for help…], but there is no [judgment/justice].

Job 19:8 He hath [fenced up/walled up/blocked] my way [that/so that] I cannot pass,
and he hath [set/put] darkness [in/on/over] my paths.

Job 19:9 He hath stripped [me of my glory/my honor from me],
and taken the crown from my head.

Job 19:10 He [hath destroyed me/breaks me down/tears me down] on every side, [and/until] I [am gone/perish]:
and mine hope hath he [removed/uprooted] like a tree.

Job 19:11 He hath also kindled his wrath against me,
and he [counteth/considers] me unto him as one of his enemies.

Job 19:12 His troops [come/advance] together,
and [raise/build/throw] up their [way/siege ramp] against me,
and encamp round about my [tabernacle/tent].

Job 19 Summary of Verses 13-19

Relationships ruined | Job 19:13-19

And in various ways, how God has treated Job has resulted in all of his human relationships being disrupted and ruined – verses 13-19…

Job 19:13 He hath put my [brethren/relatives] far from me,
and mine acquaintance are [verily/completely] estranged from me.

Job 19:14 My [kinsfolk/relatives/kinsmen] have failed,
and my [familiar/intimate] friends have forgotten me.

Job 19:15 They that dwell in mine house, and my maids, [count/consider] me for a stranger:
I am [an alien/a foreigner] in their sight.

Job 19:16 I [called/summon] my servant, [and/but] he [gave me no answer/does not respond];
[i.e., even though…] I [intreated/implore] him with my [i.e., own…] mouth.

Job 19:17 My breath is [strange/offensive/repulsive] to my wife,
though I intreated (<— 1x) for the children’s sake of mine own body [or, I am loathsome to my brothers…].

Job 19:18 [Yea/Even], [young children/youngsters] [despised/have scorned] me;
[i.e., When…] I arose, and they [spake against/scoff at] me.

Job 19:19 All my [inward/closest] friends [abhorred/detest] me:
and they whom I loved are turned against me.

Job 19 Summary of Verse 20

Physical condition | Job 19:20

And with Job’s relationship with God at its lowest point ever – and with his human relationships basically non-existent at this time, Job is going to start to lament his physical condition once more – verse 20…

Job 19:20 My bone [cleaveth/clings/sticks] to my skin and to my flesh,
and I am escaped with [i.e., only…] the skin of my teeth.

So, Job could certainly have continued to describe his physical condition. But he stops after just one verse.

Job 19 Summary of Verses 21-22

An appeal for pity | Job 19:21-22

Because it’s all gotten to be too much for him to bear. And so, Job appeals for pity from his friends on the basis of all the trouble in his life – verses 21 and 22…

Job 19:21 Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends;
for the hand of God hath [touched/struck] me.

Job 19:22 Why do ye persecute me [as/like] God,
and are not [satisfied/satiated] with my flesh?

Job 19 Summary of Verses 23-24

Words Immortalized in Writing | Job 19:23-24

But since no one – neither God nor his friends – seems to be listening to and sympathizing with Job, he goes on to express a desire for his words and arguments concerning his personal innocence to be immortalized in writing – verses 23 and 24…

Job 19:23 Oh that my words were now written!
oh that they were printed [in a book/on a scroll]! {they are now, but he wants more than that…}

Job 19:24 That they were [graven/engraved] with an iron [pen/stylus/chisel] and [i.e., with…] lead in [the/a] rock for ever!

So, Job doesn’t want his words written merely with ink and parchment. He wants them inscribed with metal onto a rock.

Why?… So that they’re there forever.

Job 19 Summary of Verses 25-27

Job will see God | Job 19:25-27

Because Job envisions a time when he will one day see God.

And I think the idea is that he’d like to be able to present God with this permanent record of all the reasons why he shouldn’t be punishing Job – when Job sees his redeemer face to face and everything is made right with him – verses 25-27…

Job 19:25 [For/As for me] I know that my redeemer liveth,
and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

Job 19:26 And [though after my skin worms destroy this body/even after my skin is destroyed],
yet in my flesh shall I see God:

Job 19:27 Whom I shall see for myself,
and mine eyes shall behold, and not another;

though my [reins/heart] [be consumed/grows faint/faints] within me.

So, this is a remarkable statement. Job says that he will die. But he knows that God lives and will literally stand on the earth in the last days. And at that point, Job – though he died – will see God in his own body.

And no doubt this shows a great deal of faith on the part of Job – to utter such hopeful words.

How did Job know that this was going to happen? Who told him?

Perhaps Job had heard the prophesy of the man Enoch who was seven generations after Adam’s creation. As the New Testament book of Jude references – this man had prophesied as follows: “Behold, the Lord cometh…” (Jude 14). The Lord’s coming has been anticipated on this earth since at least that point.

And where that truth for believers is a great joy, for Job it’s a relief. But I think he’s relieved at this thought of God’s coming to earth – because he thinks that he’ll be able to see God and plead his case before him to the effect that he’s not guilty and not deserving of punishment – as he’s apparently been receiving from this God whose return to earth is certain.

Job 19 Summary of Verses 28-29

Stop persecuting me | Job 19:28-29

And armed with this confidence that Job will one day see God and everything will be made right, Job threatens his friends and urges them to stop persecuting him – verses 28 and 29 to end the chapter…

Job 19:28 But [ye should/should (or if) ye] say,

[Why/How will] [persecute we/we pursue] him,
[seeing/since] the root of the [matter/trouble] is found in [me/him]? {i.e., since he’s to blame for his suffering…}

Job 19:29 Be ye afraid of the sword:
for wrath bringeth the punishments [of/by] the sword,
that ye may know there is a judgment.

