Eld Goh Kee Tai

Job’s counsellors in his afflictions

Job, a godly, healthy and rich man, the greatest of all men of the east (Job 1:1,3), was reduced to the most miserable state with total loss of all his material possessions and his ten children, and he himself afflicted with the most severe agonising skin disease (Job 1:14-19; 2:7,8; 30:18,30). He did not sin against God by renouncing or rejecting the God of his salvation, but resolutely cleaved to His immutable sovereign God and severely  rebuked his wife who urged him to curse God and die (Job 1:21,22; 2:9,10).

At this time when his need, fellowship, love, care and  compassion from his loved ones were greatest, his relatives and friends forsook him, his wife was alienated from him, his servants treated him like a stranger (Job 19:13-19), and even the scum of society mocked, despised and abhorred him (Job 30:8-10). Nevertheless, he still had three elderly friends from afar, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, who were eminently wise and reputable in their experience, and presumably, their words and judgment would be highly regarded  (Job 15:9,10; 32:6). When they heard of his calamities, they arranged among themselves and came on their own accord to mourn with him and to comfort him. On arrival, they could hardly recognise the disfigured Job, and did not utter a single word to him for seven days and seven nights while reflecting on the possible causes of his afflictions (Job 2:11-13).  

Job could not understand why he was so severely afflicted. His pride was probably deeply hurt in the presence of his three eminent friends when he was in such state of misery and poverty. He finally opened his mouth and vented his frustration out of great physical and mental anguish. He  cursed the day of his birth and wished that he had not been born, or died as soon as he was born (Job 3:1,3,5,11,16). He complained that his miserable life continued and was not cut off (Job 3:20-23).

First round of counselling

What Job had said moved his friends to break their long silence. Eliphaz, the first to speak, was displeased with the bitter words of Job and upbraided him of impatience, anger, bitterness and despondency in his afflictions. He then attempted to explain why Job was suffering. He asserted that no innocent man would ever be abandoned by God and perish but the wickedness of man shall certainly bring divine judgment. He attributed Job’s afflictions to his sin: ‘Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same’ (Job 4:8). He insinuated that Job was a hypocrite, not innocent of hidden crimes. The profession of his faith was only in hope and confidence that he would grow wealthy by it (Job 4:5,6). He was certain that Job was being chastised by God for his sin, and counselled him of the blessedness of being corrected (Job 5:17). He should patiently seek the Lord, repent, and submit to the Almighty and be blessed again.

Job was disappointed and deeply hurt by the uncharitable censures and unkind treatment. He appealed to his friends to be more sympathetic and compassionate for his extraordinary ordeals, and not accusing him of being guilty of crimes which he was not aware of (Job 6:14).

Bildad agreed with Eliphaz that ‘God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evildoers’ (Job 8:20). He was even less sensitive than Eliphaz by implying that Job’s children were killed because of their wickedness (Job 8:3-6). He also urged Job to repent and turn back to God.

Job disagreed with his friends’ interpretation of life. In this world, God does not necessarily reward the righteous or punish the wicked. Both the innocents as well as the wicked are afflicted; in fact, the wicked do not always suffer but frequently prosper, and the righteous are the ones sorely afflicted (Job 9:22,24; 12:6). Men are finite mortals who could not understand the whole counsel of the sovereign God whose wisdom and power are revealed in nature and He is not obliged to give a reason of His providential dealings (Job 9:4-12).

Zophar’s words were even more blunt and harsh. He also concluded that Job was suffering because of his sin. In fact, God ‘exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth’ (Job 11:6). He believed that there must have been some iniquity in Job’s hands and some wickedness tolerated in his family (Job 11:14). He insulted Job and rebuked him for not speaking the truth and attempting to understand the mystery of God’s providence (Job 11:3,7). He exhorted Job to take heed of his counsel and repent, and be assured of rich rewards (Job 11:13-19).

