The First Round Of Speeches
Job 3-14

Job's Opening Lament

Job 3:1-26

• With chapter 3, we move from the prose of chapters 1 and 2 and into the poetry that marks most of the rest of Job.
• Several weeks have gone by since Job was first affected by his troubles. Remember that his friends sat with him for an entire week without speaking, and it also took them some time to come to him when they heard of his troubles. Finally, Job speaks and comments on his plight by raising three questions. All of these are "why" questions.
• Job curses the day of his birth. His first of three questions in this chapter is "Why was I ever born?" (v. 1-10)
• Job shows us that it is natural to respond in grief to life's troubles with questions of "why" and with anger. There are other psalms of grief recorded in the Bible. See especially, Psalm 22:1 (which is what Jesus quotes from the cross in Matthew 27:46) - "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" This is the same sentiment that Job is expressing.
• Linguistic note: Darkness is mentioned five times in this section. However, there are four different Hebrew words used to express darkness. This is a clear example in the Hebrew of the elegant poetry of this book.
• Job wants skilled cursers - those who curse the sea - to curse the day of his birth. (v. 8)
• "Leviathan" is mentioned in five Bible passages: here (Job 3:8), Job 41:1, Psalm 74:14, Psalm 104:26, and Isaiah 27:1. These are possible references to dinosaurs, which we will discuss in greater depth when we look at Job 41. On the other hand, some people believe that "leviathan" refers to the crocodile. (v. 8)
• The Hebrew for "dawning of the day" is literally translated as "eyelids of the morning." Isn't that a beautiful word picture? (v. 9)
• Job's pressure is increasing and he's beginning to crumble under it. Remember, he is dealing with unexplained trouble - Job does not have the insight we were given in chapters 1 and 2. There is nothing harder to deal with than unexplained trouble.
• Job's second question of this chapter: "Why didn't I die at birth?" (v. 11-19)
• Job has a primitive view of death. He will later revise his view. Job's primitive view of death is a peaceful sleep - a time of rest. We'll be watching Job as he changes his opinion of death as the book progresses. (v. 13-19)
• Job's third question: "Why can't I die right now?" (v. 20-26)
• Job never contemplates suicide. He recognizes that life is a gift of God and that death must also be God's to give.
• Job comments on how God has hedged him in. When Satan was referring to the hedge around Job, he was referring to how God has protected Job from trouble. When Job refers to the hedge, he is commenting on how he feels trapped. (v. 23)
• After Job's opening statement, we begin to meet and get to know his friends: Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Eliphaz is probably the oldest - the eloquence and courtesy that he uses indicates that he has learned how to say unpleasant things in a gracious way. Bildad is brutal and plainspoken. He doesn't care what the effect of his words are on Job. Zophar is compassionate and emotional - he acts as a motivational speaker, speaking with a great deal of force.
• Job's friends are too human to be stereotypes or caricatures. When we look at their arguments, we will see our own philosophies. It is difficult to find any proposition in the book of Job that is not correct, when taken in isolation. This is one of the most difficult things to deal with as we study Job: look at the arguments put forward by Job's friends and determine where they are flawed.
• Also notice that Job's discussion is not an attempt to argue a point, but instead is an attempt to understand his experience. He is earnest and transparently honest.
• Job's friends talk about God, but Job talks to God. He tells God exactly how he feels and what he thinks. This is the best kind of prayer.
• Also note that Job does not wallow in his troubles - yes, he questions what is happening to him, but he does not harp on his losses of wealth and health. Instead, his concern focuses on God. Job is reconciled to his plight, he accepts that he has lost his health and wealth.