And that threat could be Job saying that God will deal with these men by bringing them to a violent end – or maybe Job has gotten to the point where he himself is threatening violence against them for their untrue and unjust accusations against him.

Either way, it’s quite an ending to his speech.

Job 7 Summary

Going into chapter 7 from our Job 6 summary, Job speaks of the hard service that mankind is required to perform in this life – verse 1…

Job 7:1 {Is there/Does}not {an appointed time to man/man forced to labor/man have hard service} upon earth?
 are not his days also like the days of an hireling?

Job 7 Summary of Verses 2-3

Job wants rest

And just like those folks – who are engaged in difficult work – long for the rest that comes at the end of the day, so too is Job desiring some rest from his current miserable existence – verses 2 and 3…

Job 7:2 As a servant earnestly desireth the [evening…] shadow,
and as an hireling looketh for the reward of his work:

Job 7:3 So am I made to possess months of vanity,
and wearisome nights are appointed to me.

So, Job eagerly looks for the end of all his misery but just get’s more misery.

Job 7 Summary of Verse 4

No rest even when resting

Job has no rest – even when he’s resting – verse 4…

Job 7:4 When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone?
and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day.

Job 7 Summary of Verse 5

Job’s physical body

Job’s physical body is in a disgusting and embarrassing condition – which is probably part of his inability to successfully rest – verse 5…

Job 7:5 My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust;
my skin is broken, and [become loathsome/festering].

Job 7 Summary of Verse 6

No hope

Job’s days fly by and are completely devoid of anything that would give him hope that anything is going to change – verse 6…

Job 7:6 My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,
and are spent without hope.

Job 7 Summary of Verses 7-8

Death is near

And without any hope, Job thinks death is not too far away for him – verses 7 and 8…

Job 7:7 O remember that my life is wind:
mine eye shall no more see good.

Job 7:8 The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no more:
thine eyes are upon me, [and/but] I [am/will be]not.

Job 7 Summary of Verses 9-10

Life is a cloud

Job compares his life to a cloud that disappears. That cloud will never appear in the same form and location in which it originally existed. So too is his body – once it dies it will never just come back the way it was and inhabit the world in the way that it once did – verses 9 and 10…

Job 7:9 As the cloud is [consumed/dispersed] and vanisheth away:
so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.

Job 7:10 He shall return no more to his house,
neither shall his place know him any more.

Job isn’t denying the resurrection here. He’s simply saying that once your body dies, it’s not going to come back in the same form and do the same things it once did.

Job 7 Summary of Verse 11

No restraint

So, since Job thinks that his life is close to being done, Job determines to throw off all restraint as he speaks of his situation – verse 11…

Job 7:11 Therefore I will not refrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

Job 7 Summary of Verse 12

Why God deals with me this way

Job directs his bitter complaint to God and wonders why God seems to be dealing with him as a sailor would have to keep a watch over the dangerous sea or some creature in it – verse 12…

Job 7:12 Am I a sea, or a whale,
that thou settest a watch over me?

Job 7 Summary of Verses 13-14

God gives no rest

Job goes on to directly blame God for his inability find physical rest – verses 13 and 14…

Job 7:13 When I say,

My bed shall comfort me,
my couch shall ease my complaint;

Job 7:14 Then thou scarest me with dreams,
and terrifiest me through visions:

Job 7 Summary of Verses 15-16

Job wants to die

The result of all of this pain and vanity is once more that Job longs to die – verses 15 and 16…

Job 7:15 So that my soul chooseth strangling,
 and death rather than my life.

Job 7:16 I loathe it; I would not live alway:
let me alone; for my days are vanity.

Job 7 Summary of Verses 17-19

Job’s Psalm 8

Job then utters words that are reminiscent of Psalm 8:4 where the psalmist is marveling at man’s place in God’s creation and praising the Lord for it. Verse 17…

Job 7:17 What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him?
and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?

But though Job started like the psalmist, he takes his “psalm” in a different direction to complain that God is constantly watching him in order to make him miserable – verses 18 and 19…

Job 7:18 And that thou shouldest visit him every morning,
 and try him every moment?

Job 7:19 How long wilt thou not depart from me,
nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?

Job 7 Summary of Verses 20-21

Why no forgiveness?

Job finishes this chapter asking God if he’s sinned and why God won’t seem to forgive his sin. He concludes by stating that he’s probably going to die now – verses 20 and 21…

Job 7:20 [If…] {I have/Have I?} sinned; what [shall/have?] I {do/done} unto thee, O thou [preserver/watcher] of men?
why hast thou set me as [a mark against thee/your target], so that I am a burden to myself?

Job 7:21 And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity?
for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.

So, Job is clearly miserable. He cannot understand why God is not blessing him like he once did. He knows that it’s not his sin that’s calling for God’s punishment on him. What could it be? Why is God making his life so hard? Why is God punishing him? Job needs to understand! He needs answers right now!

But we get a hint that Job’s not going to get the answers he’s looking for. Peek ahead to Job 8:2 for Bildad’s opening response to Job’s statements in chapters 6 and 7…

² How long wilt thou speak these things? And how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?

