The
Second Sunday after The Epiphany.
The
Collect.
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A
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LMIGHTY
and everlasting God, who dost govern all things in heaven and earth; Mercifully
hear the supplications of thy people, and grant us thy peace all the days of
our life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Devotion on Job (Chap 22) 24 January 2013 Anno Domini
I am
constantly amazed at the depths to which those of little faith will sink to
condemn those who live righteous lives without any citation of specific sins. A
favorite here in Alabama of the Baptist and other non-liturgical churches is to
accuse our little Church of St Andrews Anglican as being heretical in its
teaching. Noteworthy in their charges is the fact that they have never heard a
sermon at St Andrews, nor have they cited any specific reason for considering
us to be heretical. For example, do we preach false doctrine or unbiblical
worship? On these points, they are silent but are satisfied with the simple
charge of `heresy' simply because we are different in our form of worship. We
observe a strict reverence before God, and we worship Him in the dignity due
His station yet, because we are different, we must be heretical! Yes, best
gather the wood and faggots for the fire which all heretics deserve!
Mr. Eliphaz
now takes the floor in this chapter to further accuse Job of sundry sins o
which Job has never given a single thought. Perhaps the hypocrite is relieved
in his conscience by leveling charges against others at their most vulnerable
moment – very much like a General Sherman making war on defenseless women and
children. The presumptions of Eliphaz are preposterous in both enormity and
nature. Please note that Eliphaz, in his prideful arrogance, presumes to be
able to read – not only the mind of Job in knowing his sins – but the Mind of
God as well in bringing terrible judgment against his righteous soul! Perhaps
Eliphaz is born out of time. He would make a great deceiver for our day in
rendering "new and more accurate" versions of the Bible which bear little
resemblance to the genuine article!
Job 22
King James Version (KJV)
22 Then
Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2 Can a man be
profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?
3 Is it any pleasure to
the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest
thy ways perfect?
4 Will he reprove thee
for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment?
5 Is not thy wickedness
great? and thine iniquities infinite?
6 For thou hast taken a
pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7 Thou hast not given
water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.
8 But as for the mighty
man, he had the earth; and the honourable man dwelt in it.
9 Thou hast sent widows
away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10 Therefore
snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee;
11 Or
darkness, that thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee.
12 Is
not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high
they are!
13 And
thou sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud?
14 Thick
clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit
of heaven.
15 Hast
thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?
16 Which
were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:
17 Which
said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?
18 Yet
he filled their houses with good things: but the counsel of the wicked is far
from me.
19 The
righteous see it, and are glad: and the innocent laugh them to scorn.
20 Whereas
our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth.
21 Acquaint
now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.
22 Receive,
I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.
23 If
thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away
iniquity far from thy tabernacles.
24 Then
shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the
brooks.
25 Yea,
the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.
26 For
then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face
unto God.
27 Thou
shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy
vows.
28 Thou
shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light
shall shine upon thy ways.
29 When
men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save
the humble person.
30 He
shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness
of thine hands.
We
could consider this chapter to consist mainly in four different divisions:
1. Verses
1-5:
The completely exhaustive numbers of sins of Job of which Eliphaz seems proudly
aware.
2. Verses
6-11: Eliphaz list specific sins of which Job
"must" be guilty in order that God will judge him so.
3. Verses
12-20: Job is charged with complacency in his sins
believing God will not see them.
4. Verses
21-30: Job encouraged to repent and be restored.
1 Then
Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, 2 Can a man be profitable
unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself? 3 Is
it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it
gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect? 4 Will he
reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment? 5 Is
not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite? The
premise of Eliphaz is not only wrong, but so is his logic. While it is true
that God is not profited by any works we do, He does take pleasure in our
righteous faith. "….he taketh not pleasure in the legs (where
he goes or what his works are) of a man. The LORD taketh pleasure in them
that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. (Psalms 147:10-11)
Furthermore, man cannot "make himself perfect" – that
is the role of the Holy Ghost in sanctifying more and more the righteous man
whose righteousness is not his own, but the imputed righteousness of Christ. I
must remind Eliphaz that his sins are also infinite for even the smallest
violation of the law is a violation of all. The difference in Job and Eliphaz
might be that Job is accepted of God.
