Today’s reading: Job 4:1-7:21
My selection: Job 4:2
“ Remember: who that was innocent ever perished? Or where were the upright cut off?
My reflections: Eliphaz comes to comfort Job but he is missing a vital truth. After mentioning Job’s past virtuous life, he suggests that Job has now become impatient. Eliphaz has a simplistic way of looking at God’s dealings with men: if you do good, you will be rewarded; if you do evil you will be punished with suffering. Therefore, if you are suffering, it must always be as a result of doing evil. In other words, the innocent never suffer. There is some fault in Job (maybe this impatience?) that is causing all his present suffering.
What is wrong with Eliphaz’ analysis is that it is not true in the case of Job. He is not suffering for some failure, rather he is suffering because he has been chosen by God to demonstrate to Satan that he trusts God, not for what he can get but, for who God is. He worships God from a pure heart, not for selfish gain.
Job models, on a small scale, a truth that will become more clear in the gospel, that an upright man can suffer unjustly. The only truly innocent One, the Lord Jesus Christ, God Incarnate, would be beaten, ridiculed, and killed in the most evil and unjust act of history so that all who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
My challenge: Are you trusting in Jesus Christ for your acceptance before God? Your own works may be better than those of other people but they are insufficient to merit the forgiveness of the Holy One. Do not make Eliphaz’ error, thinking our good works can save us. Trust in Him who, though innocent, perished and who, though upright, was cut off. Trust in Him who, though He perished and was cut off, was raised from the dead and lives forever.
2 Cor 5:21 For our sake he made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
Tomorrow’s reading: Job 8:1-10:22
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