That doesn’t sound too helpful. So, if Bildad can’t and won’t help Job trust God or understand what God is doing in his life, what’s Bildad going to do? We’ll see that next time…

Job 6 Summary

Well, even though Eliphaz seems quite pleased with what he just said in Job 5 summary, it becomes very apparent in Job 6 and Job 7 summary that his speech has not helped Job trust God.

Job 6 Summary of Verses 1-3

Great misery has brought rash words | Job 6:1-3

To begin, Job just admits that he is so miserable and that’s why his words have been so rash – verses 1-3…

Job 6:1 But Job answered and said,

Job 6:2 Oh that my [grief/vexation/anguish/misery] were throughly weighed,
and my [calamity/misfortune] laid in the balances together!

Job 6:3 For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea:
therefore my words [are swallowed up/have been rash|wild].

Job 6 Summary of Verse 4

God is the source of Job’s misery | Job 6:4

What is the source of Job’s misery – in his mind? It’s God – verse 4…

Job 6:4 For the arrows of the Almighty are within me,
the poison [whereof/of them] drinketh up my spirit:
the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.

So, Job doesn’t deny that God seems to be punishing him. But since he’s a genuinely righteous man he can’t understand why God is doing this.

Job 6 Summary of Verses 5-7

Job can’t and won’t eat | Job 6:5-7

Job moves on to describe part of his misery as being his inability and unwillingness to eat food in verses 5-7…

Job 6:5 Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass?
or loweth the ox over his fodder?

No – these creatures don’t do this. When they have food in front of them they keep quiet and eat.

Job 6:6 Can that which is [unsavoury/tasteless] be eaten without salt?
or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

No – you need salt to season tasteless food and egg whites don’t taste very good by themselves.

And yet, even though food is set before Job with as much salt as he’d like to season it, he’s finding that he just can’t eat anything – verse 7…

Job 6:7 [The/These are the] things that my soul refused to touch
 [they…] are [as my/to me] [sorrowful meat/loathsome food].

Job 6 Summary of Verses 8-9

Job wants to die | Job 6:8-9

So, Job can’t eat. He’s miserable. God seems to be punishing him for no reason whatsoever. And so, Job just wants God to take his life in verses 8 and 9…

Job 6:8 Oh that I might have my request;
and that God would grant me the thing that I long for!

What is that? Verse 9…

Job 6:9 Even that it would please God to destroy me;
that he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!

Job 6 Summary of Verse 10

Death would help Job not deny God | Job 6:10

Because if God were to take Job’s life at this point, Job is convinced that he would at least have the honor of not concealing or denying God’s words. But very much longer and he feels the pull to do just that – to deny God’s words – verse 10…

Job 6:10 {Then/If I died now} should I yet have comfort;
yea, I would [harden myself/rejoice] in sorrow: [let him not spare/unsparing]; {i.e., if I died… why?… }
for I have not concealed the words of the Holy One.

Job 6 Summary of Verses 11-13

Job pleads for mercy based on his weakness | Job 6:11-13

Job goes on to plead for mercy from both God and his friends based on the reality that he’s very weak – verses 11-13…

Job 6:11 What is my strength, that I should [hope/wait]?
and what is mine end, that I should prolong my life?

Job has no strength. So why should God let him keep living?…

Job 6:12 Is my strength the strength of stones?
or is my flesh of brass?

Obviously it’s not…

Job 6:13 Is not my help in me? [i.e., as weak as he is…]
and is wisdom driven quite from me? [he lacks wisdom to help himself…]

Job’s only help seems to be himself. He feels like he no longer has wisdom to deal with his life situations.

If only he had some friends to help him trust God!

Job 6 Summary of Verses 14-30

Job laments his friends’ treatment of him | Job 6:14-30

But Job goes on to lament his friends’ treatment of him for pretty much the rest of chapter 6.

Job 6 Summary of Verse 14

Be kind

Job says that – even if he has sinned – his friends ought to be kind to him because he’s suffering – verse 14…

Job 6:14 To him that is afflicted [pity/kindness] should be shewed from his friend;
[but/even if] he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.

Job 6 Summary of Verses 15-21

Unreliable and unhelpful like a wadi

But instead, Job’s friends have come and appeared to be a help at first – but have revealed themselves to be unreliable and unhelpful – verse 15…

Job 6:15 My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a [seasonal…] brook,
 and as the stream of brooks they pass away;

Why do seasonal brooks disappear in the middle east? Well, some – perhaps at higher elevations – are sometimes covered with snow and ice – verse 16…

Job 6:16 Which are [blackish/dark] by reason of the ice,
 and wherein the snow is hid: [piles of snow hide them…]

Or – more common – these seasonal brooks go through a dry season where there’s no water replenishing them. And with the scorching heat, they dry up – verses 17 and 18…

Job 6:17 What time they [wax warm/are scorched], they vanish:
when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.

Job 6:18 The paths of their way are turned aside;
they go to nothing, and perish.

Job goes on to describe how travelers look for refreshment from these seasonal brooks and are greatly disappointed when they don’t find any water there – just like Job feels about his three friends – verses 19 and 20…

Job 6:19 The [troops/caravans] of Tema {perhaps Eliphaz the Temanite’s home land… } looked, [for these streams…]
the [companies/traveling merchants] of Sheba waited for them.

Job 6:20 They were [confounded/distressed] because they had [hoped/been so confident];
they came thither, and were [ashamed/disappointed].