6 For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and
stripped the naked of their clothing. 7 Thou hast not given water
to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry. 8 But
as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honourable man dwelt in
it. 9 Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the
fatherless have been broken. 10 Therefore snares are round
about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee; 11 Or darkness, that
thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee. Now
Eliphaz, at the very least, names specific sins but omits to specify the times,
dates, and occasions for such sin. He offers not an iota of material evidence.
Instead of clothing the naked, Eliphaz accuses Job stripping them naked. When
did Job do this? We are not told but are expected to condemn Job simply for the
groundless accusation. Additionally, has Job deprived water from the weary?
Could we please have a name and date here? Or has Job withheld bread from the
hungry? Please let us have a specific charge and occasion. It is a moral custom
of those of the Middle East to treat the stranger with hospitality and kindness
(despite the evils of Islam).
When living in Iran, if I landed an aircraft on a
sandbar of the river during military training, the farmers would come running
with watermelons with which they would continue loading the aircraft until it
became over-grossed if not prevented sooner. Somehow that kindness has survived
even the imposed ignorance of Islam. The greater number of charges made against
Job are the more heinous because Job was a man of wealth (not needing to take
from the widow and the poor).
12 Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the
height of the stars, how high they are! 13 And thou sayest, How doth
God know? can he judge through the dark cloud? 14 Thick clouds are
a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.
15 Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden? 16 Which
were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood: 17 Which
said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them? 18 Yet
he filled their houses with good things: but the counsel of the wicked
is far from me. 19 The righteous see it, and are glad: and
the innocent laugh them to scorn. 20 Whereas our substance is not
cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth. Eliphaz
accuses Job of a lapse in faith as if he does not know that God is Almighty.
Job is classed with the wicked that lived before the flood. Perhaps Eliphaz has
forgotten, or never known through neglect of study, that God has promised to
never destroy the earth again with the waters of the Flood, and He has
established His rainbow in the heavens as witness of it? Eliphaz now launches
out on the "feel-good Gospel" that supposes the righteous will always
be rewarded in all walks of life, but the wicked destroyed at each offense. Is
this true? Did Mao Tze Tung, Joseph Stalin, or Pol Pot die natural deaths, or
no?
21 Acquaint now thyself with
him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. Is
the pot calling the kettle black? It is an unquestionable fact that Job is far
more acquainted with the Almighty than is his oppressor. 22 Receive,
I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.
23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt
put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles. 24 Then shalt thou lay
up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.
25 Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty
of silver. 26 For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty,
and shalt lift up thy face unto God. 27 Thou shalt make thy prayer
unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. Has
Job departed from God as Eliphaz claims? I think not! Job stands on the same
sure knowledge of God that he possessed BEFORE the onslaught of Satan's darts
which, by the way, are presently being supplied by Eliphaz. Have you watched TV
evangelism lately? Have you heard the promises of wealth and lucre that they
are promising to all who will send one thousand dollars or more of
"seed" money to them. Seed money, indeed! Being a child of God does
not bring with it a promise of earthly wealth – it never has! True wealth is to
be rich in spirit, and poor in the wealth of this world. The Church at Smyrna
epitomizes this principle. And unto the angel
of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which
was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but
thou art rich) (Rev 2:8-9)
Eliphaz
next suggests that Job, when he is restored, may decree a thing and it shall be
granted. Is this not like the modern evangelical scoundrels who teach that God
is bound to grant whatsoever we demand in prayer? The only prayer that God will
always grant is a prayer offered out of the Christian who has asked out of the
Mind of Christ which he has put upon himself. 28 Thou shalt
also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall
shine upon thy ways. And see in the next verse how Eliphaz presumes
man to be endowed with that power that belongs only to God. 29 When
men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and
he shall save the humble person. None can save but God. Even our
own acts of kindness and generosity are not ours but proceed from the heart of
God. 30 He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is
delivered by the pureness of thine hands. Here again, none can
deliver but the LORD. You can witness all of the old heresies just as alive
today as when they were first conceived in the heart of wicked men: Many of the
most popular preachers of our time have reinvented these heresies by another
name and are reaping great profits from the purses of the deceived. Let us pray
that you, friend, are not complicit with them in granting them `filthy lucre.'