Job was saddened with the unjust, uncharitable and  erroneous views of his three friends who all concluded that his affliction was due to his sin. Job was certain that God knew his integrity (Job 10:7) and strongly rejected their false assumption. He asked them to keep their mouths shut (Job 13:5,13) as they were all ‘forgers of lies’ and ‘physicians of no value’ (Job 13:4), and threatened them with God’s judgment for their wrongdoing (Job 13:9-11). Job declared his own innocence, as no secret works of evil men can be hidden from God, and total dependence and trust on his Lord (Job 13:15,18; 19:25).

Job reflected on the supreme and absolute sovereignty of God, the excellency of His power and wisdom, especially in the dispensation of His over-ruling providence. The secret of divine counsel and the infinite wisdom of the justice of God transcend human understanding and knowledge (Job 12:13-25).

Second round of counselling

Eliphaz continued to argue that Job was an unjust person and a hypocrite and was punished for his sin. He disagreed with Job’s assertion that a good man could be sorely afflicted, for if God treats the righteous and the wicked alike, the righteous would have nothing to hope for and the wicked nothing to fear. Those who are miserable are certainly most wicked and those who are wicked are certainly most miserable as they experience pain, anguish, and premature death (Job 15:20-35). He condemned Job for his self-conceit and arrogance and even dared to question God for afflicting him. What Job had spoken confirmed his friends’ view that he was a wicked man suffered justly for his sin. Eliphaz accused him of being crafty, uttering vain knowledge and unprofitable and irreverent speeches (Job 15:2-6, 12,13), and of ignoring the wisdom of age (Job 15:10) and the sinfulness and depravity of man (Job 15:15,16). He charged Job for despising the counsels of his friends because of his pride and stubbornness (Job 15:11,12).

Job again rebuked his friends for being ‘miserable comforters’ (Job 16:2) and ‘mockers’ (Job 17:2). If they were in afflictions, he would strengthen and comfort them, and not unjustly accuse them (Job 4:3,4; 30:25; 16:4,5).

Bildad’s second speech was more harsh and unsympathetic.

He sharply reproved Job for rejecting the counsel of his friends (Job 18:3) and elaborated his doctrine on the misery and destruction of the wicked man and his family. He believed that this typified Job whom his friends believed was cursed by God for his wickedness and would perish into oblivion (Job 18:5-21). Job was already isolated from those dearest to him, and longed for affection, yet his friends continued to vex his soul and break him to pieces with their unkind reproaches and cruel insinuations (Job 19:2). He again warned them of God’s judgment for their false accusations (Job 19:29).

Zophar was filled with anger and further elaborated on the miserable condition and ruin of the wicked man and his family, and reminded Job that a hypocrite’s prosperity is brief (Job 20:5). None of his friends so far could produce any evidence of Job’s specific sins, but Zophar here insinuated that Job perverted justice and acquired wealth through land grabbing and oppression of the poor (Job 20:19). Job asserted that contrary to Zophar’s view, the wicked are often happy, healthy and live long in peace, security and affluence though they may escape judgment in this world (Job 21:7-13).

At the conclusion of this round of counselling, Job was made more miserable by his friends’ unsubstantiated  accusations. They attempted to convince him that it was because of his gross crimes and transgressions that he was suffering so severely.

Third round of counselling

Eliphaz charged Job for having a high opinion of himself as being holy and righteous, as if God was profited by it and thereby under obligation to him (Job 22:3). He believed that Job was a great wicked sinner with infinite iniquities, merely on the ground of his extraordinary calamities and extreme sufferings (Job 22:5). He accused Job of enriching himself by cheating the poor, withholding bread from the hungry and mistreating widows and orphans (Job 22:6,7,9). Once again, he urged Job to acknowledge his enormous crimes, repent and return to God with promises of secular blessings (Job 22:21-30).

Job was confident of his own integrity (Job 23:10-12) and wished he could appear before God’s tribunal to vindicate himself from these cruel accusations (Job 23:3-7). He acknowledged that his ordeals were appointed by God’s eternal immutable plan for his own good and would end well (Job 23:10,14). He brought more examples of the evil doers who continue to prosper without any visible sign of God’s wrath upon them (Job 24:2-24). While the wicked may not be punished in this life, the Lord will certainly reserve them for future judgment, contrary to what his friends had consistently asserted that the wicked are punished in this life according to their deeds.

