If we all got what we deserved, and God used karma as a metric, then we’d be seeing a lot more people sitting on ash heaps scratching at themselves with potsherds. All have fallen short, even those who think of themselves as spiritual giants, because the Word of God neither exaggerates nor generalizes.
If, during his monologue, Eliphaz had retained a modicum of
self-awareness, he would have likely been less brutal in his judgment of Job.
Rather than insist that Job had done something so nefarious as to cause the
death of his ten children and the loss of all material possessions, a better
perspective would have been to conclude that if such a thing could happen to
Job, a man known for his uprightness in the land, how long before his own turn
on the threshing floor?
It’s easy to judge and level ad hominem attacks without
regard for the situation beyond the individual's current state. He’s homeless;
therefore, he must be a deadbeat, lazy, unfocused, unwilling to work, likely on
drugs, perhaps an alcoholic, with a penchant for gaming the system. If you took
a moment to hear the man’s story, you would discover that he was once a
successful surgeon who lost his wife and baby in the same accident that left
him unable to do his job due to a tremor in his hands and after the mourning
and the debt collectors and the feeling of hopelessness pressing in from all
sides, he found himself living on the street with no prospects and no genuine
friends to be there for him in his time of need. People he once helped
pretended not to know him or turn the other way when they saw him walking down
the street, and the bitterness and resentment were too much to bear.
Not everything is as simple as it seems at first glance. Some
things are nuanced and complicated and require wisdom and discernment on our
part. The more in tune we are with the Holy Spirit, the easier it becomes to
discern when an opportunity to be a comfort, encouragement, and a help presents
itself, understanding that such situations don’t materialize out of the ether
but are orchestrated by the hand of God.
When Paul writes to the Hebrews encouraging them to entertain
strangers because by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels, it
wasn’t a throwaway line or something waved off as hyperbole, but something he
knew to be valid and verifiable. This doesn’t mean everyone you run across is
an angel in disguise, but if you are open to the urging of the Holy Spirit in
your day-to-day life, at some point, you will run across someone who you will
help that you’ll likely never seen again, but who leaves an indelible mark on
you. You remember the person, and perhaps days, weeks, or months after the
encounter, you start to wonder if there was something more to them than just an
individual in filthy rags rummaging through a dumpster for scraps.
What makes the book of Job more challenging to decipher than other
books of the Bible is that there are things in Eliphaz’s discourse that are
demonstrably factual and true, some of them even being quoted by Paul as he
writes to the churches, more specifically his first letter to the Corinthians.
In contrast, others are mere conjecture or conclusions based on personal
experiences he had as an individual. To know which is which, one must have a proper
understanding of Scripture and is required to spend time in the Word so as to
determine what is divinely inspired and what is man’s machinations.
As is often the case, men layer personal opinion or
conviction atop biblical truth, hoping no one takes the time to discern and
ferret out which is which. It’s become a staple of the modern-day church, and
we can see its effects among the sheep who are frozen in place by all the
confusion that personal opinion dressed up as gospel truth has wrought.
While Eliphaz’s discourse had some timeless truths peppered
in, it also held much innuendo and a predisposition toward the notion of
causality regarding Job’s situation.
As he concludes his oration, Eliphaz makes mention of the
wisdom of God in all things, a wisdom superior to our limited understanding
that we must defer to in times of uncertainty. Behold, happy is the man whom
God corrects. Therefore, do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. When
you’re in it, it’s easier said than done, but it is nevertheless true. If God
didn’t care, if He was indifferent and unconcerned about our spiritual state,
then He would leave us to the desires of our heart, where everything goes, nothing
is off limits, and self-destruction is a given.
Although what Eliphaz said was true generally speaking,
within the context of Job’s situation, he was off the mark because, unbeknownst
to him, this was not God’s correction, nor was it His chastening, but a testing
of his faith. What he spoke was factual; God chastens those He loves, but the context
in which this truth was used was inappropriate given Job’s circumstances.
You can say the right thing at the wrong time and quote scripture
out of context to the point that it will shatter an already broken heart.
If you’re counseling parents regarding their older son being
violently aggressive toward his sibling, telling them that Cain rose up against
his brother Abel and killed him is likely not the best thing that could come
out of your mouth. It’s in the Bible, quoted verbatim, yet the context requires
a different approach.
The Word of God is not intended to bludgeon people or strip
away the last vestiges of their hope. The Word was given to us that we might
know the truth, and by knowing it, we would be made free. It was given to us
that we might know Christ and the power of His resurrection. It was given to us
that we may know the measure of God’s love for mankind in sending Jesus. It was
given to us that we might know the way to the Father, not to build our fiefdoms
here on earth and twist it to the point that it becomes unrecognizable whenever
it suits us. Situational saints are saints in name only, and those who discount
entire swaths of Scripture because it doesn’t fit their narrative are not
worthy of His name.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea, Jr.
Posted on 14 January 2025 | 12:53 pm
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