And Job is now going to explicitly draw the comparison between those seasonal brooks and his three friends in verse 21…

Job 6:21 For now ye are nothing [like those streams…];
ye see my casting down, and are afraid.

Job 6 Summary of Verses 22-23

Why are the friends treating Job this way?

Job then tries to imagine why they’d be treating him the way that they are – as he asks them four rhetorical questions – and the answer to each is “no.” Verses 22 and 23…

Job 6:22 Did I say, Bring [something…] unto me?
or, Give a [reward/gift] for me of your substance?

Job 6:23 Or, Deliver me from the enemy’s hand?
or, Redeem me from the hand of the mighty?

So, did Job ask his friends to give him anything? No. Even though he lost everything, Job hasn’t asked them for any material provision.

Did Job ask them to rescue him from some human oppressor? Did he ask them to help him go get his possessions back from the Chaldeans and Sabeans? No.

So, these aren’t satisfactory explanations as to why his friends are treating him so poorly and not showing any mercy to him.

Job 6 Summary of Verse 24

Help me understand

No – instead all that Job is asking from these three friends is that they help him understand what is going on in his life. Verse 24…

Job 6:24 Teach me, and I will hold my tongue:
and cause me to understand wherein I have erred.

And of course, the problem with this request is evident. No human being understands why Job is suffering at this point. Eliphaz tried his best and failed. The others will do the same. They all attempt this feat numerous times and it never works.

Because Job – like you and me – doesn’t need to understand. That’s not our primary need in this life. Our primary need is to trust God – trust his ways, trust his nature and character, trust his provision for our sins to be forgiven – through Jesus Christ.

Increased understanding is good and something for which we should all be striving. But your understanding will always be deficient on some level. Because ultimately, God’s ways are beyond your understanding. And what God really wants from you is – not your perfect understanding, but – your complete trust.

Job 6 Summary of Verse 25

Unhelpful communication

Well, Job goes on to acknowledge that right and honest words are helpful, if a bit painful. But that’s not how he’d classify Eliphaz’s previous comments – verse 25…

Job 6:25 How [forcible/painful] are [right/honest] words!
but what doth your arguing [reprove/prove]?

Job 6 Summary of Verse 26

Job is desperate

Once again Job acknowledges that his words are born of desperation and are therefore to be treated as such – verse 26…

Job 6:26 Do ye imagine to [reprove/criticize] [mere…] words,
and the speeches of one that is desperate, which are as wind?

Job 6 Summary of Verse 27

Bullying

But instead of treating Job as one who is desperate and in need of compassion, Eliphaz is bullying the weak and helpless Job – verse 27…

Job 6:27 Yea, ye overwhelm the fatherless,
and ye dig a pit for your friend.

Job 6 Summary of Verse 28

Job is not lying

Eliphaz – in his assuming that Job is secretly sinning – is acting as if Job is lying. But Job wants Eliphaz to look him straight in the eye and know that this is not the case – verse 28…

Job 6:28 Now therefore be [content,/good enough to] look upon me;
for it is evident unto you if I lie.

Job 6 Summary of Verses 29-30

Job’s personal righteousness defended

Job defends his personal righteousness in verses 29 and 30 to end chapter 6…

Job 6:29 [Return/Relent], I pray you, let [it not be iniquity/there be no falsehood];
yea, [return again/reconsider for], my righteousness is [in it/intact].

Job 6:30 Is there iniquity in my tongue?
cannot my taste discern perverse things?

Job 5 Summary

Eliphaz continues with the angel theme that he started back in (Job 4 Summary) in chapter 5, verse 1 as he basically – for some reason – challenges and mocks the thought that Job could get a hearing even with an angel…

Job 5:1  Call now, if there be any that will answer thee;
and to which of the [saints/holy ones/holy angels] wilt thou turn?

Job 5 Summary of Verses 2-5

Job is foolish and silly | Job 5:2-5

Why will no angel answer Job? It’s because he’s secretly wicked. Eliphaz accuses Job of being foolish and silly in the biblical sense of those words in verses 2-5…

Job 5:2 For wrath killeth the foolish man,
and [envy/anger] slayeth the silly one.

Eliphaz points to his personal experience again in verse 3 and says that he’s seen this happen with his own eyes…

Job 5:3 I have seen the foolish taking root:
but suddenly I cursed his habitation.

So, Eliphaz declares the house of the wicked accursed by God – even though it looked like the wicked was prospering. Just like Job was prospering for a while.

And Eliphaz again uses his words like someone carelessly thrashing around a sword as he brings up dead children to Job once more…

Job 5:4 [His/The wicked man’s] children are far from safety,
and they are crushed in the [gate/place where judgement is rendered],
neither is there any to deliver them.

And ultimately, wicked people get their stuff stolen from them – just like Job did by the Sabeans and Chaldeans – verse 5…

Job 5:5 [Whose/The wicked man’s] harvest the hungry eateth up,
and taketh it even out of the thorns, [they’ll take it even if it’s behind some protective barrier…]
and the [robber/thirsty] swalloweth up their substance.

Job 5 Summary of Verses 6-7

God brings affliction into people’s lives | Job 5:6-7

And amazingly, we’re going to see next that Eliphaz seems to touch on some measure of truth as he asserts in verses 6 and 7 that its inevitable that God brings affliction into people’s lives…

Job 5:6 Although [affliction/evil/hardship/mischief] cometh not forth of the dust,
neither doth trouble [spring out of/sprout from] the ground;

Job 5:7 Yet man is born unto trouble,
as the sparks fly upward.