Eliphaz's First Speech

Job 4:1-5:27

• Eliphaz starts to talk to Job about Job's situation.
• Eliphaz shows that he is probably the wisest of Job's friends by the delicateness with which he begins his speech to Job - Eliphaz is very differential to Job. (4:1-6)
• As soon as Job spoke (chapter 3), Eliphaz took the opportunity to jump in with his opinion. This is probably not the best approach Eliphaz could have taken.
• Eliphaz starts his speech to Job by saying "follow your own advice."
• Eliphaz proclaims that the innocent don't suffer. (4:7-11)
• Eliphaz essentially says that "you reap what you sow." Here is one of the flaws in Eliphaz's logic - while it is true in the general case that you reap what you sow, it is not always true. It is certianly not true in Job's case.
• Eliphaz's theory about why people suffer is based on his experience, hardly a complete authoritative source. (Eliphaz says "From what I've seen...." -- a good response might be "You haven't seen much!") (4:8)
• Eliphaz proclaims that he has received a word from God, and implies that Job is suffering because Job has sinned. (4:12-21)
• Eliphaz rebuts Job's complaints to God with the statement that people are too far removed from the perfectness of God to be allowed to question God in the ways that Job was questioning God.
• Eliphaz is saying that the righteous are never punished, only the unrighteous suffer. Compare with the story of the man born blind (John 9:2f) - "Question: Who sinned? This man or his parents? Answer: Neither."
• What are some other biblical examples of people who suffered because they were right? Moses in Midian, David while being chased by Saul, Jeremiah and Joseph in the pit, Daniel in the lion's den, Paul in prison (more than once), Job in the city dump, all of the heroes mentioned in Hebrews 11, and (of course!) Jesus.
• Note also that Eliphaz draws his argument from a vision. Perhaps he thought that his own experience might not be sufficient grounds for an argument?
• Eliphaz's reasoning in 4:17-21 is designed to make it easy for Job to admit that he is sinful (and thus preserve the divine justice).
• Eliphaz draws attention to Job's prediciment and implies that God is chastening Job. (5:1-7)
• Eliphaz says that trouble comes from sin, therefore since Job is experiencing trouble, he must have sinned. This is a logical fallacy - trouble comes from other places than sin, too!
• Eliphaz suggests that Job should turn to God. Eliphaz pontificates on God's greatness. (5:8-16)
• Eliphaz suggests that Job should be happy that God is correcting him. Eliphaz tells Job that if he allows God to correct him, he will become prosperous. (5:17-27)
• Eliphaz's (incorrect) theory is that suffering is directly proportional to sin. Righteousness always brings good and sin always brings evil. In general, this is true, but the flaw is that this is not always true.
• Eliphaz also lays the groundwork for the theory put forth by all of Job's friends: suffering is always punitive rather than instructive. We know that the reasons for Job's suffering is not as punishment, so we know that this theory is incorrect. Again, while it may be true in the general case, it is not always true in the specific case. It is certainly not true in Job's case.

