Job 15

Brief synopsis of Job chapters so far:

1. Satan accuses job 1
2. Satan accuses Job 2
3. Job : I wish I had never been born
4. Eliphaz: your worst fear has come upon you
5. Eliphaz: you need to get right with God, this is your own fault
6. Job: My grief is so great that I wish God would kill me
7. Job: I’m going to say what needs to be said; what’s the point of life?
8. Bildad: grass don’t grow without mud Job, you’re a sinner and this is your own fault
9. Job: I wish I could reason with God, but if he answered me I wouldn’t know what to say
10. Job: I wish I could ask God why he did this to me
11. Zophar: you’re lying and you didn’t even get all that you deserved
12. Job: It’s not as simple as you think: the wicked prosper and the righteous are taken away
13. Job: you guys are lying about God: he is my salvation
14. Job: will man live again? when God’s wrath is over, he will remember me
15. Eliphaz: Have you lost your mind?

Last week we saw that Job was starting to talk about and look forward to a new life in Christ. Eliphaz is outraged that Job could even think such a thing and asks Job:

• Should you really be talking a bunch of junk?
• Have you no fear of God at all?
• You’re condemming yourself out of your own mouth.

Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself? (Job 15:8)

It seems that perhaps Job has:

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counseller? (Romans 11:33-34)

For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it? (Jeremiah 23:18)

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:14-16)

All Eliphaz has to say to Job is

• What do you know that we don’t?
• I’m older than you, you think you’re wiser than me?
• How could you even let these words go out of your mouth?