Eliphaz identifies that there is a reason for affliction entering people’s lives – but unfortunately he himself can’t understand that reason – especially in Job’s life.

Job 5 Summary of Verses 8-16

Eliphaz’s fool-proof solution for Job | Job 5:8-16

So, in verses 8-16, Eliphaz has a fool-proof solution for Job to get out of this current trouble and affliction and to return to God blessing him.

It’s simple – seek God, which Job never stopped doing – verse 8…

Job 5:8 I would seek unto God,
and unto God would I [commit/set forth] my cause:

Why do this? Because God is awesomely powerful – verse 9…

Job 5:9 Which doeth great things and unsearchable;
marvellous things without number:

God mercifully provides water for the world  – verse 10…

Job 5:10 Who giveth rain upon the earth,
and sendeth waters upon the fields:

God gives great reversals of fortune to those who are low and mourning – verse 11…

Job 5:11 To set up on high those that be low;
that those which mourn may be [exalted/raised] to safety.

On the other hand, God frustrates the plans of those who plan evil – which Eliphaz is apparently thinking that Job currently is doing – verses 12 and 13…

Job 5:12 He disappointeth the [devices/plans] of the [crafty/shrewd/tricksters],
so that their hands cannot perform their [enterprise/what they had planned].

Job 5:13 He taketh the wise in their own craftiness:
and the counsel of the [forward/cunning] is [carried headlong/brought to a quick end].

By the way, verse 13a is the only verse in this book that’s directly quoted in the New Testament. It’s referenced by Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:19. What Eliphaz says is true – it just doesn’t apply to Job’s situation in the way that Eliphaz thinks it does.

Now, here’s what those who plan harm for others ultimately get – verse 14…

Job 5:14 They meet with darkness in the daytime,
and grope in the noonday as in the night.

On the contrary, God saves the poor from those wicked people – verses 15 and 16…

Job 5:15 But he saveth the poor from the sword,
from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty.

Job 5:16 So the poor hath hope,
and iniquity stoppeth her mouth.

Job 5 Summary of Verse 17

God is disciplining and not destroying Job

And so, the fact that God hasn’t completely destroyed Job yet for his secret sin in Eliphaz’s mind should encourage Job that there’s still time for him to repent.

God is graciously choosing to correct him for his supposed sin rather than destroy him – verse 17…

Job 5:17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth:
therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:

Job 5 Summary of Verse 18

God will bless again

God will relent from his punishing Job and start blessing him once more if Job just starts seeking God again – verse 18…

Job 5:18 For he [maketh sore/wounds], and bindeth up:
he [woundeth/strikes], and his hands [make whole/heal].

Job 5 Summary of Verses 19-22

God will deliver from 7 problems

When Job repents of his secret sin, Eliphaz says that God will deliver him from 7 problems – verse 19…

Job 5:19 He shall deliver thee in six [troubles/calamities]:
yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.

And here are those 7 problems from which God will deliver Job once he turns from his sin – verses 20-22…

Job 5:20 In famine he shall redeem thee from death:
and in war from the power of the sword.

Job 5:21 Thou shalt be hid from [the scourge of the tongue/malicious gossip]:
neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.

Job 5:22 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: {i.e., he apparently has to repeat two of the problems in order to make 7… }
neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.

Job 5 Summary of Verses 23-26

Millennial blessings

Why won’t Job be afraid of the beasts of the earth? Because in Eliphaz’s mind, once Job repents of his alleged sin, his situation will be nearly Millennial in the scope of its blessings. Eliphaz paints a wonderfully bright picture of Job’s potential condition once he starts seeking God – like he’d already been doing – where in verse 23 Eliphaz promises Job Millennial Kingdom kinds of blessings…

Job 5:23 For thou shalt [be in league/have a pact] with the stones of the field:
and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.

And Eliphaz finishes out the list of the myriads of blessings that Job can anticipate once he just puts an end to his secret sin and starts seeking God again in verses 24-26…

Job 5:24 And thou shalt know that thy [tabernacle/tent/home] shall be [in peace/secure];
and thou shalt [visit/inspect] thy habitation, and shalt not [sin/be missing anything].

Job 5:25 Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be [great/numerous],
and thine offspring as the grass of the earth.

Job 5:26 Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age,
like [as a shock of corn/like stacks of grain] [cometh in/are harvested] in [his/their] season.

The funny thing is that Job does – by God’s gracious hand – experience many of these blessings just mentioned. But he doesn’t experience them because he ends up confessing some secret sin or starts seeking God when he supposedly wasn’t doing that. It’s when Job finally comes to the place where he can trust God – and does so – even though he can’t understand God’s ways.

Job 5 Summary of Verse 27

Case closed

Eliphaz rests his case in verse 27…

Job 5:27 [Lo this/Look], we have [searched it/investigated this], so it is [i.e., true…];
hear it, and [know/apply] thou it for thy [i.e., own…] good.

So, get with the Retribution Plan, Job! You’re suffering as punishment from God for doing evil! So, stop doing evil. Start doing good and God will once again bless you.

You can picture Eliphaz motioning to the other two friends and they’re all nodding their heads in agreement.

Job 4 Summary

This morning we’ll be studying 4 chapters in the book of Job – chapters 4-7. That’s 99 verses in approximately 38 minutes. We’ve got our work cut out for us, so let’s get right to it.

