Job 22

The Third Round Begins With Ridiculous Questions

Eliphaz makes his final speech to Job.  He begins his lecture with a series of sardonic questions that appear to be rhetorical, but are nothing more than vain accusations.  The questions are asked in a manner and tone that indicates that Eliphaz thinks the correct answer is "No!"  Yet, for some of the questions, the answer is an emphatic "Yes!"
"Can a person do anything to help God?" (v.2) - No, but a person can act according to God's will and thus help the cause of God/Christ.

"Is it any advantage to the Almighty if your are righteous? Would there be any gain to him if you were perfect?" (v.3).  In this case, the answer is "yes."  God is pleased with righteousness and perfection/maturity.  It is His desire that His children live in righteous and attain the perfection of God through the Holy Spirit.

"Is  is because you are pious that he accuses you and brings judgment against you?" (v. 4). In this case the answer is a qualified yes.  First the question is not really a question but an accusation. But does God allow Satan to tempt a pious man?  Of course! That is one of the central themes of this book.

Verse 5 reveals Eliphaz's true feelings, "It is because of your wickedness! There's no limit to your sins."  This is the main contention of all three of Job's friends and is one that is repeated in all their speeches.  Job is a sinner in their eyes and is suffering because of his sin.  They are so blinded by their own intellect and legalism that it never enters their minds that God may be proving or testing a righteous man strictly for His own good pleasure.

Eliphaz's statements become more outrageous, bordering on blasphemous.  In verse 19 he all but denies the grace and mercy of God stating, "The righteous will be happy to see the wicked destroyed, and the innocent will laugh in contempt."   KJV version states it this way, "The righteous see it, and are glad; and the innocent laugh them to scorn."  While the righteous may rejoice that the Lord is a God of justice, they never pray for the sinner to be judged and to suffer.  A righteous person prays for mercy for the sinner.  The innocent do not laugh at the misfortune of others, they pray for the deliverance of others.

May God bless you and bless the reading of His Word.