Job's Response

Job 6:1-7:21

• Job's response is broken into two sections - his response specifically to Eliphaz (Job 6) and a general complaint to God (Job 7).
• As we continue our study in Job, especially as we look at the responses that Job's friends provide, remember that it's very difficult to find any bad theology when examining the dialogue. However, taken as a whole, the advice Job's friends give him is wrong. I think Job realizes this as he expresses his despair and frustration in this response to Eliphaz.
• Notice, even in the translation, the eloquence of the writing. Job is a beautifully written piece of literature.
• Job complains that his grief is great. (Job 6:1-4)
• Job makes the point that you never her an animal complain when he is well fed and taken care of. This is why Job is complaining - he is suffering! (Job 6:5)
• Again, Job wishes for death (but does not contemplate suicide). (Job 6:6-10)
• Job emphasizes his despairation. He says that he doesn't have the strength to handle what's being thrown at him. (Job 6:11-13)
• Even though Job thinks he doesn't have the strength to handle what's happening to him, it's important that we remember that he does. God knows Job better than he knows himself. God knows us better than we know ourselves. God knows that Job can handle these troubles. For the time being, Job's cries go unanswered. (They will be answered later.) As we continue our study in Job, we will see him grow in his faith.
• Job complains that his friends are of no comfort to him. He says they are as refressing as wells without water or a dry river bed. (Job 6:14-21)
• Job's friends were undependable because they were more interested in defending their assumptions abotu sin and suffering than they were in caring for their friend who was in need. Job needed the devotion of his friends (Job 6:14), what he got instead was criticism and condemnation. (Job 6:15-17)
• Job finishes his response to Eliphaz's discourse by begging his friends to show him where he has sinned. (Job 6:22-30)
• Job is not a sinless man (see him confess in Job 7:20, e.g.), but his a blameless man (see Job 1:1, e.g.). What does this mean? It means that Job has made confession for all of his sins. Eliphaz is accusing Job of withholding a confession of a secret sin. Eliphaz says that because Job is withholding this confession, God is rebuking him. Job, however, knows that he has no unconfessed sin. He challenges his friends to point out what the sin might be. This is a great example for us for many reasons:
  • It is important for us to realize that we all have sin in our lives. Job recognizes the sin in his life, we should recognize the sin in our own lives. Often, it is easy for us to recognize sin in our lives - we know when we're doing something wrong. Sometimes, however, it's not as easy to recognize the sin. The Holy Spirit will convict us of our sins, our job is to listen to Him.
  • Knowing that we have sin in our lives, it is important for us to deal with that sin. The primary way for us to deal with sin is through confession and seeking forgiveness. Job has confessed his sins and sought forgiveness through the sacrificial offering system. Confession and repentance are the ways to deal with sin. God will forgive us.
  • Although this is not the case in Job's situation, it may be the case in our situations - sometimes our friends can help point out where there is sin in our lives. Even though Job knew there was no unconfessed sin in his life, when his friends suggested that there was a possibility that unconfessed sin was the root of his trouble, Job took their suggestion seriously. He searched himself to see if he could find what that was. When he couldn't find any unconfessed sin in his life, he challenged his friends to point it out to him. It is important to have people in our lives who we can trust to "tell it like it is" and help us grow spiritually. We also learn from Job, however, that our friends are sometimes wrong.
  • Recognizing sin in our lives is an important aspect of our spirituality. Job provides an excellent example for us to use when we examine ourselves - take an honest look at our lives and see if there is sin, listen to the Holy Spirit to convict us of sin, seek guidance from our trusted friends to help us discover our sins.
• Job next turns his attention to raising general complaints to God. (Job 7)
• Job considers man's place in the world and complains about his boils. (Job 7:1-6)
• Job has given up. He thinks that he will never see relief. He cries out in honest despair. Even in his frustration, Job retains his honesty and clarity! (Job 7:7-10)
• Job continues his complaints to God. (Job 7:11-21)
• Job wonders what makes man so important - so great - that God would spend so much time and effort making on man suffer. (Job 7:11-21)
• Job confesses he is a sinner. Remember, that Job is not a sinless man, only blameless. (Job 7:20)
• Job is concerned that he is not receiving any reassurance of his forgiveness. He has no external, physical evidance that his life was approved by God. (Job 7:21)
• Just as Job had to rely on his own knowledge of himself and his situation, we often have to rely on our own knowledge. Like Job, we should search ourselves and external evidence for reassurance that we are doing the right thing. We should note, however, that the reassurances do not always come or they do not always come quickly - this is one of the issues with which Job is struggling.
• As we look at Job remember that there are two purposes in view. As of yet, Job does not have the benefit of knowing the whole background story like we do, and as we look at the exchanges of dialogue, it can be easy for us to forget what's going on in the big picture.
  • Satan's purposes: 1) to use the pain of Job's illness to afflict his body; 2) to use the "comfort" of his friends to irritate his soul; and 3) to use the silence of God to assault his spirit and break his faith.
  • God's purposes: 1) to teach Job some truths he never knew before; 2) to deepen his theology and help him understand God and himself much better; 3) answer Satan before the principalities and powers of the whole universe and prove him wrong in his philosophy in life; 4) provide a demonstration for all sufferers in the ages to follow that God knows what He is doing.
• Job's friends - his comforters - prove to be the hardest trial of all Job faces.