Job 4 & 5 Summary

Eliphaz to Job #1 | Job 4-5

In Job, chapters 4 and 5, Job’s first friend Eliphaz responds to Job’s anguished lament from back in chapter 3 that we studied last time…

Job 4 Summary of Verses 1-2

Eliphaz can’t help but speak | Job 4:1-2

Eliphaz begins by relating to Job that he can’t help himself from speaking – even if Job’s going to be angry and impatient with what he says – verses 1 and 2…

Job 4:1Then Eliphaz the Temanite [answered and said/replied/spoke out],

Job 4:2 If we [assay/attempt/venture] to [commune/communicate/speak] with thee, wilt thou be [grieved/impatient/weary/offended/upset]?
but who can withhold himself from speaking?

Job 4 Summary of Verses 3-4

Eliphaz recalls that Job used to help others | Job 4:3-4

The first thing that Eliphaz feels is important to point out to Job is that Job used to help others who were in trouble – verses 3 and 4…

Job 4:3 [Behold/Think how], thou hast [instructed/admonished/taught] many,
and thou hast strengthened the weak hands.

Job 4:4 Thy words have [upholden/upheld/strengthened] him that was [falling/tottering/stumbling],
and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.

 I think Eliphaz’s point is that he’s about to do for Job what Job used to do for others. That is, Eliphaz is planning now to teach, admonish, strengthen, and uphold Job.

Job 4 Summary of Verse 5

Job should welcome Eliphaz’s ministry | Job 4:5

And so, Eliphaz tells Job that he should welcome Eliphaz’s attempted ministry to him – but instead it seems to Eliphaz that Job doesn’t want it – verse 5 …

Job 4:5 But now [it/the same situation] is come upon thee,
and thou [faintest/are impatient/are discouraged/are worn out];

it [toucheth/strikes] thee,
and thou art [troubled/dismayed/terrified/horrified].

Job knows how to counsel those who are in trouble – like he is right now. And so, Eliphaz wonders why Job isn’t able to handle this better.  He’s at least telling Job that his lament from chapter 3 is a little bit of an overreaction.

So far, what Eliphaz says isn’t objectionable. Verse 5 does come close to sounding like he’s gloating over Job’s misfortune – but even that verse sounds acceptable if it’s taken in the most charitable way.

Job 4 Summary of Verse 6

Job’s piety and uprightness should give him confidence | Job 4:6

But things get worse from here. Because in verse 6, Eliphaz points his suffering friend Job to trust – not in God – but in Job’s own piety and uprightness…

Job 4:6 Is not this thy [fear,/piety] thy confidence, {i.e., note the italics… }
thy hope[, and the uprightness|integrity of thy ways/your blameless ways]?

What should Job’s confidence and hope be? What is your confidence before God? It shouldn’t  be in yourself – but in God alone.

But in Eliphaz’s mind, if you do good you get good. If you do bad you get bad. And so, Job can be confident that if he returns to his blameless and upright ways, then God will stop punishing Job for leaving those paths.

Of course, we know that God is not punishing Job and Job hasn’t left the right path behaviorally. But this is how Eliphaz is thinking as he tries to understand God’s ways in Job’s life.

Job 4 Summary of Verse 7

Innocent righteous people don’t perish | Job 4:7

All Eliphaz can see is that Job seems to be perishing and being cut off by God. And in Eliphaz’s worldview, this doesn’t happen to innocent righteous people – verse 7…

Job 4:7 [Remember/Call to mind], I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent?
or where were the righteous [cut off/destroyed]?

Could you give a few examples of  the innocent righteous perishing or being cut off? The Bible is full of examples of this happening.

Job 4 Summary of Verses 8-9

Eliphaz has seen God punish wicked people | Job 4:8-9

But we’re going to see that Eliphaz is not using God’s word to construct his beliefs. He’s using his own personal observations to explain what he sees in the world around him.

And what he sees in the world around him is that God punishes wicked people – verses 8 and 9…

Job 4:8 [Even as/According to what] I have seen, [i.e., My experience shows…]

they that plow iniquity,
and sow wickedness,
reap the same.

Job 4:9 By the blast of God they perish,
and by the breath of his [nostrils/anger] are they consumed.

And this does happen, doesn’t it? God does tend to punish wicked people in this life. But he doesn’t always – and even if he decides to do so, it’s not always immediate. Additionally, just because – from your point of view – someone looks like he’s perishing and being consumed – it doesn’t necessarily follow that that person is experiencing God’s punishment for doing evil.

But at this point, Eliphaz has revealed that he believes Job is being punished by God for doing evil – hidden evil that Eliphaz hasn’t personally seen or experienced just yet. Because – after all – what innocent righteous person has Eliphaz ever seen perish? No, it’s only wicked people who experience trouble in this life.

Job 4 Summary of Verses 10-11

Lions and their offspring perish | Job 4:10-11

Well, Eliphaz continues his attempt to “comfort” Job by speaking of lions metaphorically to represent wicked people who are strong and in control at one point. But these lions eventually perish just like wicked people do – including Job, in Eliphaz’s mind – verses 10 and 11…

Job 4:10 The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion,
[and/but] the teeth of the young lions, are broken.

Job 4:11 The [old/mature] lion perisheth for lack of prey,
and the stout lion’s whelps are scattered abroad.

Whether they’re young or old, lions – like wicked people – are eventually rendered feeble and they perish.