Bildad censured Job for being presumptuous in attempting to justify himself before the Almighty and his confidence that he would be vindicated. He showed the infinite distance between God and man and contrasted the power and holiness of God with the frailty and sinfulness of man to humble Job. He repeated what Eliphaz had earlier stated that man is impure and guilty before God and cannot be justified before Him (Job 25:2-6; 4:17-19; 15:14-16). Job was disappointed with the lack of wisdom and feeling of his friends (Job 26:2-4). He provided a more excellent description of the infinite wisdom and awe-inspiring power of God in His works in heavens and on earth and His universal sovereignty and dominion over His creation (Job 26:5-13). Job concluded that our understanding of God’s providence is far beyond our finite knowledge of Him (Job 26:14).

Zophar did not renew his attack on Job.  

Job then resumed his address to all his three friends. He solemnly reaffirmed his right relationship with God by declaring his integrity, sincerity and innocence and his abhorrence of hypocrisy (Job 27:5,6). His guiding principle in life was  ‘the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding’ (Job 28:28). He was confident that his suffering was not brought about by sin in his life.

His friends had not produced any argument to refute Job’s doctrine regarding the prosperity of the wicked (Job 27:12). These evil doers might prosper for a while, but their ultimate ends are most miserable under the wrath of God (Job 27:13-23). The answer to the controversy between Job and his three friends or the reason why the righteous are afflicted and the wicked prosper was not to be searched out by them. They are hidden in the mind of God (Job 28:20,21).

Job reflected on the divine blessings in his former days when he was highly respected by the community and in prosperity and health, expecting to live long and die in honour and peace (Job 29:2-11,21-25,18-20).  

Job gave his final self-defence of his innocence by refuting all the false accusations of his friends and provided an account of his personal life and his relationship towards God and his neighbours. He hated lust, deceit, covetousness, hypocrisy and injustice, and  showed hospitality, charity and mercy to the poor and needy (Job 29:12-17; 31:1-40).

All his three friends remained silent after Job’s speech. They appeared to be completely overcome. However, there was still no agreement on the controversy.

Job and his friends’ knowledge of the Lord

Job and his friends possessed many wholesome theological truths of practical value. They stated that God is eternal, holy, just (Job 4:17; 8:3; 9:2; 10:5), gracious (Job 5:10), loving, caring and compassionate (Job 5:11,15-17). His power and wisdom are evident in His works of creation  (Job 9:4-10).  He is all wise and powerful with infinite knowledge (Job 5:9; 9:4), and has sovereign dominion over His creation (Job 9:12;25:2,3; 26:5-13). He looks down from the heavenly throne upon men, to behold and govern and recompense all their actions, whether good or bad (Job 10:4; 22:12-14; 28:24). They acknowledged that they could never comprehend the design of God’s providence – it is a mystery, deep and unaccountable. God is incomprehensible in all His ways and in all His works. He can do anything according to the secret counsel of His own will. The finite knowledge of man cannot fathom His counsels (Job 5:9-16; 9:4-10; 11:7-10; 12:13-25; 23:13; 26:14). They were fully  aware that  God chastises His children for sins committed for their spiritual good to bring them to repentance and to be reconciled to their loving heavenly Father. However, in addressing the afflictions of Job, these truths were not appropriately applied in their discourses. For example, Eliphaz attributed Job’s afflictions to divine chastisement for his gross sins in acquiring wealth (Job 5:17).

Elihu’s counselling

Elihu was a young bystander who had been listening attentively and carefully to the counselling by Job’s three friends. He felt compelled to speak as He was moved by the Spirit of the Almighty (Job 32:8,18) to point out the errors of both parties: Job’s friends for condemning him with their utterly groundless and unjust charges of gross crimes, and Job’s response to his afflictions in questioning the righteousness and justice of God (Job 32:2,3; 27:2).