Bildad's First Speech

Job 8:1-22

• Bildad responds to Job. Once again, it is difficult to find something wrong with Bildad's arguments to Job. There is a lesson here for us - we must be careful how we speak to our friends when trying to help them understand and work though the troubles in their lives. Job is suffering immense hurt; his friends do more harm than good with their "comfort."
• The name Bildad may mean son of contention, which would be a very appropriate meaning, since this friend of Job seems to love controversy. Ridout compares Bildad to Eliphaz in style and knowledge as follows: "There is perhaps less of the courtesy and dignity which marked the speech of Eliphaz, together with some harshness toward Job, caused apparently by the bitter charge of the latter against God. With all his ignorance of divine principles, Bildad is jealous of the honor of God, and cannot allow Him to be accused. In this he is surely right, but he fails to convince Jo because of the root error in the thoughts, indeed, of them all: God must punish sin, and Job must be a sinner for he is being punished." (Believer's Bible Commentary)
• Bildad is brutal in his attack against Job. Where Eliphaz was deferential towards Job, we see nothing of the sort here.
• Bildad asks Job ho long Job plans on complaining to God before finally deciding to do the right thing and actually address his problems. (v. 1-2)
• Bildad's impatience here is harsh and troubling, but how often do we act in the same way? Job is earnestly complaining about his situation and attempting to understand not only how to best deal with his current prediciment, but to also discover exactly why he finds himself suffering so much. All Bildad hears is Job's complaining, and he assumes that Job is simply whining. Bildad's response to Job proves that Bildad is doing a terrible job of listening to Job.
• Bildad attacks Job for daring to express his complaints to God. (v. 3)
• Bildad's attack in verse three is perhaps the one thing that he says that is not correct. (Most of Bildad's lack of helpfulness is found in what Bildad neglects to consider and say, as opposed to what he says.) God wants us to talk with Him. Job was expressing his complaints and agony to God in his prayers. This is exactly how Job should have responded in this situation. God wants to hear from us when we're frustrated, angry, and confused. For Bildad to tell Job not to "bother" God with these complaints is dangerous advice.
• Bildad argues that God is incapable of doing wrong and that if Job repents, God will respond. (v. 3-7)
• In this respect, Bildad's argument is similar to Eliphaz's argument: Job has obviously sinned and needs to confess and repent of that sin. We know that this is not the case. Job knows that this is not the case. For Job to hear his friends tell him this repeatedly must have been an extremely hurtful experience. It is a cruel thing for Bildad to say.
• Bildad appeals to history - the experience of the fathers - to back up his claim that God will heal a repentant sinner. (v. 8-10)
• Bildad appeals to common sayings of the day which emphasize man's dependance on God. Bildad is saying that man, by nature, must have God's blessing in order to prosper. The fact that Job is not prospering - indeed, that Job's prosperity has been brutally stripped from him - is an obvious example that Job does not have God's blessing, Bildad says. Bildad says that God always cuts off those who seem to prosper because of evil in their midst and assumes that Job is suffering for this reason. (v. 11-19)
• Bildad closes with an appeal that Job repent. (v. 20-22)
• What is wrong with what Bildad says to Job? Basically, nothing. The error in Bildad's argument is not in what Bildad says, but in what Bildad leaves out:
  1. Bildad (and all of Job's friends) do not even attempt to dig deeper into Job's words. They answer his complaints by only listening to the surface of what Job is saying. If they truly listened to Job instead of trying to argue in order to make themselves sound good, they would quickly see that their arguments are weak and inapproriate. Job's friends make their arguments without any attempt at really understanding what Job is saying, or without any attempt to understand Job's pain.
  2. Bildad's (and all of Job's friends') theology is incomplete. While they are correct in what they do say, they do not consider the posibility that God may work in ways that they are not familiar with or experienced with. Job's friends believe they already know all there is to know about God. Wow. This is a common mistake throughout the ages. We see it today, and are often probably guilty of it ourselves.
• Where are the prayers? The book of Job is full of prayer, but every prayer recorded is a prayer that Job makes. Job's friends never pray with him or for him. In order to truly be able to help someone in a situation like Job's, it is essential that we pray for understanding. We must pray that God will help us understand what our friend is going through and how we can and should respond. Job's friends do not do this, and the advice they end up giving him comes across as obviously self-serving and, ultimately, useless to Job's situation.

