13. Where Were the Righteous Cut Off?

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Hymns: RHC 269 Come to the Savior, 271 Softly and Tenderly, 272 Jesus, I Come

Job 4:3-11

3Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands. 4Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees. 5Butnow it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled. 6Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways? 7Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off? 8Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same. 9By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed. 10The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken. 11The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion’s whelps are scattered abroad. (Job 4:3-11 KJV)

Where Were the Righteous Cut Off?

OUTLINE

(1) Suffering Because of Man’s Wickedness

 

INTRODUCTION

Eliphaz was the most senior of three of Job’s friend who spoke first after 7 days of silence where they sat with Job during the deepest valley moment of Job’s life. He has just shared his misery in chapter 3, in lamentation, asking vulnerable questions, searching to unravel the mystery of what had befallen him.

  • Why Was I Born? (v1-10)
  • Why Did I Not Die Earlier? (v11-19)
  • Why Am I Still Alive? (v20-26)

Eliphaz began to discredit Job’s past testimony as a man of integrity who gave advice to many during the time of his “prosperity”. If Job is such a good counsellor to others, surely, he must have an answer to his own condition. Why is he reduced to such a troubled state, complaining of his own condition?

3Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands. 4Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees. 5But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.

Mr Counsellor is himself troubled and despondent. It goes to show that his claim of being a God-fearer, one who places his confidence in God and lived a life of uprightness is a vain show. This is the obvious conclusion. “Look at yourself now,” Eliphaz points out to Job, “you are now fainting and troubled. You are disquieted! What happened to your faith in God? Has it now caved-in? Goes to how shallow is that faith that you profess!” This was how Job was discredited. His testimony in God called to question. The word “troubled” means “disquieted”. It means also “dismayed, disturbed, terrified”.

What was the basis for Eliphaz’s discrediting remarks? The audience knows what Job and Eliphaz did not know. That Job is an upright man. God has vouched for his integrity (Job 1-2). God was able to look right into Job’s heart to pronounce him a God-fearer, a man who hates evil!

KJV Job 1:1There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. (Job 1:1 KJV)

8And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? 9Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 10Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. 11But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. 12And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD. (Job 1:8-12 KJV)

This was Job’s response to his calamity. It is timely to reflect his response in the light of his friend’s allegation.

After he lost his wealth and children:

 20Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, 21And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. 22In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. (Job 1:20-22 KJV)

After he lost his health:

 3And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. 4And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. 5But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. 6And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. 7So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. 8And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes. 9Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. 10But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.(Job 2:3-10 KJV)

We have observed that Job has up to this point maintained his testimony before God. But in chapter 3, he began to share his woes in the sight of his friends receiving a barrage of rebukes and false accusations, putting to question Job’s integrity before God and men. Job was charged as being a hypocrite. He comforted others he could not comfort himself. Job is not who he claimed he is, he is not man of God.

Eliphaz began by discrediting Job’s past piety as hypocrisy, “You comforted others but now look at you, do you not now wallow in self-pity too?”

This was the very thing Satan aimed at, to prove Job a hypocrite, and disprove the character God had given of him. When he could not himself do this to God, but he still saw and said, Job is perfect and upright, then he endeavoured, by his friends, to do it to Job himself, and to persuade him to confess himself a hypocrite. Could he have gained that point he would have triumphed? But, by the grace of God, Job was enabled to hold fast his integrity, and would not bear false witness against himself. [Matthew Henry]

We would like to think that his friends seemed to be motivated by the evil one to proof Satan’s allegation that Job is not an upright man.

Is this how we would address a friend who is deeply afflicted? Should we be judging his motive before God when we do not know for certain the situation?

We do not read hearts. Can we not give the afflicted the benefit of the doubt? Must we be so quick to condemn?

Those that pass rash and uncharitable censures upon their brethren, and condemn them as hypocrites, do Satan’s work and serve his interest, more than they are aware of. [Matthew Henry]

In fact, 4:1-4, speaks well of Job’s testimony before he was afflicted. He upholds the falling and strengthens the faint hearted.

This is not so for we shall see at the end of the book, God Himself vindicated Job. His friends were not speaking truthfully about Job’s character.

7And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. 8Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job. 9So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as the LORD commanded them: the LORD also accepted Job. (Job 42:7-9 KJV)

(1) Suffering Comes Because of Man’s Wickedness?