Elihu attempted to address the perplexities of Job in his extraordinary afflictions. In the depth of his physical and mental torment, Job felt deserted by God and sinned by uttering rash and irreverent words that the Lord  was cruel and unfairly targeting and punishing him as an enemy (Job 13:24; 16:9; 19:11; 30:21). In defending his own integrity, he implied that God was unjust in His dealings with him and carelessly accused God’s providence (Job 13:18; 27:2).

It was the silence of God that troubled Job so deeply (Job 19:7;30:20). Elihu counselled him that the Lord might be speaking to him graciously using afflictions or fatherly chastisement to instruct and humble him of his pride of self-righteousness and to bring him to repentance (Job 33:17-22; 36:9,10). The consciousness of his integrity had caused Job to be self-righteous and presumptuous to enter into controversy with God (Job10:7; 16:19; 23:11,12; 27:2-6). Instead of complaining and being impatient, he should have taken notice of the mercies of God who can ‘giveth songs in the night’ (Job 35:10) and fill his heart with joy in the midst of calamities. Elihu assured Job that God had not forgotten him, and to wait patiently for His gracious intervention and deliverance (Job 35:14).

Job also seemed to imply that there was no advantage of having a good relationship with God since his righteousness did not secure him from afflictions and calamities (Job 34:9; 35:3).Elihu pointed out that man may benefit from the good deeds of a righteous person and be indebted to him. However, God’s dealings with man is not governed by such principle which regulates human conduct, as that would make Him a debtor of His creatures and put Him under obligation to make the good man happy (Job 35:5-8)

Elihu appealed to Job to apply what he had said of the power, wisdom and sovereignty of God to himself. The goodness of the Almighty is manifested in the perfect works of nature (Job 36:22-26). God has absolute sovereign dominion over His creatures and is not accountable to man of His providential dealings (Job 33:12,13). He is absolutely perfect and just and cannot do that which is evil, and He does not despise the works of His own hand. His eye of providence, love, grace and mercy are upon the righteous who though not exempted from afflictions, are not forsaken (Job 36:5-8). He is righteous in all His ways and holy in all His works (Job 34:12,17; 36:23).

It was folly of Job to quarrel with God and in attempting to search and comprehend the causes and reasons of God’s work of providence and why he was so severely afflicted. God is always right and perfect. However dark and mysterious His dealings with man may seem, God is never wrong (Job 36:23). No man can teach Him in the paths of judgment (Job 36:22). No one has the right to counsel Him (Job 36:23). It was absurd for Job to censure God’s proceedings. There was also no need for Job to insist on having a hearing before God’s tribunal (Job 34:23). He should not contend with God and to cast off awe and reverence for the Almighty. Job himself had stated that God graciously revealed as much as it is fit for man to know (Job 28:20-28), and therefore should be silent and be submissive to His will.

Elihu counselled Job to recognise God’s purpose in his sufferings and consider God’s glory and His infinite wisdom, power and sovereign dominion and greatness in His wondrous works of nature (Job 36:26-32; 37:4-18), humbly submit to His sovereign will and repent of his sin of pride and self-righteousness (Job 27:2-6; 34:31,32; 35:12). If he were to do so, God would restore his former prosperity and health (Job 36:11,15,16). But if he continued to be rebellious, impatient (even wishing for death) and hardened his heart with his self-conceit, self-will and pride, he would come under divine justice and perish like the wicked (Job 36:12-14).

Counselling by Job’s friends and Elihu contrasted

Job and his counsellors did not know that he was the subject of contention in the universal spiritual conflict between God and Satan in heaven. Satan accused Job, ‘a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil’ (Job 1:8;2:3) for worshipping the Lord because he was blessed with health and prosperity. If all these were taken away from him,  he  would certainly curse God, proving that he was a hypocrite (Job 1:11; 2:5).God knew Job’s integrity and permitted Satan to afflict him with a series of calamities coming in quick succession (Job 1:12-19; 2:6,7).