Job's Response

Job 9:1-10:22

• Job says that he agrees with Bildad: that trouble comes from sin. (9:1-3)
• Job shows that at this point, his theology is also inadequate. He accepts that trouble comes only from sin. Job is saying that he would be offering similar advice to other people in his same situation. He has searched his heart and has been unable to identify any sin that would be causing him this trouble, and this is what is frustrating him.
• Job is faced with a dilemma: "I'm not aware of sin in myself, but there is still trouble here. Therefore, the problem must lie with God." This is a tough line of thought, because Job recognizes that he is unable to examine God. Job offers three reasons he is unable to examine God: 1) God's wisdom is beyond that of man (9:4-10), 2) God is invisible (9:11-12), and 3) God is sovereign. (9:13-21)
• Job speaks of God's wisdom: Job rightly recognizes that God, as creator, is much greater than man. Job mentions several constellations. We will hear more about constellations in the later part of the book (Chpater 38, e.g.) when God gives Job a science quiz. We'll talk more about some of the scientific aspects of Job later in our study. (9:4-10)
• During this discourse, we see that Job is beginning to realize an important lesson: life becomes incomprehensible where there is no understanding God.
• Job makes an important statement starting in 9:32 - God is not a man like Job is. God is bigger. Job realizes that they need a mediator to come between God and man - someone who understands both and can bring man and God together. (9:32-35)
• Recognizing the need for this mediator is Job's first insight in the book as to why God is allowing Job to suffer. Job is finally beginning to realize the chasm between God and man and recognize that the chasm must be bridged by another.
• This understanding dovetails into New Testament theology nicely. Who is our mediator? Jesus.
• The suffering Job is going through and the understanding he is receiving brings to mind Psalm 119:71 - "It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes." Suffering often brings us closer to God.
• In Job 10, Job returns to prayer searching for answers.
• Job opens his prayer, once again, with honesty: "I will speak in the bitterness of my soul." (10:1)
• Remember, God wants to hear all our prayers, good and bad. We should not be ashamed or afraid to turn to God in the bitterness of our souls!
• Job asks God if God places limits on Himself in order to better relate to man? (10:2-7)
• Of course, in the incarnation, we have a striking picture of God limiting Himself to our circumstances. By becoming fully human while remaining fully God, Jesus is able to be the mediator between God and man.
• Job continues to cry out to God in agony. The questions Job raises continue to go unanswered. (10:8-17)
• Job concludes his prayer by crying out to God to "Leave me alone." (10:18-22)

Zophar's First Speech

Job 11:1-20

• Zophar ("The Zealous") offers his rebuke against Job. It is a cold, harsh, scorching rebuke. Zophar is pushier than Job's other friends.
• Like Job's other friends, Zophar claims that Job's troubles are caused by his sins.
• Zophar does not put himself in Job's place before condemning Job. This shows Zophar's lack of compassion. (Job 11:2-3)
• Zophar accuses Job of mocking God, which is incorrect. Job has challenged what he believes are God's unjust actions (see Job 9:14-24, e.g.), but has never mocked God. (Job 11:3)
• Zophar claims that Job has described himself as having sinless perfection. In fact, Job has made no such claim. The claims of "blameless" do not mean sinless. (Job 11:4)
• Zophar wishes that God would speak against Job. You can almost see him shaking his fists against Job. Zophar is saying that Job is receiving less than he deserves. (Job 11:5)
• Zophar thinks that Job is shallow and does not understand the true nature of God. (Job 11:6-9)
• Zophar asks Job if he can understand the mysteries of God. This is a question God Himself will be asking in Job 38:1-42:6. This retorichal question is perhaps the only good point that Zophar brings up in this discourse. (Job 11:7)
• Compare Zophar's description of God's knowledge with Paul's description of Christ's love in Ephesians 3:18. (Job 11:8-9)
• Zophar claims that it would take a miracle to change Job. He is essentially saying "Any man as stupid as you, Job, will never get any help." (Job 11:11-12)
• Zophar assures Job that his problems are rooted in his sin and that if Job repents, he will be relieved of his problems. This is bad philosophy. (Job 11:13-20)
• Where is Zophar's offer to help Job? Completely absent. Instead, Zophar just offers cold, analytic logic. He makes no attempt at identifying with Job whatsoever.