And then Eliphaz – whether he knows it or not – seems to add an extra insult to Job when he mentions the offspring of the lions being scattered. Think about what happened to Job just maybe a few months prior to this conversation. All of his children – his offspring – were killed. Do you suppose that Eliphaz took note of that and intentionally added that line in there to once more attempt to prove to Job that he’s secretly wicked and is experiencing God’s direct punishment for that secret sin?

Job 4 Summary of Verses 12-17

Vision concerning man’s righteousness | Job 4:12-17

Well, since Eliphaz enjoys relating his own personal experience so much – and indeed, this is how he has come to understand how God works in this world – he wants to relate another personal experience to Job in verses 12-17.

And the gist of this section is that Eliphaz at some point had a dream or vision wherein a spirit questioned the possibility of humans being righteous in God’s sight…

Job 4:12 Now a [thing/word] was [secretly/stealthily] brought to me,
and mine ear received a [little/whisper] thereof.

Job 4:13 [In/Amid] thoughts from the visions of the night,
when deep sleep falleth on men,

Job 4:14 Fear [came upon/seized/gripped] me, and trembling,
which made all my bones to shake.

Job 4:15 Then a [spirit/breath of air] passed before my face;
the hair of my flesh stood up:

Job 4:16 It [stood still/stopped], but I could not [discern/recognize] [the form thereof/its appearance]:
[an image/a form] was before mine eyes,

there was silence,
and I heard a voice, saying,

Job 4:17 Shall mortal man be [more just than/just before] God?
shall a man be [more pure than/pure before] his maker?

The Hebrew preposition that’s twice translated in our KJV as “more … than” in verse 17 is also translated as “before” 83 times in the KJV.

So, Eliphaz takes 5 verses to set up what this spirit – or whatever it was – supposedly said to him eventually in verse 17. And the message that this terrifying apparition related to Eliphaz was that people cannot be righteous before God.

Is that true in Job’s case? Was he righteous before God – in God’s estimation? He was. Therefore, Eliphaz is wrong here and whatever spirit he’s paying attention to is very likely not a holy one.

Job 4 Summary of Verses 18-21

Greater-to-lesser argument concerning man’s righteousness | Job 4:18-21

Yet, Eliphaz uses that personal experience of his to launch into a greater-to-lesser argument in verses 18-21 to finish chapter 4.

In verse 18, we have the “greater” – that is, God’s approach to angels’ righteousness…

Job 4:18 Behold, {he/God} put no trust in his servants; [who are these “servants”?…]
and his angels he charged with folly:

And this appears to be true. There is a number of fallen angels or demons in this world whom God has indeed charged with folly.

So, Eliphaz applies this truth to the lesser being of mankind in verses 19-21. If God doesn’t put his trust in angels – verse 19…

Job 4:19 How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay,
whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed [before/like] the moth?

Job 4:20 They are destroyed [from/between] morning [to/and] evening:
they perish for ever without any regarding it.

Job 4:21 Doth not their [excellency which is in them/excessive wealth] go away?
they die, even without wisdom.

And I think that what Eliphaz says in verses 19-21 is also true in a general sense. But the problem is that he’s applying it incorrectly. The reality that angels and men are fallen and sinful doesn’t mean that God can’t redeem and justify some men whose lives are then marked – not by perfection – but by righteousness before God. God did precisely this in the life of Job, but Eliphaz won’t recognize that because Job is suffering – which looks like punishment from God. And if God is punishing Job it’s due to some sin in his life.

Job 3 Summary

Ideally, Job’s friends would open their mouths and encourage Job to trust God even when he doesn’t understand God’s ways in his life. But we’ll see that they’re incapable of that at this point. 

Job 3 Summary of Verses 1-3

Job Curses The Day of His Birth 

And so, Job opens his mouth first and speaks. But what he’s going to say isn’t going to help anyone trust God. Instead, Job is going to curse the day of his birth in chapter 3, verses 1-3…  

KJV Job 3:1 After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his [i.e., birth…] day. 

Job 3:2 And Job spake, and said, 

Job 3:3 Let the day perish wherein I was born,  
and the night [in which it was/which] said, There is a [man child/boy/man] conceived. 

This is how terrible Job’s life had become. He would retroactively curse the day of his birth. 

Now, catch the fact that Job doesn’t curse God. But he does curse his own miserable existence. 

Job 3 Summary of Verses 4-5

Curse That Day 

And Job goes into detail about this. He curses the daytime of his original birthday in verses 4 and 5…  

Job 3:4 Let that day be darkness;  
let not God [regard/care for] it [from above/on high],  
neither let the light shine upon it. 

Job 3:5 Let darkness and [the shadow of death/black gloom/the deepest shadow] [stain/claim] it;  
let a cloud [dwell/settle] upon it;  
let [the blackness of/whatever blackens] the day terrify it. 

Job 3 Summary of Verses 6-9

Curse That Night 

And then Job calls for a curse upon the nighttime hours of his original birthday in verses 6-9…  

Job 3:6 As for that night, let darkness [seize upon/seize] it;  
let it not [be joined unto/rejoice among/be included among] the days of the year,  
let it not [come into/enter among] the number of the months. 

Job 3:7 [Lo/Behold/Indeed], let that night be [solitary/barren],  
let no [joyful voice/shout of joy] [come therein/enter it/penetrate it]. 

