Job 4
Job 4 is the chapter in which Job’s friend Eliphaz begins speaking for the first time. After seeing Job’s great suffering, Eliphaz feels sorrow and carefully conveys his thoughts. He asks Job why, in the face of his own suffering, he has become discouraged, even though he has been the one who comforted others until now, and he shares his insights about the suffering of life and human weakness.
1verseThen Eliphaz the Temanite answered,
2verse“If someone ventures to talk with you, will you be grieved? But who can withhold himself from speaking?
3verseBehold, you have instructed many, you have strengthened the weak hands.
4verseYour words have supported him who was falling, you have made the feeble knees firm.
5verseBut now it has come to you, and you faint. It touches you, and you are troubled.
6verseIsn’t your piety your confidence? Isn’t the integrity of your ways your hope?
7verse“Remember, now, who ever perished, being innocent? Or where were the upright cut off?
8verseAccording to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble, reap the same.
9verseBy the breath of God they perish. By the blast of his anger are they consumed.
10verseThe roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, the teeth of the young lions, are broken.
11verseThe old lion perishes for lack of prey. The cubs of the lioness are scattered abroad.
12verse“Now a thing was secretly brought to me. My ear received a whisper of it.
13verseIn thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men,
14versefear came on me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake.
15verseThen a spirit passed before my face. The hair of my flesh stood up.
16verseIt stood still, but I couldn’t discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes. Silence, then I heard a voice, saying,
17verse‘Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his Maker?
18verseBehold, he puts no trust in his servants. He charges his angels with error.
19verseHow much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed before the moth!
20verseBetween morning and evening they are destroyed. They perish forever without any regarding it.
21verseIsn’t their tent cord plucked up within them? They die, and that without wisdom.’
The Structure of Eliphaz’s First Statement
- Verses 1–6: Eliphaz cautiously speaks to Job and mentions that Job has usually comforted many people. However, he points out that since it is now he himself who is going through suffering, he has been overwhelmed by fear and confusion.
- Verses 7–11: He reflects on why calamity has come, saying, “No innocent person has ever perished.” Eliphaz seeks to find the cause of suffering in human wrongdoing.
- Verses 12–21: Through visions and spiritual experiences heard during the night, he says that a person can never be righteous or clean before God. He emphasizes that all humans are weak and the need for humility that follows from that.
Key Message of Job Chapter 4
This chapter reveals the universal human tendency to look for the cause of suffering in human imperfection. Eliphaz recognizes the weakness of people standing before God and suggests that they examine themselves. At the same time, however, he also sees the limitation of not fully understanding the nature of suffering or Job’s situation.
Points to Ponder
- How does my attitude differ when I comfort others versus when I myself suffer?
- When I see someone else’s suffering, can I reflect on whether I’m judging the cause too easily or making assumptions?
- Reflect on the weakness of humanity before God and the place of humility.
Try Applying It to Yourself
- Instead of easily concluding reasons for someone else’s pain, I should approach them with careful and humble care.
- Among the hardships of my life, think about what kind of attitude is needed to maintain trust and resolve toward God.
- Acknowledge that I, too, am a weak person, and practice living each day humbly.
