Job 4:1-2 and 8 - Then Eliphaz the Temanite
replied: "If someone ventures a
word with you, will you be impatient? But who can keep from speaking?
One of the sweet friends took courage in the breaking of the
silence between them. He took his turn at advising Job…using his own personal
experience to state that only sin brings such calamity as Job’s upon oneself.
He even uses a dream he had as support for his opinion.
Even though his friend’s statement that sin brings judgment
on oneself was true…Eliphaz’s advice had 3 major flaws. One was that good…innocent people never
suffer bad things. He also stated that all those who suffer had committed some
sin. So his final assumption was that Job had sinned to bring about his plight.
Eliphaz’s mistake was basing his advice on personal
experiences. If God had come to him in a
dream...it must have been to teach him a lesson for himself. The commentaries say we hear God fuss at him
later in chapter 42 for misrepresenting God. All that he said was simply his
opinion.
Too bad Job’s friend didn’t have John’s words from 1 John 1:9
… “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” He would have known that Job’s routine
of worship …confession….and sacrifice would have cleansed any sin away from Job’s
life.
God is faithful to forgive us and renew a right heart within
us if we are faithful to follow John’s words.
Any sin….no matter how trivial or how enormous… can be forgiven and
cleansed away…with the simple words…I am sorry…forgive me. That is the reason that Jesus gave his life
on the cross…simple and true.
Father…thank you for the reminder that I am never to base my
advice to friend’s on my own opinions. I
am to read and study and know the true words of direction you gave us in the
Bible. Thank you for sending your son to earth to die for my sins…so my
repentance is as simple as asking you to forgive me and cleanse me of my many
sins each morning….noon and evening.
Amen.
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