Job 3:8 Let them curse it that curse the day,  
who are [ready/prepared] to [raise up their/rouse] [mourning/Leviathan]. 

Job 3:9 Let the stars of the twilight thereof be [dark/darkened];  
let it [look/wait] for [day…] light, but [have/find] none;  
neither let it see the [dawning of the day/breaking dawn/first rays of dawn]: 

Now, just a quick word about verse 8. The word translated in the KJV as “mourning” is the Hebrew word Leviathan – which is a fearsome sea creature that God is going to speak of later in this book.  

Job is saying that he wishes someone could summon Leviathan to violently attack – if it were possible – the night of his birth. 

Job 3 Summary of Verse 10

Reason for the Curses 

Why all this cursing of Job’s birth date? He gives the answer in verse 10…  

Job 3:10 Because [it/that day] shut not up the doors of my mother’s womb,  
nor hid [sorrow/trouble] from mine eyes. 

The day is to be cursed because it allowed Job to live. Suffering has a way of causing people to think in very strange ways. 

Job 3 Summary of Verses 11-12

Why Did Job Live and Not Die? 

Job questions why he lived through that day and why he didn’t die in verses 11 and 12…  

Job 3:11 Why died I not [from the womb/at birth]?  
why did I not [give up the ghost/expire] when I came out of the [belly/womb]? 

Job 3:12 Why did the knees [prevent/receive/welcome] me?  
or why the breasts that I should [suck/nurse]? 

Job was born and received help and nourishment to continue living. But at this point he wishes that hadn’t happened to him. 

Job 3 Summary of Verse 13

What Would Have Happened if Job Had Died 

And so, he ponders what would have happened had he instead just died – verse 13…  

Job 3:13 For now should I have lain [still/down] and been quiet,  
I should have slept: then had I been at [rest/peace], 

Job 3 Summary of Verses 14-16

The Company Job Would Have Had If He Had Died 

Job even engages in rather macabre contemplation of the kind of company he would have now if he had died – verses 14-16…  

Job 3:14 With kings and counsellors of the earth,  
which [built/rebuilt] [desolate places/ruins/places now desolate] for themselves; 

Job 3:15 Or with princes that had gold,  
who filled their [houses/palaces] with silver: 

Job 3:16 Or as [an hidden/a discarded/a buried] [untimely birth/miscarriage/stillborn infant] [I had not been/I would not be/Why wasn’t I];  
as infants which never saw light. 

And in all of these cases, the people Job mentions experienced vanity just like he’s now experiencing. Kings built palaces which are now ruins. Princes filled their houses with gold but it does them no good now. Miscarriages had a life ahead of them but it never came to fruition.  

Job is not making light of these realities. He’s identifying with them as his life now resembles theirs in terms of the vanity and disappointment that he’s experiencing. 

Job 3 Summary of Verses 17-19

The “Wonderful” Equilibrium Death Brings 

Job in his tumultuous soul is going to move on now and even extol the “wonderful” equilibrium that death brings in verses 17-19…  

Job 3:17 [There/In death] the wicked cease from [troubling/raging/turmoil];  
and there the weary be at rest. 

Job 3:18 There the prisoners [rest/are at ease/relax] together;  
they hear not the voice of the [oppressor/taskmaster]. 

Job 3:19 The small and great are there;  
and the servant is free from his master. 

So, the wicked, the weary, prisoners, oppressors, small, great, servant, master – they’re all set at equilibrium at death, according to Job’s thinking. 

Job 3 Summary of Verses 20-22

Why Does God Give Life to Those Who Don’t Want It? 

Job then asks why God gives life – rather than the death that he’s been contemplating – to those who don’t want it in verses 20-22…  

Job 3:20 Wherefore is light given to him [that is in misery/who suffers],  
and life unto the bitter in soul; 

Job 3:21 Which [long/wait] for death, but [it cometh not/there is none];  
and [dig/search] for it more than for hid treasures; 

Job 3:22 Which rejoice [exceedingly/greatly], and [are glad/exult],  
when they can find the grave? 

Job 3 Summary of Verse 23

Why Does God Give Life to Those Whose Life Is Confusing? 

And Job laments that God gives life to those whose way is confusing – like his is – verse 23…  

Job 3:23 Why is light given to a man whose way is hid,  
and whom God hath hedged in? 

Job 3 Summary of Verse 24

Job Can’t/Won’t Eat 

Job says in verse 24 that he won’t – and can’t – eat…  

Job 3:24 For my [sighing/groaning] cometh [before I eat/at the sight of my food/in place of my food],  
and my [roarings/cries/groanings] [are poured out/flow forth] like the waters. 

Job 3 Summary of Verses 25-26

Job’s Fears Have Been Realized 

And Job’s last bitter statement relates that all of his worst fears have been realized in verses 25 and 26…  

Job 3:25 For the [i.e., very…] thing which I [greatly feared/dreaded] [is come upon/has happened to] me,  
and that which I [was afraid of/dread] [is come unto/befalls] me. 

Job 3:26 I [was/am] not [in safety/at ease],  
neither [had/have] I [rest/quietness],  
neither [was/am/can] I [quiet/rest];  
[yet/but] trouble [came/comes/has come upon me]. 

Job’s life is obviously very miserable at this point. God’s ways are beyond his understanding. And this suffering man – like all sufferers – needs to be assisted and encouraged in trusting God. 

And we’ll consider how Job’s first friend – Eliphaz – performs at this task next time.