 7Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off? 8Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.9By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.

Eliphaz here advances another argument to prove Job a hypocrite and will have not only his impatience under his afflictions to be evidence against him but even his afflictions themselves, being so very great and extraordinary, and there being no prospect at all of his deliverance out of them. [Matthew Henry]

  • That good men were never thus ruined. (v7)

 7Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?

  • That wicked men were often thus ruined. (v8)

 8Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.

It is true as the Apostle Paul tells us in Galatians 6:7-8 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

It was a spiritual test for Job. He was not afflicted as a judgment for sin. Eliphaz concluded that Job’s present predicament has been a result of his sin. He is reaping the evil he has sown.

Isaiah 17:11 In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.

Romans 6:20-21 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.

God will surely not cut off the righteous. The reason for his present suffering is that he has been unrighteous. If he has been a good man, all this calamity would not have befallen him.

2 Thessalonians 1:3-6 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;

Our Lord Himself suffered wrong at the hands of the Jewish leaders to accomplish God’s purpose for the redemption of our souls.

1 Peter 2:20-25 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

All this while, his life has been living in self-righteousness. This includes all the times when he counselled others. It was not righteous counsel, according to God’s Word, but his own wisdom! The unrighteous is cut off by God. This is clearly when I have seen. This must be what happened. Job is suffering because he deserved it. He has sinned against God. For if Job had done right, things would have gone well. This is God’s punitive measure upon Job. God’s judgment for the wrong he has done. Surely this must be the explanation.

The book of Job was written to debunk such Eliphaz-type theology, suffering comes because of man’s wickedness. This is the only explanation there is to man’s suffering. This is erroneous theology. Suffering can come because of man’s sin but it can also be God allowing Satan to try His servants. A spiritual test!

Eliphaz’s argument comes from his experiences. He used his experience, by what he observes to happen around him to formulate his theology. This is extremely harmful and detrimental to those at the receiving end of their faulty theology.

It is so sad to read how Job had to defend his integrity at the moment of greatest loss and yet the Lord enabled him for His glory!

We can observe that he had a clear mind to realize that what his friend Eliphaz had said was wrong and had misrepresented God. His theology was built upon his experience by way of his observation of the phenomenon of the natural world and his vision.

The Word of God is the only infallible guide for counselling. And it has to be applied in the light of true understanding of a person’s predicament. We know that the conversation between God and Satan in the heavenly realm was not known to Job and his friends. Hence, it was wrong for his friends to jump to conclusion to judge Job without full knowledge of the truth. It is most unbecoming. May we learn from this negative example not to follow!

10The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken. 11The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion’s whelps are scattered abroad.

He speaks particularly of tyrants and cruel oppressors, under the similitude of lions. That judgment comes upon them slowly.

How he describes their cruelty and oppression. The Hebrew tongue has five several names for lions, and they are all here used to set forth the terrible tearing power, fierceness, and cruelty, of proud oppressors. They roar, and rend, and prey upon all about them, and bring up their young ones to do so too.

Ezekiel 19:3 And she brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men.

Psalm 10:9 He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.

Psalm 17:12 Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.

And, as far as they prevail, they lay all desolate about them. [Matthew Henry]

How he describes their destruction, the destruction both of their power and of their persons. They shall be restrained from doing further hurt and reckoned with for the hurt they have done. An effectual course shall be taken.

That they shall not terrify. The voice of their roaring shall be stopped. That they shall not tear. God will disarm them, will take away their power to do hurt: The teeth of the young lions are broken.

Psalm 3:7 Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.

Thus, shall the remainder of wrath be restrained. That they shall not enrich themselves with the spoil of their neighbours.

Even the old lion is famished, and perishes for lack of prey. Those that have surfeited on spoil and rapine are perhaps reduced to such straits as to die of hunger at last.

 The lion did tear in pieces for his whelps, but now they must shift for themselves.

Perhaps Eliphaz intended, in this, to reflect upon Job, as if he, being the greatest of all the men of the east,had got his estate by spoil and used his power in oppressing his neighbours, but now his power and estate were gone, and his family was scattered: if so, it was a pity that a man whom God praised should be thus abused. [Matthew Henry]

God is judging him by a slow death! How devastating for Job to hear such untrue allegations of his condition by Eliphaz. This will cause a holy zeal to rebut these falsehoods hurled upon him.