Job XCIV

 The more things change, the more they stay the same. So the proverb goes, and given the benefit of reading of those who came before and seeing this present generation, it’s not far off the mark. Times may change, and technology may advance, but as far as people are concerned, they are stubbornly consistent from generation to generation.

Even though Eliphaz and his two friends only possessed a partial understanding of God, they felt it within their right to pass judgment on Job, as though they understood the full measure of why he was being allowed to suffer the things he was, and why all his possessions had been turned to dust.

They considered that what they knew of God was enough to assess, conclude, and judge a given situation, fully confident that they had the right of it and that what they were doing was within the confines of God’s thoughts. In modern-day parlance, they were sure that what they were doing was what Jesus would do, even though what Jesus would do couldn’t be any more different than what they were doing.

It’s that kind of mindset that leads some to pass judgment on those who are currently suffering for the gospel’s sake, insisting that they don’t have enough faith to prosperity think their way out of the situation they’re in, not once considering the possibility that they are being tested and tried, that they may be purified and all the more glorious in the sight of God.

I’ve heard it often enough wherein it’s leeched every ounce of sympathy out of me, and I can no longer waive off such statements as ignorance or foolish words. Perhaps it’s my age and the fact that getting older hasn’t mellowed me out, or that I’ve had to deal with such naïve quasi-intellectualism for too long, but I just can’t abide it when someone whose only knowledge of God is the three half verses they’ve memorized and use out of context every chance they get look their noses down on those who carry the scars of their faithfulness on their bodies.  

Do you mean to tell me that men and women, brothers and sisters in Christ who are currently being martyred for the sake of Christ, don’t have enough faith? You mean to tell me that these individuals who would not deny Jesus on pain of death are lacking conviction and understanding of their duty toward God to the point that you can demean them and look down on them, concluding that they are somehow spiritually inferior to you?

It is a grace to know what you know and acknowledge what you don’t know. It is a grace to be humble enough to understand that for now, we see in a mirror dimly, and we understand in part, and though many have claimed to have had confabs with the almighty Himself, staring into His eyes and sitting on His lap, none have proven to be true.

Whenever we hear of someone going through a hardship, it’s easy to run into the arms of causality and conclude that they must have done something to deserve the thing that has come upon them. Although the law of cause and effect may apply in some instances, it is not absolute. It is relative at best, especially when it comes to spiritual matters; causality may not be the reason someone is going through a hardship, and to jump to a conclusion without having all the necessary evidence is foolhardy and childish.

It’s an easy out, especially when we don’t possess discernment or a proper understanding of what God is doing in someone’s life. Rather than take the time to pray, fast, and seek the face of God as to why someone is going through a trial, it’s easier and more expeditious to conclude that they must have done something; therefore, what is happening to them is as a direct result of the thing they did.

Jumping to such conclusions and verbalizing them with all the certainty of one who will not be swayed by reason or evidence is oftentimes as painful to the individual currently suffering as the tragedy itself.

If I come to you for comfort and a shoulder to cry on, and you start beating me about the head and shoulders with the rod of self-righteous zeal, insisting that I’ve done something I know I haven’t, however close I may have deemed you, my thoughts regarding you, our friendship, and our bond will inevitably sour.

Job’s three friends showed great wisdom in sitting with him in silence for seven days. Not so much once they started speaking and trying to use human reason to explain something they had no understanding of.

Come on, brother, we all know that affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble spring from the ground; there has to be a cause; there has to be something that precipitated the events that led to your demise, sitting on an ash heap and scratching at yourself with a potsherd. Just think about it. What did you do?

Those must have been some truly crushing words to Job’s ears because although Eliphaz was insistent that there had to be an underlying cause to the situation he found himself in, Job knew of nothing he had done to displease the Lord.

May we be wise enough to know and understand when silence is our best and only course of action. May we be wise enough to know and understand that sometimes God allows seasons of trial and sifting in the lives of His children, not because they have sinned, erred, or become wayward children but because He is purifying them and growing their faith through it.

Personal experience is not determinative in understanding the truth. Personal experience must be proof-tested with the truth, fall in line, and harmonize with the Word of God to be deemed true. Just because I personally feel some kind of way about something is wholly irrelevant if it doesn’t align with the word of God. We’ve taken to placing personal opinions, dreams, visions, or what we deem to be some sort of revelation above the word of God, ignoring it over what we believe to be the truth, and not only is that foolish and ignorant, it is dangerous and destructive.

Based on personal experience, Eliphaz concluded that Job must have sinned. He must have done something to displease God, and as we know, he could not have been further from the truth. 

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.               

Posted on 13 January 2025 | 12:41 pm