Today’s bible study is all about the chapter of Job 5 – Eliphaz Says God Is Chastening Job. According to Bible scholars, the events of the book of Job took place approximately before 2100 B.C.
I encourage you to get your bibles ready and turn to Job 5. Kindly invite the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read Job 5 with me. I am using the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, just in case you want to know. All the scripture references that you find in this post are from the NKJV.
In the Bible Study on Job 4, we read about how Eliphaz, one of Job’s friends said Job has sinned. Well, in this Bible study on Job 5, Eliphaz now says that Job is chastened by God because of his sin.
Without any more delay, let us begin!
Eliphaz Asks Job To Call Out To God
1Call out now;
Is there anyone who will answer you?
And to which of the holy ones will you turn?
2 For wrath kills a foolish man,
And envy slays a simple one.
In Verse 1 of Job 5, Eliphaz asks Job to call out to God or any of his holy ones (angels) to see who answers him now in his time of trouble. His question is rhetoric meaning even if he calls out no one will answer him. He explains the reason in Verse 2 of Job 5. It is because wrath kills a foolish man and envy slays even a simple man and even God cannot save that man from destruction. A man has to let go of wrath and envy out of his free will. And a man who is wrathful and envious is already foolish. He is destroying himself and his family.
Eliphaz Talks About The Foolish Man And His Sons
3 I have seen the foolish taking root,
But suddenly I cursed his dwelling place.
4 His sons are far from safety,
They are crushed in the gate,
And there is no deliverer.
In Verses 3-4 of Job 5, Eliphaz tells that when he saw the foolish becoming prosperous, suddenly their dwelling place was cursed. And a foolish man’s sons are not safe because they are crushed in the gate and there is no one to deliver them. The gate here refers to the city gates where court cases used to be discussed and justice used to be served in the olden days.
Man Is Born To Trouble
5 Because the hungry eat up his harvest,
Taking it even from the thorns,
And a snare snatches their substance.
6 For affliction does not come from the dust,
Nor does trouble spring from the ground;
7 Yet man is born to trouble,
As the sparks fly upward.
In Verses 5-7 of Job 5, Eliphaz further talks about how the hungry men eat up the harvest of the foolish man. Even though the foolish man might have a good harvest (because of the good seeds that he sowed once upon a time), the hungry eat them up even from hard-to-reach places like the thorns, thereby leaving nothing for the foolish man and his family.
In Verse 6, he explains that a man’s affliction does not come from the earth nor from the dust. It comes because man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward. Man has been born into trouble ever since Adam and Eve committed high treason.
However, a foolish man increases his troubles by being foolishly wrathful, envious and frustrated.
Eliphaz Would Seek God If He Were Job
8But as for me, I would seek God,
And to God I would commit my cause—
9 Who does great things, and unsearchable,
Marvelous things without number.
In Verses 8-9 of Job 5, Eliphaz tells that if he was in Job’s situation he would seek God and surrender his case before God. Because God does great things which are unsearchable. The marvellous things that God does are without number. And He is the righteous judge. A God who does such marvellous and great good things without number surely would serve justice.
God Sends The Rain And Waters The Fields
10 He gives rain on the earth,
And sends waters on the fields.
In Verse 10, Eliphaz tells that it is God who sends the rain on the earth and it is He that sends waters to the field.
You see, we cannot create water by ourselves and we cannot create oxygen by ourselves even for the next five minutes out of thin air. We are not God to tell “let there be water” and there is water. Whether we know it or not and whether we acknowledge it or not we are dependent on the Creator for everything.
We must remember that the earth is His and therefore everything in it. And we must thank Him every day for all the wonderful things He does for us every single day.
Eliphaz’s Revelation About God’s Justice
11 He sets on high those who are lowly,
And those who mourn are lifted to safety.
12 He frustrates the devices of the crafty,
So that their hands cannot carry out their plans.
13 He catches the wise in their own craftiness,
And the counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them.
14 They meet with darkness in the daytime,
And grope at noontime as in the night.
God hates crafty and wicked deeds. He hates sin. In Verses 11-14 of Job 5, Eliphaz tells Job how God promotes the lowly and humble and demotes the ones that lift themselves up high. He saves the ones who are in trouble and frustrates the plans of the crafty, thus interrupting their wicked plans. The wise men (who think they are wiser than God) are caught in their own traps and agendas and the tables turn on them. They meet with darkness even during the day and they grope at noontime as if they are groping in the night. Their eyes become blind and they do not know what they are doing or where they are going. In short, they are lost.
God Saves The Needy And The Poor
15 But He saves the needy from the sword,
From the mouth of the mighty,
And from their hand.
16 So the poor have hope,
And injustice shuts her mouth.
In Verse 15-16, we see that God saves the needy from the sword and from the mouth of the mighty and from their hand. The mouth of the mighty refers to people devouring the needy and the poor with wicked words and curses. God also saves them from the destruction of wicked people’s hands. Because of God, the poor have hope. And injustice is forced to shut up. It cannot prevail before God’s justice.
Eliphaz Encourages Job
17“Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects;
Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.
18 For He bruises, but He binds up;
He wounds, but His hands make whole.
19 He shall deliver you in six troubles,
Yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.
20 In famine He shall redeem you from death,
And in war from the power of the sword.
In Verses 17-20 of Job 5, Eliphaz tells that man should be happy when God corrects him. His correction is for man’s own good. If He bruises a person by correcting him, He binds up the wounds Himself. If He wounds his hands, He heals the wound. He shall continue to deliver you in 6 troubles and the 7th time you won’t have any troubles to be delivered from. When there is famine all around you, you shall not die even if others die. When there is a war, you will not be killed by the sword even when others are killed.
The Man Whom God Corrects Will Not Be Afraid
21 You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,
And you shall not be afraid of destruction when it comes.
22 You shall laugh at destruction and famine,
And you shall not be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
In Verses 21-22 of Job 5, Eliphaz tells that God shall hide the man whom he corrects from the scourge of the tongue and there is no need to fear even when destruction comes. For, that man shall laugh at destruction, and famine and will have no fear of even the mighty beasts of the earth.
The Man Whom God Corrects Shall Have Peace
23 For you shall have a covenant with the stones of the field,
And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.
24 You shall know that your tent is in peace;
You shall visit your dwelling and find nothing amiss.
Verses 23-24 of Job 5 tell that man shall have a covenant with the stones in the field and they shall yield to him. The field shall yield to the man whom God corrects. The beasts of the field will not hurt the man. His tent is safe and at peace. No one shall steal from a man whom God corrects. He can rest in God’s full protection.
God’s Blessing On The Man Whom He Chastens
25 You shall also know that your descendants shall be many,
And your offspring like the grass of the earth.
26 You shall come to the grave at a full age,
As a sheaf of grain ripens in its season.
27 Behold, this we have searched out;
It is true.
Hear it, and know for yourself.”
Verses 25-27 of Job 5 tell that the man whom God corrects shall have many descendants and their offsprings shall be like the grass of the earth. They shall come to the grave at a full age after living a full life just like a sheaf of grain ripens in its due season. And all that Eliphaz told Job is true for it has been searched out and verified. Eliphaz asks Job to listen to these words and know them for himself in his heart. In short, he asks Job to taste and see that God is Good.
Conclusion
This brings us to the end of Job 5. Verses 17-27, especially, are a great encouragement not only to Job but also for you reading it right now. God chastens his own just like a Father corrects his children, for their own good. We must not be afraid of God’s correction, instead, we must willingly ask for it to make sure we are not walking in sin.
If you have any comments or questions, kindly write them in the comments section below. I will reply as quickly as I can.
Until Next Time!