Job's Response

Job 12:1-14:22

• Job responds to his friends. (Job 12)
• Job says that his friends are know-it-alls. We see sarcasm from Job for the first time. I think it's refreshing. (12:2)
• Job points out that he has a mind, just like his friends do. He is tired of his friends talking down to him in his struggles. Job insists that he's not deserving of the scorn the throw at him. He says that the things that his friends are telling are common knowledge - i.e. "You're not telling me anything I didn't already know." Their advice is trivial and commonplace. (12:3)
• Job says that before he suffered, when he called out to God, God answered. (12:4)
• Job says that the prosperous have contempt for those, like Job, who suffer. Perhaps seeing Job's suffering makes the prosperous uneasy? (12:5)
• In what he says in verse 5, Job is telling his friends that they don't understand his suffering because they haven't "been there." They are attempting to give him "head" advice instead of "heart" advice. It's similar to having a blind person describe colors. Attempting to comfort people with empty advice like this is one of the things we need to guard against doing. (12:5)
• Job tells his friends to look around them to see that they are wrong. Idolaters prosper. "Good" things happen to "bad" people. The righteous suffer. This does not bode well for the arguments that his friends have been making. Look at nature - God does as he pleases. (12:5-12)
• Job recognizes that he does not know it all. In this respect, he is a step ahead of his friends. Job continues seeking the answers to his problems. (12:12)
• More sarcasm from Job: he chides his friends for being "elders" yet lacking wisdom.
• Job turns to God and describes His power by demonstrating it in creation and throughout history. (12:13-25)
• Job also talks about the negative aspects of God's power and wisdom: the destructive forces of nature (12:14-15), how judges become fools (12:17), how priests become humiliated (12:19), how trusted advisers are silenced and elders deprived of good sense (12:20). Contrast these facts from Job with Eliphaz's claim that God always uses His power in ways that make sense. (See Job 5:10-16)
• The Hebrew of Job 12:21a and 12:24 is repeated verbatium in Psalm 107:40.
• Job points out that God knows out even secret, evil plans. (12:22)
• Job concludes this section with a parody of Eliphaz's confident assertion in 5:14. (12:25)
• Job continues complaining: about his situation, and about his friends. (13)
• Job again says that his friends are not telling him anything that he doesn't already know. He reminds his friends that he is not inferior to them (13:1-2)
• Job wants to talk with God. (Job 13:3)
• Job's friends are of no help - they would be more helpful if they remained silent. (Job 13:4-5)
• Job points out that his friends are speaking poorly of God. (Job 13:6-8)
• Job points out that if God judges Job harshly, He will judge his friends just as harshly. (Job 13:9-12)
• In a famous passage, Job maintains that he will trust God. (Job 13:15)
• Job indicates that he is about to turn his conversation towards God. (Job 13:16-19)
• Job's friends obviously don't understand the depth of God. They are rigid in their theology and not willing to consider aspects of God that they aren't comfortable with. They don't understand that God is also merciful. By insisting on "preaching" to Job, they do nothing to help him and only increase his torment. They would be better help if they remained silent. Remember Romans 12:15 - we should "weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice."
• Starting at Job 13:20, Job turns again to speaking to God.
• "C. S. Lewis has well said that to argue with God is to argue with the very power that makes it possible to argue at all. Job knows this and [knows] that he must have mercy from God before he can even stand before Him." (Missler)
• Job has two requests for God: 1) that God will stop the pain so that Job does not have to speak out of constant torment and 2) that God would veil his presence so that Job will not be terrified by the awesomeness of a mighty God. Note that Job does not loose his healthy sense of respect and awe, and his sense of the majesty of God. (Job 13:20-22)
• Job recognizes that he needs more information before he can go on and cries for knowledge. Job asks to know what the charges are against him. We know that there are no charges against Job, but that is the presumption everyone is working on at this point. (Job 13:23)
• Job recalls his sinful past, even though he has offered sacrifices and attoned for his sin according to God's program. (Job 13:24-28)
• Job offers a very eloquent view of his helplessness and the hopelessness of man before God. It is his pessimistic view of life. (Job 14:1-12)
• Even with his pessimism, note that Job is not fatalistic - he knows that death is not "the end." See also Job 19:25-27. (Job 14:14)
• Job describes the awesomeness of God, completing the first round of argument. Job's responses help to balance the theology that his friends provide. (Job 14:15-22)