The authority of Job’s three friends in addressing a spiritual problem was based on tradition, by appealing to the experience and wisdom of their forefathers (Job 8:8-10). They had the false notion that since God is righteous, He always prospers the godly and afflicts the wicked. They were not convinced by Job’s argument that the righteous are also afflicted. They made use of Job’s calamities and afflictions as an argument to prove him a hypocrite. They believed that Job’s suffering must have resulted from divine punishment for his gross sins, which they could not substantiate.

They understood little of God’s love and mercy in His providence and came to an erroneous conclusion regarding the sufferings of Job. God’s knowledge and ways are too great for man with his finite knowledge to understand (Isa 55:8,9; Rm 11:33,34).  They had no concept of the intimate communion and fellowship that Job had with God.

Instead of staying focussed, praying for Job, bearing his burden and showing their love, care, concern and empathy, Job’s friends were indifferent to his sufferings and had no pity on him (Job 19:21). They reproved Job and were too judgmental, haughty and critical, and did not speak discreetly with grace. They could not explain the difficulties of understanding God’s providence or how to apply the consolation of His promises. That further discouraged and exasperated Job and added to his misery. Their indiscreet counselling sessions became a heated theological debate.

Unlike Job’s three friends, Elihu spoke discreetly, sensibly and with sound doctrine in the controversy to correct the erroneous views for the good of Job and for the vindication of the love, honour, glory and justice of God. He did not accuse him of concealing his sins, or lying in his claim of a right relationship with God. He attempted to convict and comfort Job and not exasperate him further by condemning him and finding fault with him.

Job remained silent throughout Elihu’s speech and appeared convinced that he had ‘spoken without knowledge, and his words were without wisdom’ (Job 34:35) and ‘open his mouth in vain’, and ‘multiplieth words without knowledge’ (Job 35:16).

Elihu was preparing the way for Job to humble and repent before God Himself appeared to close the controversy.

God’s verdict on the controversy

God finally appeared and spoke to Job in power and majesty out of a whirlwind. What He spoke was not Job’s suffering or its cause, but his attitude towards Him in lacking humility and trust as his affliction was prolonged (Job 7:3; 29:2), and in condemning Him for injustice in defence of his own righteousness (Job 40:8). God rebuked Job for his unadvised speaking. He had ‘darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge’ (Job 38:2) as he could not even fathom His greatness, majesty and wisdom in His works of creation and providence (Job 38:4-39:30; 40:9-41:34).  

Job was ashamed and in deep humility and sorrow as he realised his sin of pride and rebellion, for being so presumptuous as to contend with God and to find fault with His providence. He confessed that he was vile, worthless in the presence of the Almighty (Job 40:4), and had fallen into sin by failing to acknowledge God’s power and justice in his afflictions and for questioning His secret counsel without knowledge, things too wonderful for him (Job 42:3). Job humbly submitted to the Lord, abhorred himself and repented in dust and ashes (Job 42:6). He understood God better than he did before and entered into a deeper personal relationship with His Lord and Creator (Job 42:5). He was totally vindicated from the false accusations of his friends and restored to health and prosperity (Job 42:7, 10-17).

God was angry with Eliphaz and his 2 friends for condemning Job with their wrong doctrine  and disregarding his defence of innocence (Job 42:7). They were humbled by having to ask Job to offer sacrifices on their behalf for their sins and to intercede for them in prayers  before God restored them into fellowship with Him again (Job 42:8,9).

Conclusion

Job’s trial was a test of his faithfulness and integrity, as to whether he served God with an ulterior motive. It was not for him to know why he was afflicted. He learned that the real benefit of serving and worshipping God was not health and wealth, but God Himself, His Creator and Judge of all. At the end of the testing, he came to know God better and could trust Him to do all things right, even though it might appear not to be and it meant all that he had were taken away. God silenced Satan for his accusation against Job as a hypocrite. Amen.